"Groan" <help for amored suit>

[Arrgg]

Ok I am Hero system challenged, brain to fried from D&D 2.0 then 3.0 then 3.5 so I need to unlearn it.

 

Ok make a long story short I would like a helmet to go with my armor that has sensors in it and maybe communications that I can do cheaply. It does need an armor rating and I have a endurance battery <70/20>

 

Like to keep it in the 20-30 point range if possible, and even then got to revamp the armors system

 

For any and all thank you for your patience and answers

 

Arrgg

[Edsel]

Re: "Groan" <help for amored suit>

 

Haven't kept up with the other thread, which I assume was yours, but I'll give it a try.

 

If you armored suit covers your whole body then any radio and/or sensors that you want should automatically be considered to be a part of it and therefore will benefit from the armor that the suit provides. That is done as a freeby (no extra cost).

 

You can buy most of the enhanced senses with the same limitations that your armor has. For instance if your armor is bought as an OIF (Obvious Inaccessable Focus) then any senses can also have that limitation applied to them.

 

Example: Radio Perception/Transmission costs 10 points. Bought as an OIF (-1/2) the cost would be 10/(1 + 1/2) or 10/1.5 = 7 points. This only gives you AM, FM, and police-bands.

 

For 12 points Buy High Range Radio and get access to the whole radio spectrum for 12/1.5 = 8 points.

 

Infrared Perception is cheap 5 points. Bought through an OIF it is 5/1.5 = 3 points.

 

Hope that helps some.

[MilkmanDan]

Re: "Groan" <help for amored suit>

 

Buy each sense you like with a limitation of Focus, OIF. Infravision, 5 points, winds up costing 3 with that. Buy each sense you want individually with that limitation. The special effect is they're all in the helmet.

[Edsel]

Re: "Groan" <help for amored suit>

 

Did a quick peak at your other thread. You bought the armor as OIHID (-1/4). A much more sensible way to buy it. This means that you can use the same Limitation for all of your sensors and radio stuff.

 

High Range Radio Hearing: 12 points OIHID (-1/4) = 10 points.

Infrared Perception: 5 Points, OIHID (-1/4) = 4 points.

Ultraviolet Perception: 5 points (-1/4) = 4 points.

Ultrasonic Perception: 5 points (-1/4) = 4 points.

 

That's a 22 point package that will let you hear and broadcast on the entire radio spectrum. See in the IR and UV wavelengths and hear into the Ultrasonic range.

 

PS the nice thing about senses is that the cost no END and the High Range Radio will let you hear active Radar!

 

EDIT: Okay there are two different armored suit threads active out there. In case you went the OIF route you will have a (-1/2) limitation which will cut the cost of that 22 point package to 17 points.

Radio 12 (-1/2) Limitation = 8 points.

Each 5 point sense with a (-1/2) Limitation = 3 points each.

[aylwin13]

Re: "Groan" <help for amored suit>

 

High Range Radio Hearing: 12 points OIHID (-1/4) = 10 points

 

One thing I did for my powered armor character was to drop the OIHID from the Radio Hearing. This way for those 2 pts the character can still use his team communicator when not in his 'suit. Sfx is either built-in radio or little earphone headset gizmo. He can always talk to the team, etc.

[Haerandir]

Re: "Groan" <help for amored suit>

 

Yeah, like Edsel & MilkmanDan said, all you really need to do is pick a few sensory powers and apply the same Limitations as the rest of your armor. Maybe call it 'OIF: Helmet' instead of 'OIF: Armor'. Cost is the same, but this way you can use the helmet as a cell phone!

 

Though you'd probably look pretty silly.

 

Most superheroic campaigns don't use hit locations, so there's probably no need to get into the sectional armor rules. If you made a habit of taking your helmet off in combat, or wearing the helmet without the armor, your GM would probably impose an Activation Roll on your defenses to represent the fact that you're not completely covered (when you're partially-suited-up, that is), but that's just one of those 'common sense special effect' thingies. No need to write it up.

 

It's worth noting that Radar is 10 points in an Obvious Inaccessible Focus, or 12 points for Only in Hero ID. Another possibility is straight 'Enhanced Perception'. +4 levels of Enhanced PER with all senses is 8 points (OIF) or 10 (OIHID).

