"Side Kick" as a PC

[phydaux]

So I'm currently in a 12DC, 30PD/30ED campaign.  I've built a "side kick" with 8DCs and 20PD/20ED.  My character's SPD is equivalent, CVs are my 8 vs their 10.  I used the extra points to max out on skills.

 

Now in a straight-up fight there's just no way this character can hang with a character that's built to campaign norms.  So I'm wondering, what is something I can use to get an edge?

 

My first thought is to use Acrobatics every Phase and get the +1 OCV from Surprise Move.  Another is to spend a few points on skill levels to offset Multiple Attack penalties, so I can swing two Martial Strikes on a target per Action Phase.

 

What are some other ideas so this character can "play with the big boys?"

[ghost-angel]

Possibly support role Powers & Skills; use abilities to give others bonuses instead of just trying to meet abilities you purposely didn't build to.

[phydaux]

Yeah, I maxed out on the FYB powers (EB, AP, RKA, NND, Flash, Entangle, plus AOE versions of all of the above). So the character can totally slow down a more powerful opponent until the heavy hitters are able to engage.  

 

I was thinking over Multiple Attack.  An 8d6 Martial Strike against 30PD will net zero STUN.  So TWO 8d6 Martial Strikes against 30PD will net... zero STUN.

 

But if my Multipower is set to 6d6 APEB (16 Charges), can I use Multiple Attack to burn TWO CHARGES in a single Action Phase?

 

An average 6d6 APEB vs 30 PD will net (21 vs 30/2=) 6 STUN.  Two charges will only net 12 STUN.  

 

It's not over powered.  Just not sure RAW allow it.

[Hyper-Man]

The short answer is YES.

 

The Charges Limitation does not limit how often an ability can be used in a single Phase. 

 

See my John Wick thread for an example of a gun using character who can combine Autofire with Multiple Attack to easily engage 2-3 different targets (via Multiple Attack) with 2-3 shots per target (via Autofire).

 

HM

[Hyper-Man]

Another viable option to consider would be a Ranged Martial Art with maneuvers to increase Damage, OCV and even Disarm Targets.

example from This Guy:
 

Zen Archery
8 1) +2 Ranged Damage Classes
4 2) Basic Shot: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, Range +2, Strike, +4 DC
4 3) Ranged Disarm: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, Range +0, Disarm, +5 DC to Disarm
4 4) Trip: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Range +2, v/5, Target Falls

 

 

HM

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

What are some other ideas so this character can "play with the big boys?"

 

Luck. Lots of luck.

[assault]

You haven't told us much about the character. Who is he? Is there a particular character he is a sidekick of? If so, tell us about him.

 

Quite a bit can depend on these details.

[Alverant]

Absolutely.

 

The AE 1-hex is your friend. It lowers you to about 5DC but it's enough to help and nearly guarantee hitting despite the lower CV. You could do things like a Sight Flash or Darkness so the bad guys can't defend as effectively. A movement or CV Drain may not be much but that extra point or two could make a difference. Doing martial arts that involve knocking an opponent down, even if just for half a phase lowers CV.

 

The side kick can also do Stun/End Aid on the heroes or other similar boosts. And if the fight isn't going well he can dragged KOed heroes to safety or grab the Macguffin while the more powerful heroes take on the villain. If there are civilians around he can help shoo them away so they don't get hurt. 

 

In the end, a good GM would make sure every PC has a role to play in combat. If you've played MMOs you know how important a good buffer/healer is and it sounds like a side kick could be that.

[phydaux]

You haven't told us much about the character. Who is he? Is there a particular character he is a sidekick of? If so, tell us about him.

 

Quite a bit can depend on these details.

 

The character is a cross between Batgirl and Silk Specter II.  She is a young girl trained, well, PUSHED really, from a very early age to wear the mantel of her mother, a retired super heroine.  

