Can someone clarify summons for me?

[comicdude]

Hey guys, so I have a couple questions about summons. I am kind of new to running a hero system game and could appreciate having some things cleared up.

 

So I have a player who created their summon with more CP than anyone playing. The game set at 300CP so basically super heroic low powered and they have created their summon at 375CP, I am worried that this will cause balance issues once they summon their creature since I feel like it would trivialize any combat they summon in since I am balancing the game at 300CP or be unfair to other characters since they are not using similar powers or followers and they have a hard cap at 300. 

 

Something else I wanted to know is how does death work with a specific summon since they are planning on summoning a creature intrinsic to their character backstory if for instance, a random example here, they want to summon a mouse friend they made named wally, and wally dies in combat, is wally the mouse gone forever and the next time they summon its a random mouse? will they just continuously summon wally's corpse? or does wally die, then when they get re-summoned they pop back up alive. I am genuinely curious.

 

Side note: is it common to put overarching CP restrictions in a campaign, for instance I wanted this game to be maxed out at 300CP across the board is that too heavy handed and would something like having a summon with 375CP in a 300CP game be usually allowed?

 

Anyway that's really all I am wondering about thanks for reading this mountain of text, I just want to run a good game hopefully you guys can help me do that.

[Scott Ruggels]

Sometimes it is not so much the number of CP, but how efficiently they are used. If you are inexperienced, and they know the system well you will be at a disadvantage.  However,’if you are both of equal experience, then you’re fine. CP limits are intended for the players mostl. For the GM they just give them an idea of what sort of attacks they can dish out and receive. At no point does the GM need to observe the CP limitations, other than for good taste, and keeping from one shotting all of the Heroes. How else can a GM build a master villain that can stand up for a few turns against the entire team? Hello Mechanon? Hello Dr. Destroyer?

 

As a GM, you have multiple ways to deal with this summoning, you could flatly deny the summoning as over budget, and tell the player to rebuild it under the guidelines. Or, you could allow it and start planning around it. Many villains are smart, and if they survive the fight they can compensate for it later. Look at the Disads, and exploit them if Necessary. You are the GM. But don’t be harsh about stuff. Remind all the players we are all here to have fun. 

[Christopher R Taylor]

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So I have a player who created their summon with more CP than anyone playing. The game set at 300CP so basically super heroic low powered and they have created their summon at 375CP, I am worried that this will cause balance issues once they summon their creature since I feel like it would trivialize any combat they summon in since I am balancing the game at 300CP or be unfair to other characters since they are not using similar powers or followers and they have a hard cap at 300. 

 

A useful tool people will use is active point caps; that is, a maximum number of active points a power can be built around without GM permission.  A 375 point summon is 75 points, which is equivalent to a 15d6 blast or a 5d6 killing attack!  That's normally going to be beyond the power level a GM will allow a character to have.

[dsatow]

This is one of the reason Summon is a stop signed power.  Work with the player on the summons.  If the summon creature is more powerful than the players, it probably out of bounds for the game.

 

Remember, just because he can buy it, doesn't mean he should.