Characters for review

[Manic Typist]

Please, examine these two characters for my campaign and offer critiques. This is my first time using HeroDesigner.

 

It's supposed to be a bit of a "low Hero." These are the greenhorns, people at the launch of their future careers as adventurers.

 

Klaus is not quite finished, but I figured I could incorporate your advice into my final alterations.

[ATTACH]24308[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH]24309[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH]24310[/ATTACH]

Thank you.

 

 

 

Let's see if I can attach them properly...

[sbarron]

Re: Characters for review

 

They look like fine characters to me. I don't know the setting, so the specifics escape my understanding. But the general design seems good. A description of the characters backgrounds would probably help explain some of the abilities and names, to put things in context.

 

Do you have any specific questions/concerns?

[Manic Typist]

Re: Characters for review

 

Yes, under Korin's VPP. He has a spell that is essentially designed to knock aside "weak" projectile weapons such as arrows, but not necessarily affect more powerful crossbow bolts, etc. Regardless, is a 1 STR TK sufficient for these purposes? I don't want to use Missile Deflection because it requires a roll for each projectile, and this is a power that's designed to more.... securely disrupt hostile fire.

[sbarron]

Re: Characters for review

 

Wow, that's a tough one. I guess its kind of up to the GM. I think I'd rather have you take a more concrete power to get this result. Either a force wall, +DCV, force field, or something else, depending on how you want this power to interact with the arrow. But using change enviroment just seems kind of weak to me. You asked for my opionion. There it is.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Characters for review

 

Fair enough. I'm the GM, but just because it doesn't bug me doesn't mean it's necessarily a good way to do it.

 

I think 1 STR is technically strong enough to disrupt most arrows, but I don't think that's what you meant by "weak." What bugs you about it?

 

What method would you use to keep it reasonably priced yet still effective? Remember, it's AoE, so it messes up all missiles entering an area, and protects both friend and enemy because of it.

[sbarron]

Re: Characters for review

 

I guess my problem is that you keep using words like "messes up" and "disrupts," terms which don't have a clearly defined in-game meaning.

 

Do these winds make it impossible for an arrow to hit someone within the AoE? If so, then I'd say you should build it as a PD only forcewall. You wouldn't need AoE for this, because Forcewalls by their nature cover a large area. The drawback to this method is that arrows that would do a lot of damage would A) get through the wall, and bring down the wall. You could buy this to work against arrows only, though it won't help bring the AP down.

 

Turbulent Winds: FW (7 PD; 6" long and 2" tall) (30 Active Points); Limited Power: Only vs. arrows and other light projectiles (-1 1/2)

 

Or do these winds only make it harder to hit someone within the AoE? Then I'd say you need to buy +DCV levels for everyone in the AoE. The advantage of this is that it seems to fit the sfx of the power better, but because of Hero costs, it's pretty expensive.

 

Turbulent Winds: +2 with DCV, Ranged (+1/2), Usable Simultaneously (up to 2 people at once; +1/2), Area Of Effect Nonselective (2" Radius; +3/4) (27 Active Points); Limited Power: Only vs. arrows or other light projectiles (-1 1/2)

 

Both of these powers provide a concrete, in-game combat effect for you and your players to work with. And they are under the 30 AP total for the VPP. I realize they do not provide the total protection that you may be looking for, but I see that as unavoidable by the letter of the rules. Of course, as GM, you have a great deal of latitude in how you run your game.

 

Oh...another thought. Maybe you could buy this power as a suppress against arrows, or a dispel against arrows. That would be pretty expensive, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Just something else to think about. And since its Saturday morning, I wrote up the suppress too, just for the heck of it...

 

Turbulent Winds: Suppress 3d6+1, Area Of Effect Nonselective (2" Radius; +3/4) (30 Active Points); Limited Power: Only vs. arrows and other light projectiles (-1 1/2)

 

This would have the effect of weakening the strength of the attack, while not actually making it harder to hit anyone in the AoE.

[sbarron]

Re: Characters for review

 

Ideally, I guess this ability should probably be a compound power incorporating either the Forcewall and the +DCV, or the Suppress and the +DCV. You could certainly run either of the combinations out of the VPP as they're written up now, though they'd suck up most of the pool doing it. Maybe if you added some of your spell specific limitations that would bring the real cost down even lower, which would help free up space.

 

Anyway, I hope this helps.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Characters for review

 

Wait, what Suppress?

[sbarron]

Re: Characters for review

 

Supress RKA, only vs. arrows? The one I just made up?

[Checkmate]

Re: Characters for review

 

Actually the power you probably want is Dispel. You could set it up as a Damage Shield I suppose, you're the GM so you could make that legal. Or if you want a more strictly legal build, use a Trigger on it.

