Split Decision

Re: Interlock and the Outsiders I can't wait!

Re: Ordeal He is by design low-damage, with several types of 8DC attacks. He can reach most opponents, but he's not a cannon. If you look at the utility belt, he's got a real "utility belt" of attack powers. In the campaign he was in, damage topped out (but is not capped) around 15 DC, and top-end base CV is 10. So he was close but not at the top of either. btw he was at the top SPD for PCs.

Re: Some Book Of The Machine Pages Posted As handsome as any comic book. And lots of words, too. I'm thrilled.

Re: Child of Mine . . . Looks like this promising thread needs a restart. Who wants to suggest the next pair?

Re: Innate Defense vs Power Limitations Mechanon is a character. A toaster is an object. Although they are both made of basically the same stuff, the designation "character" makes all the difference.

I've recently had the pleasure to take a sneak peak at Inceptum Terminus, a new cross-genre sourcebook for HERO which is co-written by boardmate The Patriot. Set in a post-catastrophe North America, Inceptum Terminus uses a backdrop familiar to those of us who have used Shadowrun and RIFTS to tell stories which will fit into different genres such as western, Mad Max, Clockwork Orange, superheroes (Called 'Gifted'), Dark Champions, high fantasy with swords and sorcery, and so forth, and gives us an opportunity to mix genres in an immersive, descriptive world which lends itself well to varied and rewarding role-playing. As a sourcebook, much of the early chapters are devoted to developing the mood, which is overall dour and claustrophobic. Large social structures as we understand them today have collapsed and have been replaced by Corporate nation-state oligarchies represented by the various corporations. Much of the draft copy I consumed covered aspects of an individual's existence and the socio-political ramifications of the new social order. Presumably based upon what I have seen, the differences in totality, equality, freedom, and so forth will be delineated in various corporate territories in later chapters. I will be interested to see how the corporations relate to one another, but one thing is clear: regular human life has much less value in this apocolyptic world of the future than we are used to in the game worlds of most of the current genre sourcebooks. The highlight of what I've seen so far for HERO number-wonks is a great variety of Package Deals, fully detailed, that allow you to plug into the world with its varied archetypes immediately. There are literally dozens of well thought out packages to buy, such as: Media Star, Bounty Hunter, Vehicle Combat Specialist, Corporate Police, Netrunner, Gnag Banger, Street King, and Fence. Additionally, there have been no rule variants or conventions as far as I can see that would disqualify your favorite character from being imported directly into the Inceptum Terminus world. The only part that keeps me from recommending this book to everyone as a staple of their HERO library is that the background information seems a little stale. It is perfectly-executed, but I have a feeling that it could be done without too much ink, since we've basically seen it before- most completely in the Shadowrun books from the early 90s. But I will hold judgement on this, because there is plenty more to to be seen. Specifically in the chapter or chapters dedicated to the specifics of the various Corporations and their interrelation, there is great promise that this will not be a cookie-cutter world, but rather one with rich and valuable detail.

Re: What does 'Magic' mean to you?

Re: Supervillains and Philosophy Subtitle Suggestions Supervillains and Philosophy: Why You Just Don't Get Us

Re: Heroes from All Fifty States That is a great costume and tagline. Well done.

Re: Recoil Again, looks fine. And again, I urge you to fill in the Disads as best you can.

Re: Entangles that Hurt Can you do that? Can you link a Damage Shield power to an Entangle? I've never thought of it. Reading the description of the Damage Shield Advantage, it does not mention any way to separate the damage shield from the character it surrounds, although I have seen Damage Shields applied to Force Walls, and that seems to make sense. I still don't know about Entangles, but it's a gut thing. Logically, it ought to work just fine.

Re: Continuing charges Work from the effect back to the cause. Do you want the firey sword to ignite its target and make the target burn for some period of time? Or does the fire simply add damage to the sword's HKA? Decide what it does, and we can build it. We have the character points (with apologies to Dust Raven).

Re: Immunity to Electric Attacks

Re: Heroes from All Fifty States Natural-born mutant sounds good to me. Being twinned is enough of an interesting origin. This/these are well developed, both in terms of powers and in terms of characters. I like their many professional rivalries. My only negative criticism is that SPD 8 is probably unnessesary and would bog down a ftf or online game.

