House Rules

[mattingly]

Re: House Rules

 

I only have two house rules:

 

If you want to Push, you need to succeed at an EGO Roll to get 5 points. Succeed by half to get +10.

 

I don't like rolling off for initiative, so I use tie-breakers. INT, then Luck.

[Susano]

Re: House Rules

 

I only have two house rules:

 

If you want to Push, you need to succeed at an EGO Roll to get 5 points. Succeed by half to get +10.

 

I don't like rolling off for initiative, so I use tie-breakers. INT, then Luck.

 

I use INT to determine tied DEX score as well. Since it's how fast you think, it makes sense.

 

Wait... didn't you use COM at one point? The idea being the better looking you are, the more screen time you get?

[Fearghus]

Re: House Rules

 

-When it is used explicitly to undo the effect of another transform (master wizard can magic himself out of the 'turned purple' transformation that a pesky imp cast on him)

 

Wouldn't this be a dispel rather than another transform?

[Susano]

Re: House Rules

 

Wouldn't this be a dispel rather than another transform?

 

I'd say so.

[archermoo]

Re: House Rules

 

Your first point taught me something new and your second point compounds the differences.

 

Glad I could help.

[ShadowEater]

Re: House Rules

 

Wouldn't this be a dispel rather than another transform?

 

Page 194 of book 1 says you can't dispel transform, so it would be a house rule either way. Our group uses transform, dispel is also a viable house rule option.

[Fearghus]

Re: House Rules

 

Page 194 of book 1 says you can't dispel transform' date=' so it would be a house rule either way. Our group uses transform, dispel is also a viable house rule option.[/quote']

 

Along that line of thinking Page 307 of book one says "When a character buys Transform, he must define a way for the target to regain its normal form."

 

So technically neither Transform or Dispel are required for the character to undo the transform, but either could be specified as the condition by which the transform is undone. I was just saying Dispel makes more sense in my mind. Applying transform to remove a transform is alot like "restoring" a piece of furniture by applying a veneer to it rather than removing the paint from it.

 

I am a big fan of having transforms simply wear off with time rather than making them permanent unless it is for story reasons that the transform is permanent.

[ShadowEater]

Re: House Rules

 

The example of when it came up in our game is a Trickster type figure turned a teammate into a Monkey (a talking, sentient, kept all powers monkey) as punishment for being rude, and the return condition was 'A sincere apology'. The character in question was an Alchemy-based Superhero. Since one of his abilities was using potions to transform anything into anything (with enough time and materials), he opted to instead just cook up a formula to turn himself back into a human. I guess he didn't really 'undo' the transform, rather he was a human turned into a monkey turned into a human... or maybe he 'transformed the transform' (transform is a weird meta-power that way sometimes).

 

In any case, it was houseruled that one could use Transform on yourself for such purposes based on that situation.

[dsatow]

Re: House Rules

 

Based on Steve's reaction and because Hero Designer doesn't work that way, I think a house rule on the resistant advantage is fine and will be added when I start a 6th Ed game.

 

The point difference in savings and the pain to calculate isn't enough to warrant the use per Steve Long's ruling.

[mattingly]

Re: House Rules

 

I use INT to determine tied DEX score as well. Since it's how fast you think, it makes sense.

Wait... didn't you use COM at one point? The idea being the better looking you are, the more screen time you get?

In 5E, that was my tie-breaker, yes. All else being equal, the comic book artist draws the most attractive character first, and the camera pans to the most attractive character first.

[dmjalund]

Re: House Rules

 

The example of when it came up in our game is a Trickster type figure turned a teammate into a Monkey (a talking, sentient, kept all powers monkey) as punishment for being rude, and the return condition was 'A sincere apology'. The character in question was an Alchemy-based Superhero. Since one of his abilities was using potions to transform anything into anything (with enough time and materials), he opted to instead just cook up a formula to turn himself back into a human. I guess he didn't really 'undo' the transform, rather he was a human turned into a monkey turned into a human... or maybe he 'transformed the transform' (transform is a weird meta-power that way sometimes).

