Multi-Dimensional Connections/Perks on the Fly

[Divine Cynic]

Hey all,

 

I'm new to the forums and returning to playing Hero after a long absence. The last time I played anything to do with the system was the late 90's.

 

I am joining a group running a 5^th edition of cosmically powerful heroes (500 pts/ 200 pts in disads). The character I am working on to play is a dimension hopping wizard bascially. Think of some like the Doctor or Rick Sanchez but who's powers are based on magic like say Dr. Strange, Gandalf, etc.

 

I have some good ideas for powers and abilities but I am struggling with how to model something. See, this guy has traveled on a lot of worlds and different dimensions and is an immensely old immortal being at this point.

 

Dimensional travel is suppose to be part of the game. I think it would be fun if the party pops into a new dimension and my character knows someone there who can assist at least in minor ways. Maybe he even has access to wealth or has a house there.

 

So the issue, is perks. How do you model someone who basically has floating perks? How do you model someone with connections all over the multiverse?

[Lord Liaden]

Welcome back to the Hero fold, Divine Cynic! (Love that handle BTW.) I hope you enjoy your new game, and I think you'll like your visits here. We're a pretty friendly and helpful bunch.

 

To address your request, if your Game Master is willing to give permission (this definitely requires it), I would suggest a small Variable Power Pool, Limited to Perks relevant to whatever world your PC might visit, which you can redefine with each new world. Your GM would probably want to set significant limits on the type and magnitude of Perk, i.e. no planetary rulers who were once your PC's lover and willing to provide an army to help him. It might be interesting to have the GM choose for you, or even generate Perks randomly, so you don't know what you'll get in advance on a particular world, or even if you get anything.

[dsatow]

Personally, I'd ask the GM if I could reserve a pool of points for contacts.  Then when you visit a new dimension, ask the GM if there are any contacts you might have or suggest to the GM some contacts and pay for the contact from the pool.  Just be sure to constantly replenish the pool with XP.

 

Some other ways (though most GMs won't like this) is to create a Variable Effect Contact.  The contact is effectively the same in cost but the variable effect says this is a different person.  Example:  Sam Jones is your friend in every dimension.  But in Nazi world, he's a secret resistance fighter/mechanic; in Steampunk world, he's a zeppelin pilot, in dinosaur world, he's the tribe's eccentric inventor of fire and the wheel; etc.

 

Another way is to create a floating DNPC which you have to help but make them have usable skills and abilities.  This is very much like what the Doctor has.  Note that some people abuse this as a way to get point and a follower at the same time so many GM will either frown on it or make sure the dependent part is overly stressed.

[tombrown803]

how about buying an organization type contact. Something like Contacts: friends from dimensions I've been to 11-, contact has useful skills or resources, contact has access ot major institutions, good relationship with contact, organization (5 base points, 15 real points)

[mallet]

Well for contacts, the Universal Contact perk from the Ultimate Skill book (5th and 6th Ed.) is exactly what you want. 

 

From the description:

 

"A character with this Talent has friends everywhere — literally. No matter where he goes or what sort of help he needs, he always seems to know “just the right person” to turn to for information or assistance.
Universal Connections costs 20 Character Points"

 

More rules follow that, and you can spend extra points to make the Contacts more useful, etc... and work with the GM on extra, etc...

 

All the "Universal" skills, Perks, etc... seem to have a base cost of 20 character points, so that might a good jumping off point for stuff like "Universal Wealth", etc... So maybe the GM would allow you to spend 20 Character points, to have "Universal Wealth" which is equal to having 5 points of Wealth in almost all dimensions, then maybe have an activation roll (11- or something) to start with to see if it applies to any particular dimension you end up in. 

[Divine Cynic]

Sorry it took me a while to respond. Work has me very busy. 

 

Firstly, thank you to everyone for the responses. The Universal Contact perk seems tailor made for what I was looking for. The GM also approved a Universal Wealth, basically wealth with an activation roll. 

 

I'm also putting together disads to go with the theme a sort of Universal Hunted and Reputation or 2. The idea being that the character made enemies or got a bad reputation some place he'd been.

 

 

[Christopher]

On 10/13/2018 at 12:25 AM, dsatow said:

Personally, I'd ask the GM if I could reserve a pool of points for contacts.  Then when you visit a new dimension, ask the GM if there are any contacts you might have or suggest to the GM some contacts and pay for the contact from the pool.  Just be sure to constantly replenish the pool with XP.

APG 2 (I think) has rules for various Pools: Equipment. Vehicles. Contacts.

 

It is geared towards heroic level games, where you can have many weapons without always carrying them all and a lot of "contacts of the week".

Primarily it seems about limiting fielded vs owned equipment for Heroic games.

But it is a bit of a offshoot of VPP's and a more granular way to reward players too, so it might be applicable to a wider array of settings.