Re: Ordeal

With special thanks for the name to Balabanto Ordeal R. Patrick Kelly Val Char Cost 25 STR 15 25 DEX 45 20 CON 20 15 BODY 10 18 INT 8 14 EGO 8 15 PRE 5 10 COM 0 15 PD 10 11 ED 7 6 SPD 25 9 REC 0 40 END 0 38 STUN 0 10" RUN 8 2" SWIM 5" LEAP 0 Characteristics Cost: 161 Cost Power END 27 Utility Belt Multipower, OIF (-1/2) (collection of OAFs), 40-pt Reserve 1u Tangleweb minigrenades: 4d6 4 DEF Entangle, 4 Charges (-1), OAF (-1) 1u Combat disks: 8d6 EB vs. PD, 2 recoverable charges (-1), OAF (-1) 1u Weakness dart gun: 2 1/2d6 Drain vs Strength, Ranged (+1/2), Not vs. targets with full-coverage rPD (-1/4), OAF (-1), 6 Charges (-3/4) 1u Chemical gun: 1d6 RKA vs. PD, Penetrating (+1/2), AoE: 1 Hex (+1/2), OAF (-1), 6 Charges, continue 1 additional Phase (-1/2) 1u Laser torch: 1 pip RKA vs. ED, 0 END (+1/2), Penetrating x2 (+1), OAF (-1), No Range (-1/2) 1u Ice capsules: 4d6 Minor Transform: Freezes one small object. Heals back as temperature dictates. OAF (-1), 4 Charges (-1) 1u Smoke pellets: 4" radius Darkness to Sight Group, 4 Charges continuing 1 turn (-1/2), OAF (-1) 1u Flash pellets: 3d6 Flash vs. Sight and Smell/Taste Group, OAF (-1), 6 Charges (-3/4) 1u Mini camcorder: Eifetic Memory, Sight/Hearing Only (-1/4), OAF (-1) 1u Rebreather: Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing, 1 Continuing fuel charge lasts 1 hour (-0), OAF (-1) 1u Minibinoculars: +6 vs. Sight Group Range Modifiers, OAF (-1), Concentrate: 1/2 DCV (-1/2) 1u Shotgun Mic: +4 vs. Hearing Group PER Rolls, +8 vs. Hearing Group Range Modifiers, OAF (-1), Concentrate: 1/2 DCV (-1/2) 1u Mini toolkit: +2 w/Criminology, Demolitions, and Security Systems, OAF (-1) 1u Paint Gun: 5d6 Cosmetic Transform: Paints all or part of target. Heals back with thorough scrubbing or vinegar. Partial transform (+1/2), OAF (-1), 4 Charges (-1) 1u Swingline I: 20" Swinging, no NCM (-1/4), OAF (-1). END: 2 1u Swingline II: 14 STR Telekinesis, Affects Whole Object (-1/4), Limited types of manipulation of limited types of objects (-1/4), Range: 20" (-1/4), OAF (-1) 1u Lockpicks: +4 to Lockpicking, OAF (-1) 1u Libra-shaped shuriken: 1d6 RKA vs. PD, Armor Piercing (+1/2), Autofire-3 (+1/4), 9 Recoverable charges (+1/4), Range: 20" (-1/4), OAF (-1) 1u First Aid Kit: +2 to Paramedics, OAF (-1) --- 10 Costume: 5 PD/5ED Armor, OIF (-1/2) 3 Mask I: 5 points Sight Group Flash Defense, OIF (-1/2) 7 Mask II: Nightvision plus UV Perception, both OIF (-1/2) 5 Hooked bracers: +15 STR, Only for Martial Disarm (-1 1/2), OIF (-1/2) END: +1 3 Hooked bracers: +2 DCV with Martial Disarm, OIF (-1/2) Powers Cost: 74 Cost Perk 1 Perk: Law License 1 Perk: Wealth(100k/yr) 2 Contact: Local Police Chief 11- Perks Cost: 4 Cost Skill 2 PS: Attorney/Criminal Law 11- 2 KS: Courtroom Tactics 11- 10 Defense Maneuver IV 5 Rapid Attack (hand-to-hand) 3 Criminology 14- 3 Deduction 14- 3 Demolitions 14- 3 Security Systems 14- 3 Paramedics 14- 3 Shadowing 14- 3 Acrobatics 14- 3 Breakfall 14- 3 Climbing 14- 3 Stealth 14- 3 Lockpicking 14- 1 FAM w/Systems Operation 8- 5 +1 w/Intellect Skills (figured in) 3 Linguist 6 2-pt proficiency with Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Cantonese Chinese So'n Kung Fu/South American Judo Martial Arts Maneuvers: 4 Palm Strike (Martial Strike): 8d6 Strike 5 Choke Hold/Small joint lock: 2 1/2 d6 NND 4 Martial Block: +4 OCV +2 DCV, Abort 4 Martial Disarm/Weapon break: 55 STR Disarm 4 Martial Escape/Reversal: 45 STR Escape 4 +1 DC w/So'n Kung Fu/South American Judo (figured in) 12 +4 levels with Martial Arts maneuvers 2 KS: So'n Kung Fu 11- 2 KS: South American Judo 11- Skills Cost: 107 Total Character Cost: 350 = 107 + 8 + 74 + 161 Val Disadvantages 15 Social Limitation: Secret ID 20 Psychological Limitation: Code vs. Killing 20 Psychological Limitation: Always protects innocent bystanders first, even at his own peril 10 Psychological Limitation: Soft spot for children 15 DNPC: Adopted Daughter 11- 15 DNPC: Law Partner 11- 20 Hunted: Team Villain or Villain Team 11- 15 Hunted: Rogue's Gallery 11- 20 Enraged when children are hurt, threatened, etc 14-/8- Disadvantage Points: 150 Base Points: 200 Experience Required: 0 Total Experience Available: 0 Experience Unspent: 0

