Different top flight speed on focus dep. on character SPD?

[pbemguy]

Let's say I have a jetpack (focus). Let's say it's for 10" Flight.

 

Is the top speed different depending on who is operating it?

 

(Say, a SPD 2 person versus a Spd 5.)

 

I think it's different top speeds for 4th and 5th edition, but I'm not that good with 6th yet.

 

[Christopher]

With your example gear the Top flight speed would be different. This is an unfortunate bug in the HERO System, stemming from Movement Speed being phase based.

One way to explain it is that the gear could go faster, but the pilot is not able to control it at higehr speed.

 

I think one of the APG's has an optinal Turn based Movement system, where the problem would not happen.**

It could also be avoided by writing up the Jetpack as a Vehicle (instead of a mere Power).

 

Also keep in mind that only in superheroic games will SPD* varry wildly and one of the first rules is that you cannot usually use gear you have not paid for. So it would hardly be an issue.

 

 

*The suggested spread for heroic games is 2-4. One explanation would be that the 2 SPD mook is simply not able to use the Jetpack to it's fullest abilities while still maintain control.

 

 

Edit:

**APG I 161, Segmented Movement, Subpoint "Decoupling Movement and Speed".

[Hyper-Man]

Yep.

 

The other more realistic and complicated option is to build the Jetpack as a vehicle with its own independent Speed characteristic.

[Kraven Kor]

Yep.

 

The other more realistic and complicated option is to build the Jetpack as a vehicle with its own independent Speed characteristic.

 

Alternately, change the flight speed to match up to true speed for different speed characters - if SPD 3 guy is wearing it, it is 12m Flight (36m per turn); if SPD 4 guy is wearing it, it is 9m of flight (36m per turn.)

 

Clunky, but simpler than building it as a vehicle I suppose.

 

But, then, maybe Evil Knievel really could just make the thing go faster

[Simon]

Hyper-Man nailed it -- a Jetpack (or anything else that possesses it's own movement rather than simply aiding a character's existing movement) should be built as a vehicle.  This allows you to dictate the max speed, maneuverability, etc. the way you would expect.  It also makes the use of said vehicle fall inline with the rest of the system (does the character have a TF with that class of vehicles, etc.)

[pbemguy]

 

One way to explain it is that the gear could go faster, but the pilot is not able to control it at higher speed.

 

...

It could also be avoided by writing up the Jetpack as a Vehicle (instead of a mere Power).

 

 

 

I like the vehicle idea. The idea that a higher SPD is needed to properly control the jetpack almost works for me, but I imagine situations where the a character borrows a jetpack to fly in a straight line.

 

I asked the question because it comes up a lot in my game. Imagine a criminal agency, 10" Flight jetpack, an agent flees. A non-flying PC grabs a fallen agent's jetpack to give chase. In the rules, a higher SPD character could overtake the enemy agent with the exact same model of jetpack. But it would make more sense if the slower-SPD agent could maintain a distance between them.

 

So the vehicle rule fits this much better for me! 

[pbemguy]

 

Alternately, change the flight speed to match up to true speed for different speed characters - if SPD 3 guy is wearing it, it is 12m Flight (36m per turn); if SPD 4 guy is wearing it, it is 9m of flight (36m per turn.)

 

Clunky, but simpler than building it as a vehicle I suppose.

 

But, then, maybe Evil Knievel really could just make the thing go faster

 

 

 

At first I ruled out this solution, but...maybe...

 

It could work as a "house rule." If you pick up someone else's focus, you first figure the top speed (I guess the distance covered in one turn) and then work it backwards to figure out how far the borrower travels in one of their action phases.

 

So a SPD 2 agent with 10" Flight jetpack moves 20" in a turn.

 

A borrower with SPD 5 would only move 4" in each of his action phases.

 

This is the same thing that Kraven Kor said, but I wanted to work it through again for my own understanding.

 

I like it!

 

PS: It would affect move throughs and stuff. Although you could allow a VELOCITY of 10" with a distance covered of only 4"... Or you could do the move throughs at 4", and chalk it up to the higher-speed character not having enough time to reach full momentum (he moves through someone in phase 3, then again in phase 5--essentially two seconds later).

 

This is actually making combat more interesting, IMO!