HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

[DaveMBJr]

Hi all,

 

First I want to apologize in advance for the lengthy post, and for slaughtering any lingo.

 

I just started playing in a friends Champions Battlegrounds campaign (first time ever playing HERO) and am rebuilding him after he spent the first 2 sessions unconscious. I know many of you have this stuff mastered so I'm asking for some ideas/tips on my powers.

 

Character Concept:

Ever since Mental Boy was a small child his parents noticed strange things always occuring around him. Objects would randomly fly across the room, he would often respond to comments/questions they had never vocalized, etc. This resulted in him being labeled as a "trouble maker" by his teachers, who insisted he be put on Ritalin. His parents always flatly refused. Around the time he hit puberty things got so out of control that his parents finally took him to a leading neurologist. It was then that his latent telekinetic and telepathic powers were finally identified and he was sent to Ravenswood Academy. To help him control his wild mental abilities a new drug was formulated, dubbed T.H.C. (Telekinetic/Telepathic Hindering Compound). Now at the age of 18 he has set off to make a name for himself in Millenium City.

 

Character Building:

I have 325 points to spend on characteristics and powers (I already spent 25 on skills and 5 on perks)

 

My base characteristics will all be 20 or below, except for EGO which I want up to 26 or 29.

 

Here are some of the powers I think would work...

 

Telekinetic Powers:

 

1. Manipulation: For grabbing objects/people and throwing them around for damage.

2. Defense: Picking up objects in the environment and using them to block ranged attacks.

3. Force Field: To protect against attacks that are up close and personal.

4. Flight/Leap: For moving around the battleground quicker than running.

 

Telepathic Powers:

 

1. Mind Reading: For uncovering the villians plans and communicating with teammates.

2. Mental Assault/EGO Attack: I hear most characters don't have high mental defense so this makes sense.

3. Illusionary Disguise: For getting around "undetected."

 

Misc:

1. 
   
2. Strong Will: To protect against mental attacks from other mentalists.

Any tips on how to effectively (and economically) build these, or any other powers you suggest, would be great.

 

THANKS!

[incrdbil]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

Well, your description suggested no limitations; getting everything in left little for stats, and required frameworks. It's very bare bones. I didn't know your campaign AP or DC limits. I came up with a suggested disad for the drugs he was given. Hope it helps.

 

 

Val Char Cost

20 STR 10

18 DEX 24

20 CON 20

11 BODY 2

13 INT 3

26 EGO 32

15 PRE 5

12 COM 1

4/26 PD 0

4/26 ED 0

5 SPD 22

8 REC 0

40 END 0

32 STUN 1

 

8" RUN 4

2" SWIM 0

4" LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: 124

 

Cost Power

75 Mental Powers: Multipower, 75-point reserve

 

6u 1) Nothing up my sleeve!: Telekinesis (15 STR), Fine Manipulation, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1) (73 Active Points); Affects Whole Object (-1/4)

 

5u 2) Guess who?: Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing, Mental and Touch Groups, limited group of shapes), Imitation, Instant Change, Makeover, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (73 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Illusion can be seen through given suspicion and opposed ego roll, does not affect Non-human class minds or anything without EGO; -1/2)

 

7u 3) umm, well, its just Telepathy.: Telepathy 12d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4)

 

3u 4) Eeek! Stop shooting at me!: Missile Deflection (Any Ranged Attack), Full Range (+1) (40 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a fourth of its effectiveness (Needs something to 'block' attack; -1/4)

 

7u 5) MMM, Brains....: Ego Attack 6d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4)

 

7u 6) Sometimes, you just need to hit someone with a big stick.: Telekinesis (50 STR) (75 Active Points)

 

28 Elemental Control, 56-point powers

28 1) the SMA effect. (Save my ..assets): Force Field (22 PD/22 ED), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (55 Active Points)

 

28 2) Wheeee!: Flight 20", x4 Noncombat, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (56 Active Points)

 

7 Mental Defense (12 points total)

Powers Cost: 201

 

 

Cost Skill

25 Custom Skill

Skills Cost: 25

 

Cost Perk

5 Custom Perk

Perks Cost: 5

 

 

Total Character Cost: 355

 

Pts. Disadvantage

10 Dependence: Needs Special Medication Powers Gain 14- Activation Roll (Uncommon, 6 to 8 Hours)

[DaveMBJr]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

Thanks for the write-up, it helped out a ton!

 

By the way, what does DC stand for? I know that the campaigns AP limit is 75 for one power, and 60 for the rest.

[incrdbil]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

DC stands for damage class. With an active point limit of 60, you may have to tone down a few powers, but cutting down shouldn't be a problem. Good luck.

[DaveMBJr]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

One last question...

How exactly does my EGO relate to or affect these powers?

[incrdbil]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

Well some (but not all) of your powers, are classified as Mental Powers in terms of using your EGO stat to determine the Combat Value they use and for inittiative. To be specific to the sample character above, this would apply only to the telepathy and the ego attack. This means that they use EGO as the basis of their CV for combat. For example, your telekenesis, though on the surface a mental power, actually is guided and works off of your Dexterity derived Combat Value. Same thing for your missle deflection.

 

Your telepathy and Ego attack, are, however, found under Mental powers. You use your Ego combat value to hit with these attacks. Also, if you choose to use these powers, you may use your EGO instead of Dexterity to determine at what point of the phase you get to move. (Page 246, Hero fifth Edition)

 

Example: Phase 3, and you are fighting a villain with Dex 23, and an ego of 14

 

Lets say you choose to grab him with your telekenesis. Your TK uses your normal Combat Value (CV) , and you act in order of your Dexterity. At Dex 23, the villain gets to act first. When it comes to your action, (Dex 18) you then get to act. Your dex based CV is 18/3=6. This would be applied against the villains 8 Defensive CV (DCV) (23/3), giving you a base 9- to hit.

