Character Ideas I need some help with.

[ShadowRaptor]

Hi to all, I am new to these boards and new to HERO as I just got it about three weeks ago and I am so glad to be done with that 'other' game I spent so much time playing.

 

Ok, after practically reading the book a time or two, some things I totally understand, and some things I don't. The things I don't really understand come from the fact that there seems to be multiple ways to handle it, and I want to get it right for the right feel. Plus, these characters I am making just to get used to the system.

 

One character is somebody I am basing from the Guyver movies (if you have seen them, you know what I mean). The guy is basically normal except for the times he has 'called forth' his bio-armor, in which he gets enhanced characteristics, leaping, running, and claws/blades. I can see this being either a OIF or OIHID as for the power limitations.

 

The other one is probably more interesting and more complicated. This is a young guy in his late teens, just turning 18. On his bday he received a package from a relative he never heard of, and that night he had strange dreams. He opened the package and there is an amulet, and when he put it on he found that he could transform into a more powerful being (this is kinda like Thor from Marvel in a way). For this guy, I want to keep it where his practical knowledge and skills are the same, but obviously his powers are drastically different. My confusion is if this should be a Multipower, a OIHID, or some kind of focus but I don't want to take the chance of him losing the amulet (maybe it forged with him or something, but if there was the possible chance of losing it, then it would lead to decent roleplaying possibilities).

 

Any suggestions from any of you? I thank you in advance for any advice you may have.

 

Oh, and some newbie questions I am sure many of you have answered in the past:

a) how have you all done VPP or Multipower frameworks?

what general advice could you all give me? Anything helpful would be great.

[Chaosliege]

Re: Character Ideas I need some help with.

 

Originally posted by ShadowRaptor

Hi to all, I am new to these boards and new to HERO as I just got it about three weeks ago and I am so glad to be done with that 'other' game I spent so much time playing.

 

Ok, after practically reading the book a time or two, some things I totally understand, and some things I don't. The things I don't really understand come from the fact that there seems to be multiple ways to handle it, and I want to get it right for the right feel. Plus, these characters I am making just to get used to the system.

 

One character is somebody I am basing from the Guyver movies (if you have seen them, you know what I mean). The guy is basically normal except for the times he has 'called forth' his bio-armor, in which he gets enhanced characteristics, leaping, running, and claws/blades. I can see this being either a OIF or OIHID as for the power limitations.

 

The other one is probably more interesting and more complicated. This is a young guy in his late teens, just turning 18. On his bday he received a package from a relative he never heard of, and that night he had strange dreams. He opened the package and there is an amulet, and when he put it on he found that he could transform into a more powerful being (this is kinda like Thor from Marvel in a way). For this guy, I want to keep it where his practical knowledge and skills are the same, but obviously his powers are drastically different. My confusion is if this should be a Multipower, a OIHID, or some kind of focus but I don't want to take the chance of him losing the amulet (maybe it forged with him or something, but if there was the possible chance of losing it, then it would lead to decent roleplaying possibilities).

 

Any suggestions from any of you? I thank you in advance for any advice you may have.

 

Oh, and some newbie questions I am sure many of you have answered in the past:

a) how have you all done VPP or Multipower frameworks?

what general advice could you all give me? Anything helpful would be great.

 

Well if you want him to be able to lose it, then it's a focus. If you want it to be one of those "it always seems to come back to me" things, it's an OIHID. That's assuming her can change back and forth. If the amulet fused with him, making him permenantly like he is now, then he would get neither.

[Acroyear]

It's my understanding that the Guyver could not be removed from its host, thus it's an OIHID. If it were OIF, the guyver could be removed with 1 turn of effort if he was KOed or restrained.

 

Also, the amulet example is a classic OIHID set-up. Now you can work the amulet part in a few ways. You can create it as a disadvantage "Can not become Hero ID without amulet" as a physical lim (or even a psych lim if he can do it without the amulet, but believes he needs it)... you can buy instant change (look in transform) as OAF "amulet" if your GM deems the transformation part needed.

