Trebuchet
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Posts posted by Trebuchet
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Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #6: Defense Powers
Looks like another winner.
If you guys aren't careful, I'll end up being the only player in my group to be using 6E.
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Re: Female/Male Super-Forms
I'm male and I've been playing a female character in our group for 16+ years. Far from causing "strange relationship fulfillment issues", it's become a way for me to get closer to my longtime girlfriend. Trying to understand things from the female point of view so I could roleplay my character better, I often discussed things with my GF that we'd never have talked about otherwise.It's funny, I've never had a concern when a female player wants to play a male character (Vampire protective male; guess which movie everyone went to go see
).I wonder if there's some sort of strange relationship fulfillment issue when players play the opposite sex...
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Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far
In terms of selecting some sort of magic-user class in a class based system I'm not sure what concept would call for it' date=' either. But I could think of a wizard who, depending how magic worked, had lost the ability to cast spells for whatever reason (call it an unusual handicap) but still had the arcane knowledge, ability to read scrolls, use arcane items only wizards understand, and be the overall loremaster / indiana jones character. You could build that with other "classes" in some systems, or simply do it however you wanted in systems without classes, but I'm sure, beyond what I just proposed, there are some good concepts a creative player could come up with for a "wizard without spells."[/quote']I ran a character like that, Old Thom the Sage, in my very first Fantasy Hero campaign. Thom carried a staff, had a long white beard, and looked the very archetype of a mage. Unfortunately he had no magic beyond being tougher (read: harder to kill) than he looked and possessing a minor bit of inherent Regeneration. What he did have was a deep scholarly education in a variety of topics, fluency in a dozen languages including High Demonic, a devious mind, and a ruthlessness belied by his genial personality. Despite being almost useless in combat (he could barely defend himself), Old Thom was one of the party's most important members. He was always useful, either from some arcane bit of lore or simply his ability to speak Dwarvish, Elven, or Latin when no one else in the group did.You couldn't realistically build a sage character in AD&D. Old Thom was the character that convinced me Fantasy Hero was a better game system than AD&D for my style of play; and I never looked back.
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Re: Justifying Playable SPD
A phase is an opportunity to totally change strategy' date=' to adapt to new information and events. Firefighers, Surgeons and other highly trained individuals need this ability because things come up. Whether such individuals are simply faster than normal by nature, or whether training induces such increase in speed is debatable.[/quote']Probably a combination of both IRL, but it's a moot question, really. SPD is simply how such factors are represented in Hero. -
Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #4: Deflection, Reflection, And Range
I've always viewed Block and Dodge as active or passive maneuvers respectively. IOW, Block means you do something active to intercept or counter the attack whereas Dodge means you just get the heck out of the way. Maybe we should have named Dodge "Evade" and Block "Counter."It seems reasonable that a Teleporter could "Block" by making a short-hop T Port so the attack doesn't connect with him. Random T Ports as an SFX for Dodge seems reasonable - it's harder for any incoming attack to connect. Avoidance of an attack he knows is coming seems more like Block to me.Given that, "erratic movement to make it difficult for anyone to draw a bead on me" as a Dodge and "watching for incoming attacks and ducking out of the way at the last second" as a Block also seem perfectly reasonable.
If Dodge were called "evasive maneuvers", being the first description, and the description for the Block maneuver included the above, as well as catching his hand with your fist or interposing some convenient object or scenery between you and your attacker so he doesn't connect, were all labelled as "dodge" with the exact same mechanics we currently have for "block", we wouldn't even be debating the subject.
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Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #4: Deflection, Reflection, And Range
Blocking a sword is a little different than blocking a missile because you can step inside your attacker's reach and block the arm rather than the blade. For that the -2 modifier is apropos. But catching the blade between your palms without being cut...? That's a cinematic shtick rooted in character concept. It would require greater penalties. A character who could do that should probably be required to purchase penalty skill levels with an assigned special effect to represent such ability. The closest approximation for missiles is that you can use some sort of apropos object for cover (shield' date=' metal plate, mirror). But catching arrows and spears (or bullets) in flight? That, again, is cinematic shtick rooted in character concept. Not everyone should be able to do it off the cuff, which this rule essentially allows. As a GM I'd require the PSLs and a concept based explanation for feats beyond using an object to block incoming attacks.[/quote']Obviously we haven't seen the numbers yet, but I suspect blocking ranged attacks in 6E is going to be pretty much like blocking HtH attacks in 5ER: Sometimes it's the best maneuver you can do; other times you'd be better off Dodging or Diving for cover.Whether it's possible or justifiable for an individual character is going to be largely dependent on the genre and the character concept. Even without a light saber Darth Vader seemed to block Han Solo's blaster bolts pretty well in The Empire Strikes Back.
