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Building a Motorcycle Mecha!


Ragdoll

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I'm trying to build a mostly human sized mecha (9 feet tall in the mech, so a bit bigger then human size), so it's got two modes, a mostly human sized mode around the character (battlesuit?) and a motorbike that can be ridden by the character.

 

Any ideas how to build it?

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

Thanks for the link, mwiggins. =) BTW, Peregrine, since that rule is in place, how would you suggest it be done? I'm curious how to incorporate a normal battlesuited character and a normal cycle/vehicle into one concept.

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

Thanks for the link' date=' mwiggins. =) BTW, Peregrine, since that rule is in place, how would you suggest it be done? I'm curious how to incorporate a normal battlesuited character and a normal cycle/vehicle into one concept.[/quote']

 

Break the rule.

 

Seriously. I can see the logic behind the rule, as it makes battlesuited characters in a superheroic campaign waaaay too cheap for the capabilities of the suit if the suit is built as a vehicle, but some concepts, like this one, wind up way too convoluted if you don't break it.

 

So break the rule.

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

Than there's an example in TUV that breaks the rules...

 

There is such an example in TUV. Steve's ruling was made after TUV was published, and he specifically stated that the violating example in TUV was exactly that, a violation of his ruling that should not be taken as precedent. (Like the moving ranged martial arts maneuver in UMA that got retconned-, er, errata'd out.)

 

Meh. Break the rule.

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

Consider the following:

 

A Multipower

 

The Multipower has one slot that is OAF: Bulky that is the motorcycle (+Running), the other slot is an Armor Power

 

This assumes that all other powers remain the same between the two forms. If that assumption is true, this would work. If not...

 

Though it does bring to mind another possibility: a Multiform. One form is the character in the humanoid mecha, the other is the character in a lesser armored suit with the Vehicle.

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

It's a tricky build to say the least. I'd start by listing out what powers and abilities are exclusive to the Power Armor form, the Motorcycle form, and which powers and abilities are shared between them. The shared abilities would have a common -1/4 to -1/2 limitation (in addition to any others) reflecting that they are part of the cyclone (for lack of a better term). I'd give the Motorcycle form powers a -1 Limited Power, "Motorcycle" plus a -1/4 Conditional Power, "not when in Power Armor Mode". The Power Armor form powers get an OIF "Cyclone Armor) and the -1/4 Conditional Power "not when in Motorcycle Mode". If it takes longer than a single phase to transform from Motorcycle to power armor, increase the value of the Conditional Power in increments similar to the "Extra Time" Limitation.

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

You could buy the powered armor abilities normally, and buy the motorcycle as a vehicle separately, then stick a -1/4 Limitation on each one, making the two options mutually exclusive. That may end up being a huge cost break on the powered armor side, though.

 

Of course, you could just Multiform: Character in Armor/Character (prob less points) on Cycle. That'd solve the mutual exclusivity problem pretty cleanly, too.

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

With the assumption that the rider will pretty much only be attacking when in Mecha form, a very simplified build could be like this:

 

40 Multipower 60 AP OIF -1/2

3u Running +25" x8 Noncombat OAF

4u Armor 20PD/20ED OIF

 

All other powers are bought as normal through the OIF. If you want to shoot rockets, why not have the choice of shooting them from the motorcycle, or mecha at will?

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

The problem is that this trespasses on an officially-forbidden build - battlesuit/powered armor as vehicle.

 

Otherwise, it is a Vehicle with Multiform - one form is the motorcycle, the other form is the battlesuit/PA.

 

There is such an example in TUV. Steve's ruling was made after TUV was published, and he specifically stated that the violating example in TUV was exactly that, a violation of his ruling that should not be taken as precedent. (Like the moving ranged martial arts maneuver in UMA that got retconned-, er, errata'd out.)

 

Meh. Break the rule.

