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What is a good starting CP value in general and for these enemies especially?


Commoner1

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Hello,

 

I've been lurking in this forum for some time now and I never bothered to create an account. But my group and I finally get around to start our first Champions game next week.

 

I'm the GM and my Champions Universe is a mixture of the written Universe and the City of Heroes Universe (mostly for enemy groups like the Skulls Gang and the Malta Group which I find much more interesting than the Champions gangs and corporations). The major difference is that almost all heroes besides the low powered one like Silver Avenger Sanchez just mysteriously vanish due to a plan of the still presumed to be dead Dr. Destroyer. But I want to make use of several established Champions characters:

 

  • Black Paladin and Entropy are the first Master Villains behind the Skulls with the Monster as their premier enforcer. Black Paladin is much weaker right now because he is still in the process of regaining his weaponry and armor. This is also the plot hook for the first story arc I planned.
  • Warlord and the Warmachine as a constant threat looming over their heads. Warlord threshes the group during their first encounters but gets much more mangeable over time as they grow in strength.
  • Dr. Destroyer is the big bad in the background. His time is about to finally run out (he has just 24 hours of life time left, so he spends almost all time in stasis) and he made basically every noteworthy hero disappear in a mysterious way. So he gains free reign at achieving immortality.
  • Molnya and a less cruel but funnier Beek start out as enemies and allies of Warlord but become rather dependable frienemies of the group over the course of the campaign.
  • Blackguard, Cateran and Bulldozer are recurring and rather light-hearted opponents who are supposed to be comic relief or even romantic interests (well, not Bulldozer, he's just there for the laughs 😂) for the group.
  • Panzer, Garguntua and the Ultimates are supposed to have major guest appereances but not necessarily in combat encounters/arcs.

 

I have 6 players and our campaigns tend to run for 5+ years if we stick with a game so I plan accordingly. The players are all very genre savvy and put a big emphasize on teamwork without going down the minmax route. We all like to start small and grow strong over time.

 

The lineup so far is mystic Weaponmaster with teleportation, superstrong mind reader with low toughness, mystical standard Brick, energy projector with a water flavor and some healing powers, force field projector for defense and offense, gadgeteer with a focus on information gathering and scouting.

 

What would be an appropriate CP value for such a group? I'm not spoiling the numbers I've got in my mind so I get your unbiased responses. 😃

 

Also: What is a good starting CP value if you want to play Champions (6th Edition - "Complete") "by the book" where even Alpha- and Beta-Level villains (with some mook support) pose a threat for a group of seasoned players.

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There's no time limit on edits.

 

You might not have been signed in the second time.

 

Oh, and starting with 400 points is easiest, especially if you are using published villains.

 

I like 300, but only because I'm a grumpy old man.

 

I don't think your question about Alpha and Beta level villains changes my answer either. 400 is still right.

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I suggest starting around the Very Powerful (mystery men) 275 point to Low-Powered (youthful superheroes) 300 point level to make Alpha and Beta level villains a credible threat. Player teamwork and skillful use of game mechanics make straight character point comparisons an unreliable mechanism for determining whether something is a challenge. If you start smaller, you can always be generous with experience points to grow quickly if you don't like the scale.

 

Having played Champions from 400 point characters to almost 800 point world-shapers, I have found that more points does not always lead to more fun. While I could do more stuff with 800 points, I didn't have twice the fun I had when I started off with 400 points. Since I know you've played City of heroes, ask yourself was it fun for a level 50 toon to smash those level 1 to 10 Skulls? Probably not. You enjoy struggling against a comparable threat. You want to work your way up to those Gunslinger Malta agents.

 

At the moment, I'm playing in a low powered 150 point supernatural hunter campaign and loving how well HERO scales down: all the flavor for half the calories. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you check out Killer Shrike's website for HERO resources.

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I find the number of points to be less of an issue than the power level you want the players to be at.  It is worth thinking hard about the split between skills and powers and where you want the players to be as far as each level of villain.

 

If you do want to use published stuff then I am with assault.  🙂

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Thank you very much for all your answers. 😊 They all helped a lot.

 

 

17 hours ago, megaplayboy said:

You didn't indicate how frequently the group will play or how you typically award Xp.  For a long term campaign that meets weekly, 300 or 400 starting CP is fine.  They will become formidable within the first 2 years.  If you're gaming monthly, perhaps 400 or 500 starting CP is better for that pace.  

 

We usually play twice a month. So we're right in the middle. 😊

 

16 hours ago, Greywind said:

I think the limit on editing has to do with the number of posts. Welcome to the board.