 

She has exceptional stats, but nothing REALLY superhuman, standard Super Hero Martial Arts, and a multipower with various ranged attack powers, all Range Based On STR, high levels of Running, Leaping and Swimming, and Swinging OAF Grapnel.  Her loving mother made sure she has all the skills a teenage girl would need while fighting crime at 3:00 AM - Acrobatics, Breakfall, Stealth, Lockpicking, Security Systems, Demolitions, the list goes on for 60+ points.

 

While she wears her mother's costume, she is a redhead while her mother was a blond.  So she gets a lot of "You're not the REAL X."  (I'm still working on the name.  Working title is Warbird, but that just doesn't grab me.)  Also, much like Silk Specter I, her mother's only real super power was being an Attention Whore.  She had a reputation for sleeping with most of the previous generation's male super heroes.  She was blamed for breaking up more than one super marriage, and if the rumors are true then she slept with more than a few male super villians as well, with perhaps a girl super here and there too.  This gets her some "Warbird?  Warbird was a whore" remarks.  While she takes these remarks in stride, it does not take away from the fact that she does not know who her real father actually is.  While her mother regularly goes on a great length and embarrassing detail regarding the romantic escapades of her youth, she steadfastly refuses to discuss the PC's father.  That leads her to believe that her father probably was, in fact, a supervillian, and likely one of the worst of the lot.

 

She reluctantly embraces her role as costumed crime fighter, and has decided to focus her efforts on two fronts - Terrorist organisations and arms traffickers. As a result this has brought her into conflict several times with VIPER and ARGENT.

[phydaux]

The AE 1-hex is your friend. It lowers you to about 5DC but it's enough to help and nearly guarantee hitting despite the lower CV. You could do things like a Sight Flash or Darkness so the bad guys can't defend as effectively. A movement or CV Drain may not be much but that extra point or two could make a difference. Doing martial arts that involve knocking an opponent down, even if just for half a phase lowers CV.

 

The PC has a 45-pip multipower with EB, RKA, APEB, Flash, Entangle, NND, AOE EB, AOE Flash, AOE Entangle, AOE NND, and Darkness 4m Radius, all Range Based on STR, 16 Charges (They're what I call "The FYB Powers" ).  And I'm well aware how effective a Trip or Martial Throw can be to occupy a Brick that you can't hope to actually hurt otherwise.  (Trip maneuver so he lands 2m away.  He has to spend 1/2 Phase getting to his feet, and another 1/2 Phase walking to you, ending his Phase. If he tries a Move Through, then you Martial Throw him into the ground (at least 2m away).)

[steriaca]

Humm...considering the background of the character's mother, Vixen would not br a bad name (mother was Blond Vixen, she could be Red Vixen or simply Vixen).

[assault]

OK, got it.

 

The first thing: why are her CVs so low? Her character origin suggests they should be at the higher end of the group, unless they are all speedsters.

 

Second, her real strength lies in her gadgets. That's where to look at to boost her combat abilities.

 

If you are bothered by her having interesting gadgets, make her a genius.

[steriaca]

And don't forget, Vixen has claws ( 1/2 d6 KA in each glove can handle cutting the bonds of most normal tied in rope).

[Christopher R Taylor]

Lots of teamwork maneuvers and combined attacks, use block and throw to set up for the main hero to get the attack in, fill in gaps they aren't great at (be stealthy if they are the door buster, be clever if they are slow, etc)

[CptPatriot]

I'm coming out of left field with this, but an SK PC could have multiple skill levels, that, under proper conditions, could be traded into extra damage, especially if you can attack w/o being counterattacked, like after they are flashed or blinded and you attacked from a concealed position.

[TheQuestionMan]

A Side Kick or Hero Support? A Superhero or Patron/Partner. 

[phydaux]

A Side Kick or Hero Support? A Superhero or Patron/Partner. 

 

I used Side Kick to reflect that the character has a lower power level relative to the other PCs, kind of like Davedevil relative to the Avengers.  

 

It looks like Multiple Attack is a full Phase action.  I don't see that being that helpful for this character, particularly since I was counting on the +1 OCV from Surprise Move after a successful Acrobatics roll.