[Checkmate]

Re: Characters for review

 

Okay now that I have had a chance to review the characters:

 

Klaus:

I think you went too far with his Everman TF. You have costing -1 instead of 0

Other than that, he looks fine, I do have a few suggestions, and these mostly refelct my hang ups than anything done incorrectly:

 

His EGO is 13 which really does nothing for him. I would drop it two points to 11 and get the same 4 ECV.

 

With the points you saved on his EGO I would change the +3 CSL's with HtH to +2 with Combat. It costs 1 more point, but I think the added benefits of adding it to your DCV against arrows and spells outweight the loss of a +1 and an extra character point.

 

Without a background I can't say for sure, but the Deduction skill just doesn't seem to fit the rest of the character.

 

Korin

He looks fine, although his INT is a bit lower than you'd expect for a mage. He also spent a lot of points on Survival, but has no Mage like skills (Research, KS's Magic places or artifacts etc) again no background so not sure how this would fit or not.

 

Tinner

You have the Spell limitation on his healing. If I understand what you're doing, when you stab someone with the dagger, it drains them and heals you. The spell limitation implies a whole host of limits that don't really apply if I do understand the effect correctly.

 

You've spent 5 points on Linguist and two 1 point languages. You could buy those 2 languages at 2points and it would only cost you a total of 4 and you would get the same thing (you would be just as fluent with 2 point Languages as you are with 1point languages and Linguist). You've done the same thing with Traveler. Spent 5 points when you could accomplish the same thing with 4.

 

Those are some of my inital impressions.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Characters for review

 

Klaus-

 

Oops! Missed that.

 

Right now I'm looking for points to USE for Klaus, since the player hasn't given me any additional information and therefore I'm trying to find stuff to spend for him. I might just bump the EGO up to 15 and go ahead and do as you suggested with the +2 to All Combat.

 

Deduction is (for now) a skill that I strongly advise for ALL characters. I use Deduction as a.... way of helping a player figure something out when they just really can't seem to get it. Sort of like they are buying the ability for me to give them the occasional hint. However, I picked this up from my old GM, and this might not be the best way of doing things.

 

Korin- you're right, but it fits. He's a lizardman wizard who comes from a high, mountainous region. Very harsh environment. However, he's just a kid emotionally. He isn't a professional wizard yet, so that's why he lacks a lot of certain skills. He knows the spells, but he doesn't know the WORLD of magic. Also, he was taught magic by a figment of his imagination. Someone only he can see.... hehe. I'm gonna have fun with that.

 

Tinner- Oops, I meant to take the Spell limitation off.

 

I agree on the Traveler and Linguist, but I'm building these characters for future development. So, I want to put them in there so that 1) the cost savings can be made later, via stuff bought with XP and 2) as a justification for how easily this character will pick up certain things (new languages, etc). So while now it might be inefficient, adding more languages would put him over points, and removing the Skill Enhancer would (I think) hinder the character in the long term.

 

Thank you!

 

Once I get some more ideas, I'll edit them, put their BACKHISTORY in (I can't believe I forgot that), and post them for final review.

[Checkmate]

Re: Characters for review

 

Ideas For Klaus:

 

Give him some Martial Arts with a Sword (this assumes he's going to be built with 110 points the 10 XP he has on his sheet).

 

Raise his STR to 20.

 

Raise his PD/ED.

 

Raise his STUN.

 

Give him +1 Skill level with Blacksmith, Armorsmith, Weaponsmith for 3 points.

 

Give him +1 with Perception rolls.

 

Out of all those I'd probably raise is STR, PD/ED and STUN, but there are a lot of options. Once you post the background I'd be better able to give suggestions.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Characters for review

 

Edit: Oh, and yes- the characters are built on 50/50 plus 10 points "bonus" for extra effort (character backhistory, art, etc). If a character is going to go a point or two over, I try to shave points or even sell back a Familiarity or two.

 

Ok, I've put in their backhistories for Tinner and Klaus because they were in a good format.... Korin isn't in an easy to use format.

 

I've incorporated your advice, as I think you will see. Martial Arts are verboten at this point, because one of the primary aspects of this campaign is that these characters are all supposed to be "the new guys." You know, people at the very begininning of their heroic career... before they even realize that they are turning into heroes, etc. So, they need to have a good start, but I want them to earn some things (such as Martial Arts, or future languages, skills, etc) in game.

 

I'm trying to design the characters for "schtick" protection. Thus, Tinner has the highest DEX, but Klaus is far more... stout, in hand-to-hand. Neither is necessarily better than the other. Strenghts and weakenesses, and all that.

 

Tinner and Klaus, revised, should be attached.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Characters for review

 

So um.. yeah. The characters have backhistory now, and have even been edited. Some further comments so that I might post final versions?

 

Would be much obliged.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Characters for review

 

Sbarron, I went back and decided I liked your Forcewall approach, so I've changed that.