Are all Superheroes OIHID?

[Cassandra]

I was doing a build of the Atom at my Templates thread, and found that as far as character conception his powers work OIHID (Only in Hero ID).  

 

That got me thinking, do other heroes have to change into their costumes in order to use their powers.  It might not be because the costumes are the source of their powers, but rather the psychological need to be in costume.  It could also be a necessary step to perverse their secret identities.  

 

So, do your heroes and villains always fight in costume?

[CptPatriot]

It really depends on the character concept in my case. I have many that only choose not to use their powers actively when out of costume unless they can get away with it.

 

A few of my powered armor characters need the phase to change into their costumes as the costume is the source of their powers.

 

I only have one character concept that has the psychological need for her costume to mete out justice.

[drunkonduty]

My current character does not fight in costume. He doesn't even have one. But then he doesn't have a secret ID (let alone a perverse secret ID ) and so has nothing to preserve.

 

None of his powers are OIHID/OIAID nor would it feel right if they were.

 

The other character I want to play is a power armoured heroine. Now I could have bought her powers OIHID. But instead I went the OIF route. I chose this because her armour is not the sort that can be carried in a suitcase and put on in a second by techno-magic. It takes time to get in and out of it. Also I like the idea of her suit systems getting damaged (as per the Damaging Focus rules) and going offline in a fight. Obviously all her powers and a lot of her stats are bought in the Focus so without it she's a modestly skilled martial artist. She does have a Secret ID and would not like to blow it and so prefers fighting in costume for that reason too.

[Kraven Kor]

"Only In Heroic" or "Only in Alternate Identity" is really only for characters who can not, for one reason or another, use their powers "outside" their heroic identity or costume.

Shazam has no powers until he says "Shazam!" and becomes, uh, Shazam!  

 

Iron Man only has powers when in his suit.

 

Superman has powers even when not in his costume; and thus should not be built with OIAD / OIHID even if intending to "never use powers outside of costume" to protect Secret ID.

[Nothere]

My charecters only fight in costume. Though that's mostly for secret id purposes, Though I have had several with some aspect of oihid. Though unless its a total transformation, I tend to leave out one power for safety sake.

[TheQuestionMan]

Harbinger's Powers come from the Psionic Gem and by your definition falls under OIHID.

Gryphon wears the Malvan Golden Hunter Winged Battlesuit making him OIHID.

Adamas's Powers are OIHID.

Blindside is a Martial Artist, Detective, & Mutant with Invisibility an so falls into either/or category.

Steelwing (see Gryphon)

Safeguard is a Brick, Martial Artist, and future Gadgeteer who falls under both categories.


Cheers


QM

[Greywind]

As pointed out, OIHID is a "can't". Not a "won't".

[Kraven Kor]

As pointed out, OIHID is a "can't". Not a "won't".

 

Exactly.

 

Greatest American Hero got all his powers from the suit (well, sometimes...) 

 

Blindside mentioned above would only be OIHID on some or all powers if he could not use said power(s), at all, when not in "costume" or in the alternate ID.

[esampson]

As others have said, OIAID is a 'can't' situation and not a 'won't'.

 

This can be viewed similar to the occasional argument that arises over a particularly odd physical/psychological complication. If a hero could be forced to use the power through Mind Control without changing into their AID then obviously the power isn't OI, just MI. U C?

 

If the problem with using the power without changing into costume is psychological then I would advise doing that either through a Limited Power limitation (the catchall for any limitation that fails to fall in another category) or else to take it is a PsyComp. However, given that as a limitation it is not as limiting as the full OIAID the limitation logically wouldn't be worth as much, making it a -0.

[Greywind]

In the case of Ray Palmer, I'm pretty sure that when he shrinks, his Atom outfit automatically appears. Kind of like an instant change effect.

[Cassandra]

My version of the Atom has Transform: Instant Change [One Set of Clothes], IIF: Costume (-1/4)

 

The costume is made of White Dwarf Material which gives him is powers.

 

His Shrinking and Density powers are Always On and OIHID.  Combined they don't limit the character greatly (he does remain 5 inches tall and weights 3 1/2 pounds).

[Christopher]

The other character I want to play is a power armoured heroine. Now I could have bought her powers OIHID. But instead I went the OIF route. I chose this because her armour is not the sort that can be carried in a suitcase and put on in a second by techno-magic. It takes time to get in and out of it. Also I like the idea of her suit systems getting damaged (as per the Damaging Focus rules) and going offline in a fight. Obviously all her powers and a lot of her stats are bought in the Focus so without it she's a modestly skilled martial artist. She does have a Secret ID and would not like to blow it and so prefers fighting in costume for that reason too.

The time it takes to asume either ID has no effect wheter to use Focus over OIAID. Especially for power armor users choosing either mostly boils down too:

Can the power be effectively damaged?

Can somebody else just take the Suit?

 

Iron Mans recent real life adaptations would more fall into the OIAID - either the damage is not effectively limiting his abilities. Or he even has another suit jsut around the corner (like he did in Iron Man 3), meaning he can swap instantly. But then again most solo incarnations are hard to pin down. They seem to be build on a lot more points, as they character has to fill many roles other members in a team would normally.

