How would you build this?

[Doc]

Hi every body,

 

I had an idea for a character long ago and I never managed to build his power satisfactorily.

 

He's a 1970s rich and sportive play-boy (kinda Tony Curtis' character in 'The Persuaders'). His only power would be that each time he participate in some action, everybody who witnessed the scene would attribuate any success of the ggod guys to his action or participation. He's rich, beautyful, everybody loves him and he just seems to be an heroic 'ubermensch'.

 

So, how can I build this 'everybody think I did it' power?

 

I came with two or three options, but they are cery costly and somewhat overcomplicated and I'm not sure if they are all appropriate...

 

First one using mind control:

 

Mind Control 20d6 (standard effect: 60 points), Area Of Effect Nonselective (One Hex; +1/4), Telepathic (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Indirect ( Any origin, any direction; +3/4), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1), MegaScale (1" = 100 000 km; +1 1/2) (525 Active Points); Independent (-2), No Conscious Control (-2), Mandatory Effect EGO +30 or Greater (Must Always Achieve [Particular Effect]; -1), Set Effect (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4) 78pts

 

 

Second one using Mental Illusion:

 

Mental Illusions 20d6 (standard effect: 60 points), Area Of Effect Nonselective (One Hex; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Indirect ( Any origin, any direction; +3/4), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1), MegaScale (1" = 100 000 km; +1 1/2) (500 Active Points); Independent (-2), No Conscious Control (-2), Mandatory Effect EGO +30 or Greater (-3/4), Conditional Power Power does not work in Common Circumstances (Set effect; -1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4) 77pts

 

 

And the last one using Extra-Dimentionnal Mouvement (to move in a parrallel word where everybody think the character actually did everything all by himself:

 

Extra-Dimensional Movement (Single Dimension), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1) (50 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), Independent (-2), Conditional Power Power does not work in Common Circumstances (-1/2) 9pts

 

 

The reason I don't like the 78 pts mind power versions is that the character would actually be part of a heroic campaign, with a maximum of 150 character points... I don't want to flush half my character points just for a tweak I think is pretty much harmless.

 

What do you think?

*

[SirViss]

Re: How would you build this?

 

Xd6 luck (6, 8 or whatever would get the appropriate level you wish) Only to have people think he is responsible (-2)

 

Of course it isn't guaranteed to work, but a GM might allow a set effect if you put enough dice towards this power.

 

You might want to add Side Effect (may cause jealousy) or some such thing.

[Ice9]

Re: How would you build this?

 

Mental Illusions is the way to go, but use Cumulative instead of a 20d6 base. It should be possible to affect the entire world for a pretty low cost.

 

Mental Illusions 1d6, Penetrating x2 (+1), Continuous (+1), AoE Hex (+1/2), Megascale (Planetary; +1 1/2), IPE (+1), Indirect (+3/4), Cumulative (to 96 points; +1 1/2), 0-End (+1/2), Persistent (+1/4), 45 active points; No Conscious Control (-2), Set Effect (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4), 12 real points.

 

Of course people with double-Hardened Mental Defense will be immune, but that seems appropriate.

NOTE: I dropped Independant, as it didn't seem stealable, and Mandatory Effect was redundant with Cumulative. Besides, 12 points seems affordable enough.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: How would you build this?

 

Depending on how it swings in the game, it could be a Distinctive Feature ... it'd make other people jealous and angry that he keeps 'stealing their thunder' and 'taking credit' for their contributions, people would try to lead him away or find ways to keep him out of competitions. It could very well be a bigger pain in the butt than a benefit.

[bigbywolfe]

Re: How would you build this?

 

Mental Illusions is the way to go, but use Cumulative instead of a 20d6 base. It should be possible to affect the entire world for a pretty low cost.

 

Mental Illusions 1d6, Penetrating x2 (+1), Continuous (+1), AoE Hex (+1/2), Megascale (Planetary; +1 1/2), IPE (+1), Indirect (+3/4), Cumulative (to 96 points; +1 1/2), 0-End (+1/2), Persistent (+1/4), 45 active points; No Conscious Control (-2), Set Effect (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4), 12 real points.

 

Of course people with double-Hardened Mental Defense will be immune, but that seems appropriate.

NOTE: I dropped Independant, as it didn't seem stealable, and Mandatory Effect was redundant with Cumulative. Besides, 12 points seems affordable enough.

Unless it's different in 6E No Conscious Control probably isn't really appropriate. More like "Always On -1/4"

[Ice9]

Re: How would you build this?

 

You may be right. Actually, I'd probably go with the -1 level of No Conscious Control (character can activate power, but does not control effects), in addition to Always On. There should be a fairly significant limitation for the fact that this power construction could do something a lot more useful like make the character imperceptable, or make the word "fnord" throw people into a dreamworld, but is in fact only being used for a relatively minor effect.

... Of course, most DMs probably wouldn't let you have a power like this if it were anything but a relative minor effect.

 

This would definitely qualify for a Distinctive Feature complication, but I don't think it would be entirely covered by that. It does have positive features, and is a significant enough effect that it deserves a power, IMO.

[bigbywolfe]

Re: How would you build this?

 

You may be right. Actually' date=' I'd probably go with the -1 level of No Conscious Control (character can activate power, but does not control effects), in addition to Always On. There should be a fairly significant limitation for the fact that this power construction [i']could[/i] do something a lot more useful like make the character imperceptable, or make the word "fnord" throw people into a dreamworld, but is in fact only being used for a relatively minor effect.