 

I think so myself because I'm still in the "having to be approved by mod"-phase. Thanks a lot for the welcome. 😊

 

20 hours ago, assault said:

There's no time limit on edits.

 

You might not have been signed in the second time.

 

Oh, and starting with 400 points is easiest, especially if you are using published villains.

 

I like 300, but only because I'm a grumpy old man.

 

I don't think your question about Alpha and Beta level villains changes my answer either. 400 is still right.

 

I share your feeling about 300 points! 😄

 

19 hours ago, Durzan Malakim said:

I suggest starting around the Very Powerful (mystery men) 275 point to Low-Powered (youthful superheroes) 300 point level to make Alpha and Beta level villains a credible threat. Player teamwork and skillful use of game mechanics make straight character point comparisons an unreliable mechanism for determining whether something is a challenge. If you start smaller, you can always be generous with experience points to grow quickly if you don't like the scale.

 

Having played Champions from 400 point characters to almost 800 point world-shapers, I have found that more points does not always lead to more fun. While I could do more stuff with 800 points, I didn't have twice the fun I had when I started off with 400 points. Since I know you've played City of heroes, ask yourself was it fun for a level 50 toon to smash those level 1 to 10 Skulls? Probably not. You enjoy struggling against a comparable threat. You want to work your way up to those Gunslinger Malta agents.

 

At the moment, I'm playing in a low powered 150 point supernatural hunter campaign and loving how well HERO scales down: all the flavor for half the calories. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you check out Killer Shrike's website for HERO resources.

 

Your posting exactly reflects my thinking. 🙂 We have a big emphasize on teamwork in our group so I usually expect my group to punch quite a bit above their weight class, so I have to either reduce their entry level or up the opposition (a lot). And yes, your example is also right. 😊 The Skulls are supposed to be the entry level opponents with Entropy/Monster/Black Paladins as their bosses while Malta Gunslingers/Sappers/Titans will replace the rather lame Destroids later in the campaign.

 

17 hours ago, megaplayboy said:

You didn't indicate how frequently the group will play or how you typically award Xp.  For a long term campaign that meets weekly, 300 or 400 starting CP is fine.  They will become formidable within the first 2 years.  If you're gaming monthly, perhaps 400 or 500 starting CP is better for that pace.  

 

I was torn between 300, 350 and 400 CP. But after reading this topic I settled for 300 CP so they have room to grow but they will gain XP at a 50% increased rate to let them close the gap to the "real" enemies in a reasonable time period.

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First, welcome to the boards, Commoner1. Next, don't be afraid to test the points you allow yourselves: if you find 300 pts works fine, then use it. If you find more points is better, grant all characters a boost/rewrite/bigger base/free xp/whatever. It's whatever makes the characters fun for you and your group that you use. The guidelines for characters are just that - guidelines; change them as you see fit.

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Character points are just a starting point. Things like campaign limits, decisions about which "stop sign" powers you want to allow, and just talking with your group about the type of game they want to play also factor into a fun game. I would suggest adding in rules and powers as you feel comfortable rather than starting with all the bling, but your mileage may vary. Welcome the boards, and I look forward to hearing about your games.

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6 hours ago, Durzan Malakim said:

Character points are just a starting point. Things like campaign limits, decisions about which "stop sign" powers you want to allow, and just talking with your group about the type of game they want to play also factor into a fun game. I would suggest adding in rules and powers as you feel comfortable rather than starting with all the bling, but your mileage may vary. Welcome the boards, and I look forward to hearing about your games.

 

I will post how it went once we are done with the entry arc. 😊

 

But you mentioned a good point: Are there some powers or power groups that are probably detrimental for the gaming experience in general? The best examples I can come up with are Save-or-Die-spells from Pathfinder that turn the game into russian roulette or basically unlimited Teleport spells at medium levels. My group hated them instantly in our first campaign and it was a much more enjoyable ride once we got rid of them in our second campaign for players and 99% of the oppostion.

 

We agreed on using the 6th Edition Complete-Book and the Powers-Book for now. Is that already too much? (Rules are usually not much of an issue and Champions seems to have a very smooth ruleset once you are done with character creation.)

 

 

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6 hours ago, Commoner1 said:

 

We agreed on using the 6th Edition Complete-Book and the Powers-Book for now. Is that already too much? (Rules are usually not much of an issue and Champions seems to have a very smooth ruleset once you are done with character creation.)