 

Now, lets say you decide to Ego attack him. Your ego attack is a mental power, so you get to act based on your EGO--a 26, which means you will go before the villain. Your Ego CV is a 9. (26/3) The villain uses his ECV to defend. (14/3)=5. This gives you a 14- to hit with your ego attack. The Villain then acts at Dex 23.

 

There are important considerations to remember. If you wantred to move before you attacked, you would have to wait until your physical dexterity of 18. You can make powers with the advantage, Based on Ego --that has a lot of other affects on the power, and makes it very expensive.

[incrdbil]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

Here is an alternate Multipower set up--it technically follows your guidelines. the multipower reserve is at 75 points due to the 1/2 end advantage, but the power slots themselves are only 60 points. The missiel defelction is bought as a custom power because, oficially, the Hero rules will not let you buy a power as costing END, then reducing that end cost. I routinely allow powers to do that, your GM may do so as well. If your GM won't..well, go back to the original write up.

 

Explanation about the shape shift: instead of using images or mental illusions, I use shpare shift, with limits. Someone in the room will be tricked. Someone looking into the room via a camera (and you can't see that person) won't be affected. Anything with a non-human class of mind wont be affected. Robots without EGO, or purely mechnical scanners (retinal scaner, fingerprint scanner) wont be affected. do somethign out of place, and your vicim gets an opposed EGO roll to shake off the affect. Lets say you take the guise of someone the target knows, then act completely opposite of that person--they could get an Ego roll off, and the more out of character you are, the more likely the subject shakes off the illusion.

 

You could modify the limit so it doesn't affect anyone with a higfher EGO than yours, and allow Mental defense to add to Ego to pierce the illusion. See your GM for the exact value of that.

 

Well, here is the alternate.

 

 

 

75 Multipower, 60-point reserve, all slots Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4)

5u 1) Telekinesis (10 STR), Fine Manipulation, Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1)

5u 2) Telekinesis (40 STR); Affects Whole Object (-1/4)

6u 3) Ego Attack 6d6

6u 4) Telepathy 12d6

4u 5) Shape Shift (Sight, Mental, Smell/Taste and Touch Groups, any shape), Imitation, Instant Change, Makeover; Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Only versus those in direct LOS; no use against anything without EGO; suspicious actions may lead to opposed EGO rol to negate illusion; -1/2)

3u 6) Missle Defelction All--At full Range: Custom Power; Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Costs endurance to use per phase; must have some form of debris/object availabel to block with; -1/2)

6u 7) Telekenetic Clout: EB 12d6

[DaveMBJr]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

Thanks again for your help!

 

I'm unsure what this power is though:

Telekenetic Clout: EB 12d6

 

I'm using HERO Designer and couldn't find it.

[incrdbil]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

oh thats--that is just an energy blast (vs PD, not ED) that I tossed in--since I cut back the telekensis to 40 strength, I thought I would give you an energy blast representing a very crude, unfocused, instantaneous blast of pure TK force.

 

For flexibility (though it would require a few more points more points in the MP reserve) you could make it 10d6 eb with a 1/4th indirect advantage--to simulate the ability to start the blst just in front of the opponenet, skipping pesky force walls and other such obstacles.

[TheTemplar]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

Really good advice so far. Something else you might want to consider (given the sfx you've described) is adding Based On EGO Combat Value (BOECV) to your Telekinesis to make it "Psychokinesis." It'll make it significantly more expensive so you'd probably have to remove some d6 from it to fit within your campaign's AP guidelines, but if it fits your character more for his TK to be EGO based rather than DEX based, it's a way to go.

 

Also (and, again, this is totally up to you) 26 EGO is really high in the MC setting (assuming, based on your indications of Ravenswood and Millennium City that your GM is running a Champions Universe campaign using mostly published materials.) You'd be very very close to the EGO score of Menton, the most powerful mentalist in the world (per his CKC write-up.) Since you're a young hero who's new to the whole supering biz, you might want to consider lowering your EGO score to free up some points, then buying it back up as you gain XP. Considering EGO costs 2 CP for every 1 pt of EGO, you can free up some extra points pretty quickly.

[incrdbil]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

A 24 Ego would be more appropriate--still very high, with an ECV of 8, still good enough to nail your avergae non mentalist, still gives a 14- ego roll.

 

you could increase the mental defense, or buy a 3 point level to go with the multipower, or add another skill, and a leftover point for whatever thrills you.

[levi]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

Another way to represent Psychokinesis which is a little less pricey...

 

Psychokinesis 50 STR, Ranged (+1/2), Based On EGO Combat Value (Standard Defenses apply; +1) (125 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2) Real Cost: 83 points.

[Guest The JeRQ]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

one of the best mental powers in my campaign (most useful) is a mental entangle Vs. Ego

[Marketeer]

Re: HERO experts.. help a NUB build his mentalist?

 

Another way to represent Psychokinesis which is a little less pricey...

 

Psychokinesis 50 STR, Ranged (+1/2), Based On EGO Combat Value (Standard Defenses apply; +1) (125 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2) Real Cost: 83 points.

 

Wet blanket time:

 

 

The rules are actually pretty clear that you aren't supposed to be STR with Ranged specifically because Telekinesis exists; GMs might let you house-rule it, but in general it's something that is specifically barred.