 

In any case, it was houseruled that one could use Transform on yourself for such purposes based on that situation.

Then when the character finally decided to apologize, he turns into a monkey

[prestidigitator]

Re: House Rules

 

The example of when it came up in our game is a Trickster type figure turned a teammate into a Monkey (a talking' date=' sentient, kept all powers monkey) as punishment for being rude, and the return condition was 'A sincere apology'. The character in question was an Alchemy-based Superhero. Since one of his abilities was using potions to transform anything into anything (with enough time and materials), he opted to instead just cook up a formula to turn himself back into a human. I guess he didn't really 'undo' the transform, rather he was a human turned into a monkey turned into a human... or maybe he 'transformed the transform' (transform is a weird meta-power that way sometimes).[/quote']

 

Might be a workaround fix that justifies some residual monkey attributes though. Perhaps a tail shows up at an inopportune time and needs re-fixing. Maybe he has frequent banana cravings and finds himself hanging from things when he's distracted....

[Lucius]

Re: House Rules

 

Two related ones that just came up in chat recently:

 

One can use Transform on themselves under two circumstances:

-When it is caused by a 'usable by anyone who gets a hold of it' focus (potion of bat-form is not a multiform/transform multipower)

 

-When it is used explicitly to undo the effect of another transform (master wizard can magic himself out of the 'turned purple' transformation that a pesky imp cast on him)

 

What about creating a Transform, Area Effect, and being in the area?

 

What's this about favoring Resistant Protection over the Resistant Power Advantage?

 

Resistant Protection isn't just PD/ED with the Resistant Power Advantage. First, one's a Power, while the other's a Characteristic that can be bought as a Power. Thus, they are adjusted as distinctly different mechanics. Second, you can Dispel Powers but not Characteristics. Third, all defenses bought through Resistant Protection count as a single power (again, a double edged sword when it comes to Adjustment powers). Fourth, Resistance is part of RP's base cost, so adding Power Advantages is technically cheaper with individual, nonresistant defenses.

 

Or did I miss something else?

 

You can't Dispel a Characteristic, or you shouldn't Dispel a Characteristic?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Buys a Transform, Usable by Other (palindromedary) and lets a palindromedary use it to Transform Lucius into a palindromedary

[The Main Man]

Re: House Rules

 

You can't Dispel a Characteristic' date=' or you shouldn't Dispel a Characteristic?[/quote']

I covered that with, "you can Dispel Powers but not Characteristics." Characteristics such as PD and ED can still be bought as Powers, in which they then can be Dispelled, but not when they are bought up as Characteristics.

[RavenX99]

Re: House Rules

 

Use the Resistant Protection power instead of the Resistant Advantage whenever possible.

 

I go the other way around. Get rid of Resistant Protection and the problem is solved. No more goofy "apply an advantage to an advantage to get the right cost" problem. Everywhere you want Resistant Protection, buy DEF + Resistant and the math will be right and obvious. (And Hero Designer's math will be right without programming an exception or jumping through hoops.)

 

As many sacred cows as got blasted out of existence since 4th, I'm surprised this one is still there, causing mathematical convolutions in published books to get DEF + Resistant + (More Advantages) to match the cost of Resistant Defense + (Advantages)... when it's Resistant Defense causing the problem.

[randian]

Re: House Rules

 

I go the other way around. Get rid of Resistant Protection and the problem is solved. No more goofy "apply an advantage to an advantage to get the right cost" problem. Everywhere you want Resistant Protection' date=' buy DEF + Resistant and the math will be right and [b']obvious[/b]. (And Hero Designer's math will be right without programming an exception or jumping through hoops.)

Hear hear!

[ned-kogar]

Re: House Rules

 

Well, we'll be sticking with hexes, I think. Heck, there's still one on the front of the books...

[archermoo]

Re: House Rules

 

Well' date=' we'll be sticking with hexes, I think. Heck, there's still one on the front of the books...[/quote']

 

No reason not to. The rules just aren't written to require it anymore.

[dmjalund]

Re: House Rules

 

and why doesn't steve update his icon to the blue and yellow anyway?