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Re: New to Champions.
Welcome to Hero! Deliberately breaking limbs would be unusual in most Golden Age or Silver Age (often called Four Color) Champions campaigns; less so in Bronze Age or Iron Age games. It all depends on what feel you want for your game.This is something that i had noticed on my own. there seem to be A Lot of little trivial rules in the system, but it doesn't seem like it would throw off balance to just throw them out the window.i'll tell you though the more i read the more i like. i just read the rules about breaking limbs...
...Awesome!!!
just knowing that there are rule to govern it is great.
being that the last character i played in a superhero game was a brick whose fighting style was pankration wrestling "greco roman wrestling" i love the idea that i could break some arms.
Just be aware that rules like breaking limbs and wounding are entirely optional in Hero and won't be used in all campaigns. They can also significantly slow down combat; especially if several optional rules are used.
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Re: An Opportunity For Self-Improvement
I see your point, but I don't think it's as clear cut a decision for the character here.Ah, but that's the rub, isn't it? As a player, you don't want to mess up the balance of the campaign. But as a character ...I have to say, most of my characters would rebuild themselves in as overpowered a way as they could. For those who are idealistic, they want the power to fix everything. For those who'd rather be fishing, they might do just that (get the power to summon something potent enough to protect the world/country/town in their stead, and retire).
First, the OP states the points have to come out the same. That probably prevents rebuild to godlike power levels all by itself. One does not build a god on 460 CP.
Secondly, any increase in points has to be counterbalanced with a corresponding decrease elsewhere. What is it that gets the axe? To increase damage, should she cut the DEX or SPD or something else? An obvious possibility is dropping Skills bought to represent her hobbies such as PS: Chess Player or Riding, but why would she want to eliminate the very things she enjoys most?
Thirdly, Zl'f is a member of a team and fills her niche on that team quite well. Were she operating as a solo character things might be different, but why duplicate what other characters on that team already do better? One of her team's greatest strengths is the broad assortment of capabilities possessed among the members. If Ability A doesn't solve the problem, then Ability B might. Or maybe A + B or C + D + E or C + Q, or whatever. Sure, she could up her DEX to 45 or even beyond but that's really pointless; she's already the most agile person in our campaign. She could add a couple more dice of damage or a bit more defenses, but she's not going to reach the damage or defenses our brick or blaster have anyway so it seems foolish not to focus on her own strengths (as she has).
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Re: An Opportunity For Self-Improvement
Seriously, at this point in her career Zl'f has 160 XP. I've had plenty of time and opportunity to rebuild her to taste. I can see buying down a couple of her Disads, but simple point redistribution to "improve" her? Not really. She's already as powerful as I want both offensively and defensively; I've been trying to build up her non-combat Skills for a couple years now.
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Re: An Opportunity For Self-Improvement
Well, Zl'f has an INT 18 and Speed Reading x10, so that's probably not a major issue. The real problem is: After she's read it, where does she go to ask questions of the game designer? Is there a convenient forum where she can ask the opinions and experiences of other characters?The biggest problem I see is...how many people would be able to read all through the rules and understand them well enough to make intelligent choices, in only 24 hrs?