[Hyper-Man]

re: Multiple Attack being a full Phase

 

You should take a look at Rapid Attack from 6e1 page 87.

 

This is what I have listed on my John Wick example linked to above:

10    4)  Rapid Attack

[Notes: A character with this Combat Skill has a heightened ability to move in combat. He can make a Multiple Attack (6E2 73) as a Half Phase Action, instead of a Full Phase Action. (This includes Multiple Attacks made with the Two-Weapon Fighting Skill.) No roll is required, and all other Multiple Attack penalties and rules apply.]

 

HM

[phydaux]

Nice.  

[phydaux]

I'm thinking of dropping the Martial Arts package and just getting +4d6 HA, 0 END OIF.  I think I'll save a point or three, will get all 4 DCs with every melee attack, and won't have to worry about fluctuating CVs.

 

Totally getting Rapid Attack, Tactics skill, and maybe up my OCV/DCV to 9.

[phydaux]

So +2 OCV, Melee and Ranged, only to offset Multiple Attack penalty.  What would that run?

 

If I multi attack, does it have to be two punches OR two ranges attacks?  Can it be one of each?  Can I attack two separate targets?

[Hyper-Man]

So +2 OCV, Melee and Ranged, only to offset Multiple Attack penalty.  What would that run?

 

If I multi attack, does it have to be two punches OR two ranges attacks?  Can it be one of each?  Can I attack two separate targets?

 

1.  The OCV or CSL's have to be applicable to the actual attack being used. "Only for Multiple Attack" is not a valid Limitation*.

 

*See these Rules Forum threads for a full explanation:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/topic/92602-multiattack-question/

http://www.herogames.com/forums/topic/92633-multi-attack-question2/

 

2. It can by ANY combination. Multiple Attack is the 6e combination of 5e's Rapid Fire & Sweep. It is less restrictive than the 5e equivalents were by default.

 

From my 5e version of Green Arrow linked to earlier:

0 4) Rapid Fire: A Brief Definition (Custom Adder)

Notes: from page 396 5ER: This (Free but Optional) Manuever allows a character to fire a Ranged attack more than once in a Phase, either at a single target or at multiple targets. Rapid Fire requires a Full Phase and reduces the character to 1/2 DCV. He also suffers a cumulative -2 OCV Penalty for each shot after the first. If he misses any of his Attack Rolls, all remaining shots in that sequence automatically miss also.

 

 

from 6e2 page 73

MULTIPLE ATTACK

This Maneuver allows a character to make more than one attack in a Phase, either at a single target or at multiple targets, in either HTH Combat, Ranged Combat, or a mixture of the two. Multiple Attack allows a character to:

• make multiple strikes against a single target with a single attack
• make multiple strikes against a single target with multiple forms of attack
• make multiple strikes against multiple targets with a single attack
• make multiple strikes against multiple targets
• with multiple forms of attack freely mix HTH and Ranged, or non-Mental and Mental, attacks as part of the Multiple Attack sequence

 

HM

[Hyper-Man]

I probably learned more about some of the subtle changes between 5e/5er and 6e/CC during the process of creating a HERO version of John Wick than I would have any other way.  The gun play and martial arts rules for HERO are one of the most well developed parts of the system (The various official magic systems produced for 5e and 6e seem Junior Varsity in comparison).

[phydaux]

I'm thinking of dropping the Martial Arts package and just getting +4d6 HA, 0 END OIF. 

 

So my Martial Arts package is 23 points.  +4d6 HA, 0 END OIF is 13 points.  That means I can have Martial Arts OR I can have +4d6 HA and +1 OCV / +1 DCV.  

 

I'm thinking that the +1 OCV/DCV is more useful.  

[Hyper-Man]

What Martial Maneuvers make up that 23 points?

 

Are you leaving out other Limitations on the HA?

17 HA +4d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (30 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4) - END=0

 

Can you post the character for review?