[Peregrine]

Re: House Rules

 

You mean, other than the official optional rules in the Hero System rulebooks?

 

House Rule Number One: NO HOUSE RULES.

 

I don't have a problem with house rules in general. I have a problem when house rules are represented as the correct interpretation of RAW, particularly when RAW has changed over editions. If you want to grandfather something in from a previous edition, that's a house rule, too. Be honest about it.

[The Main Man]

Re: House Rules

 

I don't have a problem with house rules in general. I have a problem when house rules are represented as the correct interpretation of RAW' date=' particularly when RAW has changed over editions. If you want to grandfather something in from a previous edition, that's a house rule, too. Be honest about it.[/quote']

I have to keep reminding one of my group's members (and anyone else listening) about this very issue. Blech.

[Escafarc]

Re: House Rules

 

A couple of things we do:

DEX is only 1 for 1pt

We use a version of Armor Piercing from the APG(sort of) : The Attack w/AP bypasses DEF = to the Active Points spent on Armor Piercing and Hardning subtracts the Actice points in Hardning from the Armor piercing.

Flash instead of counting BODY we count the total as "Flash Damage" subtracting 3 pts for every point of Flash Defense and at the end of every Phase reduce the amount of Damage by the character's REC.(I got this idea from RexMundi I think)

And last for Background Skills(Knowledge/Science/Professional/Languages/Transport Fam.and in Champion games Weapon Fam.) and Perks we use a version of the Skill Multiplier from the APG [1cp=1Skill pt, 2=2,3=4,4=8, 5=16 etc]

[Surgo]

Re: House Rules

 

We just moved from a D&D campaign into a Fantasy HERO campaign, and one feature (some would say a bug, but we believe feature) that D&D has that we used extensively is that unconscious creatures are automatically considered willing. We would routinely attempt, as part of an overarching plan in the plot line, to knock out certain creatures and keep them in Temporal Stasis for later use, or throw down a Programmed Amnesia on them, or really just about any of those truly nasty Enchantment spells would be done here.

 

As far as I can find (I am still a newbie) HERO explicitly does not have a similar rule, but it does state that knocked out creatures can be killed with a full phase action. Thus, we extrapolate this with a house rule that an offensive power used on a knocked out creature is automatically successful -- mental powers and mental transforms being the default mode of operation here.

 

edit: Registered since October, but I'm being CAPTCHA punished for posting sparingly :-(

[randian]

Re: House Rules

 

one feature that D&D has that we used extensively is that unconscious creatures are automatically considered willing

Hero always considers unconscious creatures as unwilling unless the power is beneficial, like Aid, Healing, or some sort of defense usable by others. Furthermore, since reducing defenses is a voluntary act, an unconscious character's defenses are always at full strength unless they were tricked into lowering them while awake and couldn't abort to raise them again before being knocked unconscious or those defenses aren't persistent.

As far as I can find (I am still a newbie) HERO explicitly does not have a similar rule' date=' but it does state that knocked out creatures can be killed with a full phase action.[/quote']

It does? Where? You can certainly automatically do head shots in games that use hit locations. Double BODY after defenses may not be instant-kill, but it gets the job done. Drowning them works too. In superhero games it's quite common for characters to be unkillable by conventional means. You can knock them out to -oblivion, but you'll never get BODY through their PD/ED.

Thus' date=' we extrapolate this with a house rule that an offensive power used on a knocked out creature is automatically successful -- mental powers and mental transforms being the default mode of operation here.[/quote']

That's definitely not how Hero is supposed to work. Defenses are generally always on even when you're unconscious. It is entirely possible that the target has enough power defense to ignore your transform and enough ego defense to ignore a telepathy or mind control. They may have DMCV 0 when unconscious, but Ego does not drop to 0 when unconscious.

[Surgo]

Re: House Rules

 

That's definitely not how Hero is supposed to work.

That would be why this thread is titled "House Rules"...

 

It does? Where?

6th edition, volume 2, page 106, last paragraph on the leftmost column.