Re: Heating it up Hawk God has the physics of it down correctly I think. But you may wish to buy a tiny VPP with the limitation Only Change Environment Heat Effects (-1 1/2) to simulate your ability to do quite a lot of different things by throwing off and sucking up heat.

Re: Megascale Movement, Lightspeed, and Escape Velocity Yep. The most outrageous construction I have ever seen: 1 Bowling for Galactus: 1 pip RKA, OAF Immobile Expendable: Earth (-2 1/2) 1 Charge, Never Recovers (-4). (5 Active, 1 Real) Clearly this is humorous. But at what point does this sort of thing become the realm of humor and fantasy? Probably about the time the Human Torch breaks lightspeed. BTW: Balabanto and I were playing with Megascale on Growth. (It increases your size, but not your mass). You could make someone as large as the Milky Way, and weigh about 440 lbs with just a handful of points. But wouldjawanna?

Re: Entangles that Hurt I think it would be Linked (-3/4), Indirect (+1/4), Continuous, Persistent, Uncontrolled and 0 END (+1, +1/2, +1/2 and +1/2 respectively) on the RKA. The Uncontrolled would end when the character broke out of the Entangle, or when doused with sand or water, or when the RKA did twice the maximum BODY damage (whether applied to the victim's BODY or soaked up by his defenses) that could be rolled on a single instance of the RKA dice. So, like this: Burning Bands of Biharrio 60 Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF 6 plus 32 Killing Attack - Ranged vs. ED 1d6, Indirect (+1/4, always targets the target of the Entangle but does not harm the Entangle), Continuous (+1), Persistent (+1/2), 0 END (+1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2) ends when target breaks Entangle, when doused with sand/water, or when the RKA does twice the maximum BODY damage that could be rolled on a single instance of the RKA dice (whether applied to the victim's BODY or soaked up by his defenses)(56 Active points), Linked (-3/4 Entangle; Lesser Power can only be used when character uses greater Power at full value). The italicized block above are the advantages that you need to apply to the RKA to make sure it keeps burning the victim after you throw it. Almost identical to Sean Waters' excellent construction. This one differs from that one on the value of the Indirect and a few of the other Advantages that are applied. Since the attack is essentially "bands of fire" in this construction, you may wish to apply some various advantages and limitations to the base Entangle, such as Entangle and Character Both Take Damage (+1/4) or Entangle Takes no Damage from Attacks (+1/2), and Vulnerable: Water or Cold powers (-1/2) or Does Not Prohibit the Target's Use of OAFs (-1/2).

Re: Follower/Summon Question Build the Spirit Merged character first; use the stronger of the two characers (mystic or bear) as a Multiform; Give the Multiform character Duplication with the (-0) Lim Cannot Recombine and make the Dupe the third character- the weakest form. If the bear is the weakest character, then you can make it up as a regular Duplication power, and make the special effect of the splitting that the Shaman summons the Bear. Energy Blast can be bought by either of the two characters in the Duplication twinning, with the limitation Must be in the same hex as the other Dupe (-1/2). My suggestion is to buy it as a fractional addition to the Shaman's base EB, and put the limitation on the last few DCs... for instance Shaman's Magic Blast: 8D6 EB vs. ED plus +4D6 EB vs. ED, Must be in the same hex as his Spirit Bear (-1/2). (Active: 40 + 20) (Real: 40 + 13).

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine Turn off your Invisibility.

Re: Who is your Taskmaster?

Re: Who is your Taskmaster?

Re: Who is your Taskmaster? Hehe Granny Goodness' Happiness Home? I want to do Black Bird (and her Four-and-Twenty gang), but who would take seriously a villain obsessed with pie-themed crimes?

Re: in the spirit of christmas! Thank you, Dr. Destiny. It's like fireworks. You know more or less how they are done, but every time you see them, it's magic.