Assumed Speed 2

[Uthanar]

Rereading the book, I came across this little tidbit on 6E2 pg 17 -

In non-combat situations, everyone is assumed to act at SPD 2 at all times, unless the circum-stances require them to use their full SPDs.

 

do people run their games with that? I have never once used that rule and thought it was odd. Following a rule like that it would seem that people would suddenly be moving at very strange paces in and out of combat time.

[Greywind]

Re: Assumed Speed 2

 

I don't expect characters to be going full out all the time. Unless there's a reason to, I don't track phases out of combat, and just let the game run at a normal pace.

[psyber624]

Re: Assumed Speed 2

 

Mainly the fact is that out of combat speed doesn't really mean much. Everyone can voluntarily lower their speed to 2, and if for some reason a GM wanted to keep track of something (most likely END costs for constant powers) while out of combat it is just assumed that they would voluntarily lower their speed.

 

Remember that being at SPD 2 out of combat doesn't really affect anything, and if it does then they can instantly be at full speed (basically as soon as you actually start tracking segments they would be at full speed.) It never really costs them anything, and if you are talking about movement you would generally determine their movement based on the level of Movement they are using * their normal speed to determine how fast they could go, again you generally wouldn't keep track of phases in that situation anyway.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Assumed Speed 2

 

Remember that being at SPD 2 out of combat doesn't really affect anything' date=' and if it does then they can instantly be at full speed (basically as soon as you actually start tracking segments they would be at full speed.) It never really costs them anything, and if you are talking about movement you would generally determine their movement based on the level of Movement they are using * their normal speed to determine how fast they could go, again you generally wouldn't keep track of phases in that situation anyway.[/quote']

 

I think movement is where may of us don't apply the "SPD 2 out of combat" rule, but compute a character's top travel speed as SPD x movement power x noncombat multiple, or lower if they need to manage END - ie max velocity x SPD > REC. But then, a character who is not in a hurry can take three or four times as long and no one cares, so it's also reasonable to assume maximum travel veloicty reflects a character who has essentially entered "combat time" to get there as fast as possible. Most of us don't run from the car to the grocery store entrance.

[Uthanar]

Re: Assumed Speed 2

 

Thanks for the replies. Movement just popped into my mind as I was reading before bed last night. I know that I had always tried to figure out how fast I could travel as a character, and then suddenly see that it recommends counting at Speed 2 my mind kind of popped. The reasoning that you are providing makes a lot of sense on how it actually works. Thanks for the thoughts.

[Kealios]

Re: Assumed Speed 2

 

Speed 2 out of combat is your average "walking with the crowd" speed. It's a saunter, a relaxed pace. Kicking it up higher might be the guy who is really threading his way actively through the crowd. Even higher and now you've got a guy drawing attention to himself as he really hustles.

[psyber624]

Re: Assumed Speed 2

 

Technically SPD in HERO system doesn't really relate to movement. It's how fast you can ACT not how fast you can move. Of course it multiplies Movement just like it does practically everything else, but that is not its base nature (and if you use the optional segmented movement system it has nothing to do with movement AT ALL.)