 

If you buy all of that, you're already past your point limit, so you're gonna have to make some hard choices. You can spend a surprising amount on Senses in the Hero System. I had a 250-point character (back in the old 4th edition days) who spent over 100 points on enhanced senses. He wasn't much of a fighter, but he knew EXACTLY how he was getting his butt kicked! On the other hand, they're cheap enough that you can pick them up as the campaign goes along, too. So there's no real need to buy them all right away. You can always pull the, "Oh, I had Radar all along, I just haven't used it yet..." trick.

 

I wouldn't recommend putting 'Costs END, -1/2' on your sensors, as tempting as it might be. It's hard to imagine a modern radio transmitter that draws power on the same scale as boot jets or something, and the book-keeping winds up being a headache.

 

If you don't already have it, you might want to pick up the Systems Operation skill, too. It's handy if your GM wants you to make a roll to detemine exactly *which* radio frequency Black Harlequin's remote-control rocket copters are operating on.

[azato]

Re: "Groan" <help for amored suit>

 

Not now he can't - the GM is active on these boards.

 

You can always pull the, "Oh, I had Radar all along, I just haven't used it yet..." trick.

[Haerandir]

Re: "Groan" <help for amored suit>

 

No, no. He can do it in-character. I do it all the time.

 

Me: "D'oh! I probably should have bought Radar in the first place, but I forgot. There hasn't been in an in-game situation where it would matter, so far. Can I spend the points now and just claim I had it all along?"

 

MechaGM: "Sure. You do have 12 points to spend, right?"

 

Me: "Of course!"

 

It's in the finest comic-book tradition! "Using my powers of Super-Ventriloquism, which I've had all along, and certainly didn't just make up on the spot, I distract the kids in the orphanage long enough to change into my costume!"

[MilkmanDan]

Re: "Groan" <help for amored suit>

 

No, no. He can do it in-character. I do it all the time.

 

Me: "D'oh! I probably should have bought Radar in the first place, but I forgot. There hasn't been in an in-game situation where it would matter, so far. Can I spend the points now and just claim I had it all along?"

 

MechaGM: "Sure. You do have 12 points to spend, right?"

 

Me: "Of course!"

 

It's in the finest comic-book tradition! "Using my powers of Super-Ventriloquism, which I've had all along, and certainly didn't just make up on the spot, I distract the kids in the orphanage long enough to change into my costume!"

 

It's easy to explain a later purchase of senses in an armored suit--"I upgraded with my techno-nanosizzle and boom, now I have radar". A bit harder to explain on a character who doesn't have a focus.

 

"Yeah, I woke up one day and had this bump on my head and now I have radar. Also, cancer."

[JmOz]

Re: "Groan" <help for amored suit>

 

Regarding Radar, you can build it as targeting added to your radio

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: "Groan" <help for amored suit>

 

5 Flare Compensation: Sight Group Flash Defense (8 points); OIF (-1/2)

 

5 Noise Compensation: Hearing Group Flash Defense (8 points); OIF (-1/2)

 

7 Life Support System: LS (Self-Contained Breathing), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 3 Hours (+0); OIF (-1/2)

 

6 Communications Uplink: HRRP (Radio Group); OIF (-1/2), Sense Affected As Sight And Hearing As Well As Radio Group (-1/2)

 

3 IR Lenses: IR Perception (Sight Group); OIF (-1/2)

 

3 Lowlight Lenses: Nightvision; OIF (-1/2)

 

3 UV Lenses: UV Perception (Sight Group); OIF (-1/2)

 

2 Hearing Enhancement System: Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing Group); OIF (-1/2)

 

8 Telescopic Lenses: +8 versus Range Modifier for Sight Group; OIF (-1/2)

 

8 Parabolic Hearing: +8 versus Range Modifier for Hearing Group; OIF (-1/2)

 

 

Hmmm...

 

 

QM

[Tiree]

Re: "Groan" <help for amored suit>

 

You also have the option - and it is really rough to do: Make some of your items Independent. It is generally highly not recommended, as whatever is independent can be used against you, and taken. If it is taken, you lose the points - forever!

 

Now - for small items, I may go this route - it makes the items cheaper. I would also make them IIF (say that they are built inside the helmet, but not part) and go from there. Then with enough XP buy the Independent off.