 

I assume you meant "Multiform" and not "Multipower." You could do that, too, if you wanted to... I'd take the OIHID route, myself. I save multiform for more drastic changes than some people... but if the personality base person is still 100% present in the new form (and just added to), I'd not use Multiform.

 

I have no way of answering this question "how have you all done VPP or Multipower frameworks?" So maybe you just need some layman's terms.

 

A multipower is a pool of points that can be distributed among powers within it. With a multipower, the things these points can go into is laid out clearly/pre-chosen. A good example of a "harsh" Multipower is Ultraboy in the Legion of Super Heroes. He can be Invulnerable OR Strong OR shoot his Ultra-Vision. Not all three and no two at once. These are "fixed" or "ultra" slots.

 

Think of it this way, with a MP and the power "flight" and "energy blast" as "multi slots" the faster you fly, the less EB you can use. The bigger EB you use, the less you can fly. They are essentially competing for the same energy. This is why you get the cost break. The more powers you have, the more powers compete for the energy. In the case of attack powers, this really isn't much of a problem for most people because you're just selecting which attack you want to use.

 

A VPP is actually quite similar, except the powers (usually) are not pre-chosen and can change much more fluidly (which is why it seems tocost so much). A VPP, I would suggest, you should leave as "off limits" until you become quite familiar with not only the rules and the effects of powers... but all of the costs, etc. Otherwise you will spend all your time doing math figuring out what you can and can't do.

[ShadowRaptor]

The guy with the amulet is kinda like this...he's normal and when he senses (or perhaps there is danger that he cannot sense within his vicinity), he feels himself changing and then baaam, he changes. Personality changes somewhat in the fact that he feels the need to fight the danger but for some reason he doesn't know why; totally different physical characteristics and powers. Basically, he's normal, excpet sometimes its like he feels strange things and its usually because of some kind of danger near him...then he changes.

 

For the guyver example, that was easy. Thanks. And I did mean multiform in the example, not multipower.

[Acroyear]

Well, if amulet guy changes into a different person (different entity, so to speak) but simply has access to the original's skills... you can go either way with the multiform or the OIHID.

 

I think since a lot of the personality of the super identity isn't present in the civilian identity, though, would make that decision lean heavily towards the multiform. Some might still suggest the OIHID and simply decreasing the "frequency" part of the psychological limitations (assuming you build them as such) of the hero identitiy.

[Tamashii2000]

Originally posted by ShadowRaptor

The guy with the amulet is kinda like this...he's normal and when he senses (or perhaps there is danger that he cannot sense within his vicinity), he feels himself changing and then baaam, he changes. Personality changes somewhat in the fact that he feels the need to fight the danger but for some reason he doesn't know why; totally different physical characteristics and powers. Basically, he's normal, excpet sometimes its like he feels strange things and its usually because of some kind of danger near him...then he changes.

 

For the guyver example, that was easy. Thanks. And I did mean multiform in the example, not multipower.

 

It sounds to me like the amulet guy could be made as a OIHID, with Danger sense and the disadvantage Accidental Change (When Danger sense activated).

[ShadowRaptor]

Can you link a disadvantage to a talent in that manner as suggested above with Danger Sense and Accidental Change?

[Chris Goodwin]

Nearly all of the Disadvantages are situational in some respect. What you're not doing is linking them in the sense that that term is used in the Hero System, but setting them up so that situationality is a part of how the Disadvantage works. The Accidental Change/Danger Sense combo is one example.

[Tamashii2000]

Originally posted by ShadowRaptor

Can you link a disadvantage to a talent in that manner as suggested above with Danger Sense and Accidental Change?

 

I think you would be able to, after all, your danger sense is going to go off at some rather unfortunite times, which will make hell for your private/socail life. So it would be a rather nasty combo.