 

 

I suggest adding to the "required" books Hero System Martial Arts. Having a nice number or pre-built martial arts styles, both real and fake, and a system for creating more makes the book a book not to game without.

 

You should also have both Advance System books, which of course are not mandatory at all, but are interesting stuff to look over in your spare time. Especially when you want to do things like take possession of others or stop time ("Za Worldoh!").

 

A few adventures to slip between your original adventures are good.

 

I'm assuming you have all three Champions Villain Volumes. Tiger has some nice Forgotten Enemies books that I recommend. And his Terror Inc. stuff and the recent Los Assinasos book (redoing the classic villain team from the BBB for 6ed).

 

And welcome to the board.

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7 hours ago, Commoner1 said:

Are there some powers or power groups that are probably detrimental for the gaming experience in general? The best examples I can come up with are Save-or-Die-spells from Pathfinder that turn the game into russian roulette or basically unlimited Teleport spells at medium levels. My group hated them instantly in our first campaign and it was a much more enjoyable ride once we got rid of them in our second campaign for players and 99% of the oppostion.

 

The Game Basics section on page 8 of Champions Complete explains the four icons you can see for certain rules. Rules with exclamation points and stop signs are the ones I suggest you pay the most attention to. It's possible to build some "I win" power combinations where there is little to no defense against it. For example, making a teleport power usable as an attack that you use to port enemies away or into harm's way. Or an attack with no normal defense that does body damage. Players may think it's great to use such a power on others, but they generally don't like it used on them. In general, every attack should have a defense. I suggest violating that rule sparingly so that when it occurs it has dramatic consequences. There are already plenty of power mechanics and interactions for you and your players to learn, and you can always add in more complex builds as you become more comfortable with the rules. There is a recent thread about Cheesy-munchkiny builds you've seen that will give you an idea of the kind of powers you may want to avoid.

 

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I second steriaca's recommendation of the Hero Martial Arts book.  That's probably the one I use the most after 6E1 and Powers.

8 hours ago, Commoner1 said:

But you mentioned a good point: Are there some powers or power groups that are probably detrimental for the gaming experience in general?

 

I would recommend either avoiding or at least strongly regulating the following:

  • Healing - Having this available seemed to give my players a "who cares?" attitude toward BODY damage (both to themselves as well as what they did to bad guys, and often what was done to normals), as the mage would just heal it after the battle was over.
  • VPP without limits on what powers are available -- particularly one that can be changed without a roll in combat, in the hands of someone familiar with the system.  It can provide an instant band-aid for anything and everything.
  • Usable by others, particularly for defensive powers. 
  • I'll second Durzan's "Teleportation Usable as Attack."  This can be a major pain in the arse.
  • Any power combo that can give rise to the Mentalist Sniper Syndrome (e.g. Invisibility to multiple sense groups + mental powers, huge Mind Scan, etc.).  Someone here posted an amusing Margarita Man concept - a mentalist who sits on a tropical beach, sipping margaritas and mind-scanning for targets halfway across the planet, then blasting them mentally. 
  • Mental Paralysis (Entangle that goes against EGO, not STR)
  • Any character with multiple different NNDs / AVADs.  ("Oh, you're protected against my NND gas attack?  Let's see if you're insulated against my electrical NND.  Or my AVAD against Resistant Power Defense...")
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34 minutes ago, Durzan Malakim said:

Players may think it's great to use such a power on others, but they generally don't like it used on them.

 

This thought has given rise to a general guideline in my games.  If I wouldn't want the players to use a particular power writeup, then I shouldn't use it (or something similar to it) against them.  And vice versa - if a player is wanting a questionable power, ask him how he'll feel when (not if) something similar is used against him.

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I would avoid potentially bad party mixes such as:

  • Characters built for a different type of game such as combat-monkeys for a role-playing-heavy game or a role-playing-heavy character for a combat-focused game. Provide players some build guidelines so they know whether they'll be playing in Superhero Fight Club or Ang Lee's Superhero Art Film.
  • Players who unintentionally build rivalrous characters with the same power set, party role, or schtick. For example, two players build scrappers, but one consistently outshines the other and makes that player feel useless or underpowered. While Champions is "classless" you still may want to encourage players to build toward a desired party role. However, there is fun to be had for groups who intentionally build rivals. Just make sure your players want that fun.
  • Players who unintentionally build characters who are antagonistic toward other characters in party. This is usually some poor mix of Complications like player one has a hatred of aliens and player two makes an alien. It's fine when intra-party conflict is a dynamic your players want, but such interactions should not come as a surprise. Again, build guidelines such as, "no brooding loners or murder hobos" can prevent these issues.
  • Groups where one or more players have attacks against alternate defenses or attacks with no normal defense that make other players feel useless or underpowered. These attacks should have diminishing returns over time as foes adapt to them. "This time the Malta agents have come prepared for Internet Troll's NND mental attacks." Essentially, everyone should have a time to shine. Don't consistently reward or punish one power build over another.
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9 hours ago, Commoner1 said:

Are there some powers or power groups that are probably detrimental for the gaming experience in general?