That's called "Set Effect" and you already applied it.

[Sean Waters]

Re: How would you build this?

 

Could be a complication: all the other PCs want to kill him (sfx - he gets all the credit for their actions)

[Doc]

Re: How would you build this?

 

Thanks a lot, guys; really interesting.

 

To SirViss: Hey hey, I discover another Montréal Hero adept...!

 

 

Depending on how it swings in the game' date=' it could be a Distinctive Feature ... it'd make other people jealous and angry that he keeps 'stealing their thunder' and 'taking credit' for their contributions, people would try to lead him away or find ways to keep him out of competitions. It could very well be a bigger pain in the butt than a benefit.[/quote']

 

Defenitly something I had in mind. I had thought to put it as a social limitation, though, and not as a limitation about the power in itself.

 

 

 

Unless it's different in 6E No Conscious Control probably isn't really appropriate. More like "Always On -1/4"

 

Is it always on if it only goes to work after some action (even though the effect is continuous)?

 

 

You may be right. Actually' date=' I'd probably go with the -1 level of No Conscious Control (character can activate power, but does not control effects), in addition to Always On. [/quote']

 

Maybe I'd keep de -2 version. I my mind, the character doesn't even know he has some power. In fact, in the game setting, this would not be a "power" at all; it would just happen this way that everybody take him for responsible for every good action when he is present, without him having anything to do with it (of course, he would have taken advantage of this fact, hey hey hey...)

 

 

Anyway, thank you again, everybody.

[Sean Waters]

Re: How would you build this?

 

I'd be inclined to go with the SirViss idea of using Luck. I don't see how it works as a mental power: someone will have double impenetrable mental defence, and it makes no real sense that it works against mental defence.

 

The complications ideas are interesting - but that doesn't really jibe with the description given in in the OP.

 

Perhaps a positive Reputation or even a LOT of PRE - simply for the purpose of PRE attacking the media into hero-worshipping the character.

[torchwolf]

Re: How would you build this?

 

SirViss' suggestion for using Luck might be the most fun way, otherwise you could try, like Sean suggested:

 

3 Reputation: He Always Gets The Job Done In The End (A Large Group, 14-)

 

30 Striking Appearance: The Guy Who Always Saves The Day (+10/+10d6 vs everyone)

 

 

Munchkiny version:

 

20 Social Complication: Mistaken Identity - Always gets mixed up with the one who really saved the day (Very Frequently, Major)

(the danger here would mostly be getting soundly trashed by the real hero or, depending on your group, by the other players, for being a male Valerie Irons)

 

10 Social Complication: Famous (Frequently, Minor)

(the GM lets you get away with it, but boy does he secretly intend to let you eat it up)

 

 

If you wanted a semi-absolute effect, you could also try this (though it gets a bit more expensive):

 

Power: Oratory Skill 30-; Indirect, Fully (+1; Invisible, Fully (+1/2); Trigger, Whenever A Situation Has Been Heroically Resolved, Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Character does not control activation of personal Trigger, Trigger resets automatically, immediately after it activates (+1) (87 Active Points); Always On (-1/2); Set Effect:Only To Convince Everyone That Character Is The Real Hero Of The Moment (-1) (Real Cost:35 pts)

 

EDIT: Should mention this was a 6E build, not 5ER like the OP seems to be. Just to be clear, and to note that the Striking Apperance idea should be built with Limited PRE in 5ER.

[IKerensky]

Re: How would you build this?

 

So basically the very same effect could cost from +78 to -20 pts...

 

How did you people sort this out ???

 

oO

[Sean Waters]

Re: How would you build this?

 

If it costs 78 points it is really useful, if it costs -20 points it is a right pain.

[bigbywolfe]

Re: How would you build this?

 

If you don't want to go with a complicated expensive power a combination of Good Reputation and Bad Reputation for basically the same thing might work. The bad rep would apply to the Superhero population who all know he's a glory hog since he has stolen credit from them at one point or another, the good rep would apply to the general public, and maybe the dumber villains, to show that they remember him as the guy who swooped in and saved everyone including the other heroes, even though it was the other way around.

[Doc]

Re: How would you build this?

 

So basically the very same effect could cost from +78 to -20 pts...

 

How did you people sort this out ???

 

oO

 

he he he hee... Hero System, that is; options, options, options... But hey, that's really part of the fun of it and, it gives us pretexts to chat about it during hours on this forum...

 

Thanks again, everybody; I sens that my understanding of the system is going way farter then in previous scope!

[Sean Waters]

Re: How would you build this?

 

he he he hee... Hero System, that is; options, options, options... But hey, that's really part of the fun of it and, it gives us pretexts to chat about it during hours on this forum...

 

Thanks again, everybody; I sens that my understanding of the system is going way farter then in previous scope!

 

Try less beans.

 

[Doc]

Re: How would you build this?

 

Try less beans.

 

 

He he he... Sorry, basically not an english speaking person! (I meant "more far"...).

[Sean Waters]

Re: How would you build this?

 

He he he... Sorry' date=' basically not an english speaking person! (I meant "more far"...). [/quote']

 

I'm sorry too - but I couldn't resist

[Doc]

Re: How would you build this?

 

I'm sorry too - but I couldn't resist

 

No problem! (actually, it was kinda funny anyway...!)