Robyn Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Incompetent when facing the heroes, and often assumed to be low in points, these NPC's are the cannon fodder of any pulp game. But are they truly weak, or merely hampered by a bad selection of powers coupled with a truly horrid selection of Disadvantages? I invite you to join me in giving these minions as high a point value as we reasonably can, using only traditional genre behaviors. In a blatant and unforgiveable attempt to cash in on the appeal of the apparently popular "What I've learned playing a . . . " threads, I also ask that you limit your suggestions to no more than one of each per post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted May 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? I'll begin: Our Aim Sucks: +X OCV, only to hit oneself or allies (Always On and Uncontrollable) Reverse Stand-Alone Complex: must stand by and watch when allies attack hero, cannot help out (Physical Limitation, Total) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlHazred Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? 15 "The Rest Of You Stand Back... I'll Get Him!": Psychological Limitation: Must Attack Heroes One At A Time, One On One (Common, Strong) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? 20 "Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise" Change Environment 16" radius, -4 OCV, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (80 Active Points); NCC (-2), Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Not vs Named Protagonists; -1) This explains why those oh-so-dangerous Stormtroopers couldn't hit a farm boy, a princess, a scruffy smuggler, or a 7½ foot tall Wookie at point blank range even when dozens of them were firing at the heroes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? 20 "Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise" Change Environment 16" radius' date=' -4 OCV, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (80 Active Points); NCC (-2), Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Not vs Named Protagonists; -1)[/i'] This explains why those oh-so-dangerous Stormtroopers couldn't hit a farm boy, a princess, a scruffy smuggler, or a 7½ foot tall Wookie at point blank range even when dozens of them were firing at the heroes. Yeah couldn't be the fact that said troopers were ordered to let them escape, so they could be trailed back to the Rebel base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted May 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? Yeah couldn't be the fact that said troopers were ordered to let them escape' date=' so they could be trailed back to the Rebel base. [/quote'] Fine then, back to the drawing board for another writeup of Our Aim Sucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? Yeah couldn't be the fact that said troopers were ordered to let them escape' date=' so they could be trailed back to the Rebel base. [/quote'] . . . OK, smartypants, explain the Cloud City scenes . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? . . . OK' date=' smartypants, explain the Cloud City scenes . . . [/quote']Or the Battle of Endor, where one of the Emperor's self-described "finest" Legions was utterly routed by a few hundred teddy bears armed with stone spears and axes? Perhaps I should change the writeup to: "Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise" Change Environment 16" radius, -4 OCV, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (80 Active Points); NCC (-2), Limited Power Power (Not vs Named or Cute Protagonists; -1) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamamura Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? How about a Physical Limitation that would reduce their accuracy when they are firing at any Important PC/NPC otherwise they can slaughter any unimportant character. For example, let say you are running a French Foreign Legion campaign and the Berbers are attacking. The masses easily hit each others (Berbers and Legionaires dying left and right) but the PCs and any major NPC are alot harder to hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlHazred Posted May 8, 2006 Report Share Posted May 8, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? 15 "I've Never Heard Of That Old Chestnut!": Psychological Limitation: Never Recognizes Incredibly Common Or Frequently Used Tricks (Uncommon, Total) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamamura Posted May 8, 2006 Report Share Posted May 8, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? 15 "I've Never Heard Of That Old Chestnut!": Psychological Limitation: Never Recognizes Incredibly Common Or Frequently Used Tricks (Uncommon' date=' Total)[/quote'] I am so going to use this one AlHazred!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted May 8, 2006 Report Share Posted May 8, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? I realise this runs counter to the spirit of the thread, but why not just give the grunts only a few points? That way they can hit each other (or oposing grunts) easily but have problems hitting "named" characters. Also, it's easier to write up their sheets.... cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted May 8, 2006 Report Share Posted May 8, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? Has anyone read Pratchett's The Last Hero? Therein you can find the finest henchmen that ever henched for a Differently Pigmented Lord . . . Nork nork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted May 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? I realise this runs counter to the spirit of the thread' date=' but why not just give the grunts only a few points?[/quote'] Because that only explains why they do the right things so poorly. It doesn't explain how they do the wrong things so well. If the grunts aren't important to your game, then don't put a lot of thought into them. If, on the other hand, you do think about such things, and you want to explain why grunts have never sidestepped genre conventions; in short, why those genre conventions are traditional; it should prove useful to exactly model (instead of approximate) those grunts in the HERO system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlHazred Posted May 8, 2006 Report Share Posted May 8, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? Besides, it's good fodder for my Henchmen Hero campaign idea, where everybody gets to play the plucky comic relief, carry around 150 pounds of gear the (ahem) real heroes can't be bothered to carry, and never, ever, ever get the girl... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted May 8, 2006 Report Share Posted May 8, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? . . . Because of their comically exaggerated noses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted May 15, 2006 Report Share Posted May 15, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? Unluck. Lots and LOTS of Unluck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted May 15, 2006 Report Share Posted May 15, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? "Hazardous to Self and Others" Teamwork 11- (3 Active Points); Side Effects (Major Side Effects, affects both character and teammates; -3/4); Real Cost 2 pts. Anytime a mook blows his Teamwork roll he actually gets in his teammates way, impairing their combat ability. You can tone down the Side Effects to Minor if you prefer, or even amp it up to Extreme, although that could be overdoing things. As it is, 30 AP worth of Side Effects can buy you a whole mess of chaos... This even helps explain why the mooks can be effective against other mooks (when they don't need to try and coordinate), but fall apart when they trying to gang up on one or two Heroes. The cost, of course, is completely broken - charging 2 pts for what should realistically be some sort of Diasad. But I like the mechanism. Reminds me of an old Wormy cartoon (yes, I just carbon-dated myself): "One orge might've caught the dwarf, but four of them didn't have a prayer." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted May 15, 2006 Report Share Posted May 15, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? "Sorry About That Fred": +6 with All Combat (40 Active), Only to hit teammates after missing intended target (-1); (24 Real) [This too should realistically be a Disad or a Side Effect, rather than a Limitation on a power/skill.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakSpade Posted May 15, 2006 Report Share Posted May 15, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? Guys, all these can be explained by a 2d6-3d6 Unluck. Though ingenius, that's what it breaks down for me. The amount of unluck that causes all the slapstick minion errors can be based on their roll. Jak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? "Have you seen the photos of my family I keep in my wallet" 250pt Summon "sneaky hero to kill me", incantation, hostile, limited location "only while on guard duty" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? "What was that?" Images : all, ranged, only for one image (turn any thrown object into a possible intruder), limited location "only while on guard duty", continuing charge of 1 minute, always on, no conscious control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? "It only gave the hero a flesh wound?" Vulnerability to any weapon of the boss, if and when they need to demonstrate how evil they are, or how effective their weapon is. Usually a x2 Body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Re: How many points for the . . . (guards, minions, whatever)? The ultimate explanation- Naked modifier - up to 80 active points or so: No Normal Defense, does body. Defense is being a player character/hero/cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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