 

If it's not in the Big Book O' Rules (pat. pend.), and not even in TUV, it's not a rule. So you don't have to break any rule at all. :D

 

Multiformed Vehicle is exactly what Ragdoll needs. :D

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

If it's not in the Big Book O' Rules (pat. pend.), and not even in TUV, it's not a rule. So you don't have to break any rule at all. :D

 

Multiformed Vehicle is exactly what Ragdoll needs. :D

 

It was an officially issued ruling on the HERO System 5th Edition Rules Questions board, IIRC. If not there, then in the FAQ. Either way, it came from Steve Long via an official channel as an official addenda. So it's a rule.

 

Break it. :)

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

It was an officially issued ruling on the HERO System 5th Edition Rules Questions board, IIRC. If not there, then in the FAQ. Either way, it came from Steve Long via an official channel as an official addenda. So it's a rule.

 

Break it. :)

 

I'm calling that attitude is elitism. Why?

 

• Not everyone has a computer

• Of those that do, not everyone has internet access

• Of those that do, not everyone's signed up to these boards

• Of those that are, not everyone knows how to use the search

• Of those that do, how would they know its there to be searched for?

 

But at any Hero System game, someone has the Big Book O' Rules (pat. pend.). TUV like everything besides the Big Book O' Rules (pat. pend.) is optional. So if its not in the Big Book O' Rules (pat. pend.), its not a rule.

 

That's how every game I've ever played works. There's the realio-trulio rules, optional rules from supplements, and house rules. I've never heard of any game where the chattering of someone on some forum is official rules. That's how I do it, that's how everyone I ever played with does it, and I won't change.

 

I have enuf probs getting my friends to play Hero. I tell them they have to go to some hole-in-the-wall forum to get the "official" rules, they won't ever play Hero again.

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

I'm calling that attitude is elitism. Why?

 

• Not everyone has a computer

• Of those that do, not everyone has internet access

• Of those that do, not everyone's signed up to these boards

• Of those that are, not everyone knows how to use the search

• Of those that do, how would they know its there to be searched for?

 

But at any Hero System game, someone has the Big Book O' Rules (pat. pend.). TUV like everything besides the Big Book O' Rules (pat. pend.) is optional. So if its not in the Big Book O' Rules (pat. pend.), its not a rule.

 

That's how every game I've ever played works. There's the realio-trulio rules, optional rules from supplements, and house rules. I've never heard of any game where the chattering of someone on some forum is official rules. That's how I do it, that's how everyone I ever played with does it, and I won't change.

 

I have enuf probs getting my friends to play Hero. I tell them they have to go to some hole-in-the-wall forum to get the "official" rules, they won't ever play Hero again.

 

Well, you can certainly play with just the offline published stuff. I apologize if it seemed that I was insisting otherwise. And yes, not everyone has Internet access or accesses these boards.

 

But we are on these boards. So referring folks on the boards to resources on these boards is hardly elitist. And the official company policy is that rulings on the Rules Questions board are official, since the Line Developer is the only person who can answer questions on that board. Ditto for the downloadable errata. (I will admit that I am not 100% sure about the Rules FAQ.)

 

So the company who publishes the game (and who maintains these boards) has decided that yes, there are things outside of the Big Book O' Rules that are official rules; that is, they form the rules baseline for the game. And some of that baseline is published on these boards. But, as with any game, local gaming groups are free to use them as they will. But the official baseline as established by the company is the standard for discussion; local divergences (aka house rules) have too much variety to be included unless they are identified and recognized as such.

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Re: Building a Motorcycle Mecha!

 

build a battlesuit riding a motorcycle. Give the battle suit a multiform with all the abilitys that fit. Since the new form dosn't pay for the mothercycle, it just sorta disapears untill you change back to the form that paid for it.

 

might make the motorcycle as a focus (?), so it will suddenly appear when you switch back, so you wont have to go back for it, or have someone steal/ tamper with it

 

I could be wrong, but that's what I think.

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