Be very careful with what supersenses you permit your players.  Simple things like seeing through walls, identifying people by scent, or detecting electricity can be surprisingly difficult to plan around.  I once GM'd for a character who spent a good eighth of their point budget on super-sight.  Finding ways to have elements of mystery and surprise was very hard when he could look clear through the Earth and into the villain's lair!  And then the one time I planned for him to use this to find something, he of course didn't show up to the session grumble grumble.

Be very careful with VPPs.  First, it makes it easy for a player to have something unexpected and solve what you thought would be three weeks of game.  Make sure to put limits on what it can do so you can predict their range of options.  Second, it makes it easy for a character to accidentally step on another character's toes.  Make sure they talk with the other players so VPP-Man doesn't steal Laser Gun Man's spotlight.  Third, it can drag the game to a complete halt while a player tries to figure out how to build a certain power.  I'd recommend either implementing a 60-second rule or declaring that if they haven't figured out how to make the power OOC, their PC is still figuring it out IC and thus holding their turn/doing nothing. 

Be very careful with defenses and offenses.  If one PC rolls up with 45 PD and ED backed by 80 STUN and another PC has 8 PD and ED backed by 25 STUN, anything that threatens the former will OHKO the latter.  Likewise, if once PC has 10 OCV and 6d6 damage while another has 6 OCV and 16d6 damage, the former risks rarely doing damage past defense while the latter risks rarely hitting (and neither is fun!).  The game scales up and down well, but make sure your PCs are within a dozen or so Defense and a few CVs and DCs of each other so combat runs smoothly. 

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54 minutes ago, drunkonduty said:

Margarita Man! LOL.

 

This character design is one of my favourite examples to new players about the sort of abusive builds that can be created (and that should be avoided.) But he's never had a name before. Margarita Man <snicker> Stealing it.


Margarita Man

Nibblin' on sponge cake
Helping a thug make
The smartest decision he's made in some time
Yeah he'll get off scott free
But that doesn't bug me
'Cause the three he'll turn in are the worst kinds of slime.

Savin' the day again, I'm Margarita Man
Scanning for some good deed I can do
Some people claim the fact I'm here is a shame,
But I know, that they don't have a clue.

That mugger was stalking
A young woman walking
But now he's freaked out and his mind's come unglued
She's a real beauty
A Mexican cutie
She's had a close call, but she hasn't a clue.

Savin' the day again, I'm Margarita Man
Scanning for some good deed I can do
Some people claim the fact I'm here is a shame,
But I know, that they don't have a clue.

 

My fights, I must pick 'em

I can't save each victim

And mind reading psychopaths drives me to drink

But if you ask how come

Some killers get so dumb

And finally get caught, well now, what do you think?

 

Savin' the day again, I'm Margarita Man

Scanning for some good deed I can do

Some people claim the fact I'm here is a shame,

But I know, that they don't have a clue.

 

 

 


Lucius Alexander

Some people claim that Jimmy Buffet's to blame,
But I know, it's the palindromedary's fault.

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18 hours ago, Durzan Malakim said:

 

The Game Basics section on page 8 of Champions Complete explains the four icons you can see for certain rules. Rules with exclamation points and stop signs are the ones I suggest you pay the most attention to. It's possible to build some "I win" power combinations where there is little to no defense against it. For example, making a teleport power usable as an attack that you use to port enemies away or into harm's way. Or an attack with no normal defense that does body damage. Players may think it's great to use such a power on others, but they generally don't like it used on them. In general, every attack should have a defense. I suggest violating that rule sparingly so that when it occurs it has dramatic consequences. There are already plenty of power mechanics and interactions for you and your players to learn, and you can always add in more complex builds as you become more comfortable with the rules. There is a recent thread about Cheesy-munchkiny builds you've seen that will give you an idea of the kind of powers you may want to avoid.