[Cassandra]

The time it takes to asume either ID has no effect wheter to use Focus over OIAID. Especially for power armor users choosing either mostly boils down too:

Can the power be effectively damaged?

Can somebody else just take the Suit?

 

Iron Mans recent real life adaptations would more fall into the OIAID - either the damage is not effectively limiting his abilities. Or he even has another suit jsut around the corner (like he did in Iron Man 3), meaning he can swap instantly. But then again most solo incarnations are hard to pin down. They seem to be build on a lot more points, as they character has to fill many roles other members in a team would normally.

 

That makes me think Iron Man is not only OIHID (5th Edition) but also has Multiform for not only the various sets of Armor, but his own Genius.  The various sets of Armor could be Followers as well.

[Greywind]

Technically, he has JARVIS as a follower. JARVIS has duplication and multiform, as evidenced by the various suits of armor that he operated.

[esampson]

That makes me think Iron Man is not only OIHID (5th Edition) but also has Multiform for not only the various sets of Armor, but his own Genius.  The various sets of Armor could be Followers as well.

Not sure why you would give him Multiform 'for his own Genius' (I'm not even sure what that means. He can somehow change his mind so that in one mind he's good with mathematics and in another he's good with other sciences?).

 

As for his armor, I would go with OIAID primarily for the reason that the armor cannot be 'simply' removed from him. Especially in the comic books it is a fairly arduous process for some bad guy to remove his armor due to all sorts of safeguards put into it.

 

If I wanted to be 'accurate' I would go ahead and add a -0 limitation that his armor can take damage as if it were a focus. One part of me says that it should be worth more than that but if you make it a -1/4 then the limitation and the OIAID add up to the same thing as an OIF, but without as many limitations.

 

Doing his various armor suits as 'partial MultiForms' works very well, however. You just add some limitations to the MultiForm cost that restricts his ability to change to the different forms. You can even make things like an outer suit that encompasses an inner suit and which has to be jettisoned to allow him to use the abilities of the inner suit.

[Kraven Kor]

I think Iron Man is multiform because he has so many, different suits.  He just retains all of Tony's skills and stats when in the other "forms."

 

Tony Stark is Tony Stark + Multiform.

 

Iron Man is Tony Stark + Iron Armor

 

Hulkbuster is Tony Stark + Hulkbuster Armor

[esampson]

I think Iron Man is multiform because he has so many, different suits.  He just retains all of Tony's skills and stats when in the other "forms."

 

Tony Stark is Tony Stark + Multiform.

 

Iron Man is Tony Stark + Iron Armor

 

Hulkbuster is Tony Stark + Hulkbuster Armor

Yeah. Like I said, he works really well for that. The multiform even has the advantage that each form can have different followers (thus when he is Tony Stark he can have robo-Iron Man and robo-Hulkbuster as followers, when he is Iron Man he can have robo-Hulkbuster as a follower, and when he is Hulkbuster he can have robo-Iron Man as a follower).

[CptPatriot]

You know, this has me thinking about a few things related to power armored characters but I think I'll make a new thread for this.

[Cassandra]

Advantages to OIHID

 

You save points.

 

Disadvantages to OIHID

 

You can't use those powers in your Secet Identity.

[drunkonduty]

The time it takes to asume either ID has no effect wheter to use Focus over OIAID.

 

In most cases I'll agree time doesn't come into it. But not in the case of armour.

 

The way I see it is: a focus is a concrete, material thing and has the limitations of that thing. A limitation of a big old suit of armour is taking time to put it on.

 

With OIHID/OIAD material things and their limitations don't come into it. The character simply changes. So someone who's armour pops on in a split second via techno-magic is conceptually no different to Shazam. It's much less limiting than OIF (but of course one gets fewer points back for having armour OIHID as opposed to OIF.)

[bigbywolfe]

In most cases I'll agree time doesn't come into it. But not in the case of armour.

 

The way I see it is: a focus is a concrete, material thing and has the limitations of that thing. A limitation of a big old suit of armour is taking time to put it on.

 

With OIHID/OIAD material things and their limitations don't come into it. The character simply changes. So someone who's armour pops on in a split second via techno-magic is conceptually no different to Shazam. It's much less limiting than OIF (but of course one gets fewer points back for having armour OIHID as opposed to OIF.)

 

Aren't OIHID and OIF both -1/2 Limitations?

[drunkonduty]

I thought OIHID was -1/4. But am away from books at the moment. As usual, I stand willing to be corrected. :-)

[Kraven Kor]

In 6E, OIAID is -1/4.  HD lets you change the value of the limitation, but the 6E book does not show any different "levels" of OIAID.

[bigbywolfe]

My bad. Haven't built anything with that Limitation in quite a while.

[Cassandra]

OIHID simulates either a focus that can't be removed, or an alternate identity.

 

Thor's Hammer could be built as a OIHID (with Gestures) because no one else can use it, nor take it away.  He can only be prevented from using it.