Advantages, Advantages... oh my...

[Caveman]

I have noticed that many complaints about abuse seem to stem from the use of a high number of advantages on low based powers. I would not pretend to say that I am not guilty of it either.

 

[comment]

I made a couple of characters with the monikers Nightmare and Bloodbath(using variants of AF, pen, AoF(hex)characteristic drains) to challenge a friend of mine who thought his character and his allies were unstoppable. It came down to his main guy couldn't be touched but his 3 friends were made into insane quivering masses of jello(and not the good kind)... them's the good old days

[/comment]

 

Since then I have recovered and found out that one could indeed have fun in the hero system without having uber power. One campaign I was in recently had a cap of +1 on power advantages(+2 if you were using variable advantage) and of course a reasonable limit on DC's and AP levels. I think that might be the trifecta of balance in a campaign. Flexible limits to start out a game with the gm being the final arbiter. Although it does take a good gm with some foresight it's not all that difficult to do and it can be rewarding in the long run because you have something to work for.

 

What say you all?

[Bartman]

I agree with pretty much exactly what you have said.

 

Yes. Low base powers with lots of advantages can be unbalanced.

Yes. Reasonable limits on advantanges, APs, and DCs can help a campaign work smoothly.

And finally, yes. A flexable and reasonable GM is key to a good campaign. Especialy when he is capable of recognizing when it is reasonable for a player to excede one or more of the campaign limits.