 

 

I will read that thread thouroughly. Thanks a lot. 🙂

 

We have only one Teleporter so far and he wants to play a mix of an indian spirit shaman and nightcrawler with a martial arts focus but I will speak with him to avoid that particular problem.

 

18 hours ago, BoloOfEarth said:

I second steriaca's recommendation of the Hero Martial Arts book.  That's probably the one I use the most after 6E1 and Powers.

 

I would recommend either avoiding or at least strongly regulating the following:

  • Healing - Having this available seemed to give my players a "who cares?" attitude toward BODY damage (both to themselves as well as what they did to bad guys, and often what was done to normals), as the mage would just heal it after the battle was over.
  • VPP without limits on what powers are available -- particularly one that can be changed without a roll in combat, in the hands of someone familiar with the system.  It can provide an instant band-aid for anything and everything.
  • Usable by others, particularly for defensive powers. 
  • I'll second Durzan's "Teleportation Usable as Attack."  This can be a major pain in the arse.
  • Any power combo that can give rise to the Mentalist Sniper Syndrome (e.g. Invisibility to multiple sense groups + mental powers, huge Mind Scan, etc.).  Someone here posted an amusing Margarita Man concept - a mentalist who sits on a tropical beach, sipping margaritas and mind-scanning for targets halfway across the planet, then blasting them mentally. 
  • Mental Paralysis (Entangle that goes against EGO, not STR)
  • Any character with multiple different NNDs / AVADs.  ("Oh, you're protected against my NND gas attack?  Let's see if you're insulated against my electrical NND.  Or my AVAD against Resistant Power Defense...")

 

That list is very helpful. 🙂 I never expected healing to be that unbalancing but your assessment seems very reasonable and I will have a talk with the player who wants to play an Energy Projector/Healer. I was already quite sceptic about VPPs and your posting reinforces that. 🙂 The Margarita Man has its mirrors in many other RPGs and his "Scry and Fry" approach is something nobody wants in our games. 🙂

 

16 hours ago, Gnome BODY (important!) said:

Be very careful with what supersenses you permit your players.  Simple things like seeing through walls, identifying people by scent, or detecting electricity can be surprisingly difficult to plan around.  I once GM'd for a character who spent a good eighth of their point budget on super-sight.  Finding ways to have elements of mystery and surprise was very hard when he could look clear through the Earth and into the villain's lair!  And then the one time I planned for him to use this to find something, he of course didn't show up to the session grumble grumble.

Be very careful with VPPs.  First, it makes it easy for a player to have something unexpected and solve what you thought would be three weeks of game.  Make sure to put limits on what it can do so you can predict their range of options.  Second, it makes it easy for a character to accidentally step on another character's toes.  Make sure they talk with the other players so VPP-Man doesn't steal Laser Gun Man's spotlight.  Third, it can drag the game to a complete halt while a player tries to figure out how to build a certain power.  I'd recommend either implementing a 60-second rule or declaring that if they haven't figured out how to make the power OOC, their PC is still figuring it out IC and thus holding their turn/doing nothing. 

Be very careful with defenses and offenses.  If one PC rolls up with 45 PD and ED backed by 80 STUN and another PC has 8 PD and ED backed by 25 STUN, anything that threatens the former will OHKO the latter.  Likewise, if once PC has 10 OCV and 6d6 damage while another has 6 OCV and 16d6 damage, the former risks rarely doing damage past defense while the latter risks rarely hitting (and neither is fun!).  The game scales up and down well, but make sure your PCs are within a dozen or so Defense and a few CVs and DCs of each other so combat runs smoothly. 

 

I think that I will just ask my players to not take VPPs until we have a better grasp of the rule set, so nobody gets outshined by Mr. Flexible. 🙂

 

 

17 hours ago, BoloOfEarth said:

 

This thought has given rise to a general guideline in my games.  If I wouldn't want the players to use a particular power writeup, then I shouldn't use it (or something similar to it) against them.  And vice versa - if a player is wanting a questionable power, ask him how he'll feel when (not if) something similar is used against him.

 

We already had two Session 0s where we openly discussed the direction of the campaign, but you're absolutely right: When a player comes up with an unbalanced build or power I just tell him, that he will face opponents who use such builds as well.

 

16 hours ago, Durzan Malakim said:

I would avoid potentially bad party mixes such as:

  • Characters built for a different type of game such as combat-monkeys for a role-playing-heavy game or a role-playing-heavy character for a combat-focused game. Provide players some build guidelines so they know whether they'll be playing in Superhero Fight Club or Ang Lee's Superhero Art Film.
  • Players who unintentionally build rivalrous characters with the same power set, party role, or schtick. For example, two players build scrappers, but one consistently outshines the other and makes that player feel useless or underpowered. While Champions is "classless" you still may want to encourage players to build toward a desired party role. However, there is fun to be had for groups who intentionally build rivals. Just make sure your players want that fun.
  • Players who unintentionally build characters who are antagonistic toward other characters in party. This is usually some poor mix of Complications like player one has a hatred of aliens and player two makes an alien. It's fine when intra-party conflict is a dynamic your players want, but such interactions should not come as a surprise. Again, build guidelines such as, "no brooding loners or murder hobos" can prevent these issues.
  • Groups where one or more players have attacks against alternate defenses or attacks with no normal defense that make other players feel useless or underpowered. These attacks should have diminishing returns over time as foes adapt to them. "This time the Malta agents have come prepared for Internet Troll's NND mental attacks." Essentially, everyone should have a time to shine. Don't consistently reward or punish one power build over another.

 

We're playing for between 5 and 16 years together by now and luckily all these problems were solved more than 10 years ago. 🙂 But yes, those problems exist and they have to be solved if a group wants to stick around. 🙂


Is my impression correct that balance in champions is mostly a question of inner group communication and the application of common sense in the game context? 🙂

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3 hours ago, Commoner1 said:

I never expected healing to be that unbalancing but your assessment seems very reasonable and I will have a talk with the player who wants to play an Energy Projector/Healer.

 

Is my impression correct that balance in champions is mostly a question of inner group communication and the application of common sense in the game context?

 

Beyond its use on heroes themselves or their foes / innocent bystanders, a PC having Healing raises some interesting potential issues.  Does he spend his free time going to hospitals and helping out all the people there?  If his ability to Heal is known, is he inundated by requests / demands to heal the wealthy / loved ones / famous people?  And as a GM, how do you handle things like incurable cancer?  (FYI I did it as a DoT Drain of not only BODY but also CON, STR, DEX, and/or other things.  So the PC's Healing (BODY) may buy the person some time, but the DoT continues and the person still slides downhill even after the Healing is done.)

 

BTW, I'm not saying you shouldn't allow Healing at all.  That's your call.  But you may want to think long and hard about it.

 

As to balance, having good lines of communication with your players and common-sense application of rules is a good part of it.  But as Gnome Body pointed out, you'll also want to make sure CVs and damage levels aren't unbalanced.

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3 hours ago, BoloOfEarth said:

 

Beyond its use on heroes themselves or their foes / innocent bystanders, a PC having Healing raises some interesting potential issues.  Does he spend his free time going to hospitals and helping out all the people there?  If his ability to Heal is known, is he inundated by requests / demands to heal the wealthy / loved ones / famous people?  And as a GM, how do you handle things like incurable cancer?  (FYI I did it as a DoT Drain of not only BODY but also CON, STR, DEX, and/or other things.  So the PC's Healing (BODY) may buy the person some time, but the DoT continues and the person still slides downhill even after the Healing is done.)

 

BTW, I'm not saying you shouldn't allow Healing at all.  That's your call.  But you may want to think long and hard about it.

 

As to balance, having good lines of communication with your players and common-sense application of rules is a good part of it.  But as Gnome Body pointed out, you'll also want to make sure CVs and damage levels aren't unbalanced.

 

This touches one of the smaller story arcs I have planned about a superpowered evangelical faith healer who uses his incredible healing powers only to extort ludicruos amounts of wealth and power from his believers. Is that evil or is he operating a tolerable grey area or is he even truly blessed by a higher power? 🙂 It's up to the players to decide and/or find out  what's really going on. 🙂

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400 points for 6th Ed, but be sure to put a 12 DC/60AP cap on powers, make sure every knows they are expected to spend AT LEAST 60 points in Skills NOT INCLUDING COMBAT SKILL LEVELS,  and be sure players are aware of your campaign's CV norms.

 

Also make sure they know they are each expected to have several NPC Contacts.

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" I was already quite sceptic about VPPs"

 

I only allow VERY experienced Hero System players to use a VPP.  NOT "very experienced RPG players".  I insist the player be a very experienced Hero System player and GM before I will allow then to play a character with a VPP.  And even then I insist they show up with a "Spell Book" of various powers pre-built on paper so that they aren't flipping pages or just winging it at the table. slowing the game down.

 

VPPs are awesome in the right hands.  But you don't give a machine gun to a chimp.

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