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Re: An Opportunity For Self-Improvement
In games I GM at least' date=' I'd just allow them to be defined as 0-point "supporting cast" provided they didn't have abilities that take them too far into Contact or Follower territory. So as long as there's some mention of them somewhere in the flavor text, shouldn't be any worries there.[/quote'] Sure, but my character wouldn't know that. Given that she thought she was an orphan for 3 years before discovering her father was alive (and he's not a DNPC nor does she get any Disadvantage Points for him either even now although he's been involved in two adventures) she's not about to take chances fiddling with her character sheet. Best just leave well enough alone. -
Re: An Opportunity For Self-Improvement
Zl'f: She'd give serious consideration to removing the Norwegian family she lives with (and who have become family to her) as DNPCs to keep them safe, but she'd quickly realize that would risk them being removed from her life entirely and there's no way she'd be willing to do that. Besides, a recent adventure where her foster-sister was kidnapped illustrated that even that wouldn't make them safe: only the fact Zl'f was her foster-sister saved the girl from a horrible fate. It's not every missing girl that ends up having two superheroes - one a detective; the other a very determined sister - come looking for them.
Ultimately, Zl'f probably wouldn't change a thing although she wouldn't mind being a bit taller and curvier.
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Re: WWYCD: HE is not himself.
A spectacular plot twist for a character with full cooperation between the GM and player is a different thing. As long as the player has major input, I see no reason not to allow such things. Think of it as a John Byrne-like depowering of Superman. It's all right as long as the player is OK with it and knows it's coming.OK, to get over the onforseen beating myself with a stick hurdle.I have ran Patriot since march of 1991.
Back then there was a different GM
I am running the show currently, but My time is nearly up (not by a vote or anything, but I have less and less time these days) .
No GM in there right mind would let me run Patriot, as is, he could fight Superman to a stand still.
I love the character , and my final plot will be the most hideous Luther Black/DEMON scenario in the demon source book with this retcon woven in so (when) if someone else decides to run the game, There might be a chance that I can run him once again.
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Re: WWYCD: HE is not himself.
Because in essence I'd have been playing someone else's character. That might be acceptable for a few sessions (say running a doppelganger in cooperation with the GM)' date=' [i']15 years[/i] is 5 times as long as the average Champions campaign lasts. IMO such a stunt indicates a desire by the GM to screw with a particular player in a very nasty and mean-spirited way. Either the GM doesn't want me or my PC playing in his campaign. And he'd get his wish because he'd have neither once I found out.Mind if I ask why?This is no different than when 20 years ago a new female PC of mine was raped (literally) on her first adventure because the GM wanted to see what he could get away with. I picked up my books and dice, walked out, and never played with that GM again. It's an abuse of the player, not the character.
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Re: WWYCD: HE is not himself.
Step 1) Locate large blunt object.
Step 2) Pummel GM repeatedly with said object.
If something like this was done to one of my PCs without my knowledge, it would be grounds for instantly quiting the campaign. (And yes, I've got a character who has been in play long enough for this scenario; I've been playing Zl'f - albeit originally under a different name - since 1992).
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Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #3: Area Of Effect And Damage Shield
The new 6E DS sounds far better than the version from 5th; although I want to see full details. The AoE: Surface is absolutely brilliant. Kudos to GamePhil for coming up with the idea and to Steve Long for recognizing it as a good idea.
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Re: Justifying Playable SPD
You didn't reduce granularity, you reduced SPD inflation. They're not the same thing. It's not all about SPD; other factors play a major part. Our fastest character has only 2.25 times as many Phases as our slowest (SPD 9 vs SPD 4), but she also has only 37.5% of the defenses and does only 67% as much damage. The slowest character will take 0 damage (BODY or STUN) from an attack that will Stun the fastest.The tendency to favour the "One less than a multiple of three" DEX scores that many players (including myself for several years) have reduces granularity. I suppose that may be one of the actual advantages of the "decoupling" in 6e.Losing granularity in SPD was a good thing for our group. When the fastest character had three actions to every one action of the slowest (and had 2.4 times as many actions as most characters) game play was skewed, spending a lot of time on one player. Going from 4-8 from 4-12 (making most 5s 4s, most 6s and 7s 5s, etc.) we didn't lose that much granularity... there weren't that many characters in the 8-12 SPD range. The speedster still seemed fast because he was going twice as often, but was less dominating.
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Re: Justifying Playable SPD
It's easy enough to drop a SPD or two' date=' and say 9 or 10 DEX, across the board, if desired.[/quote']I've never seen any need to do so because IMO making SPD and/or DEX arbitrarily lower simply reduces granularity. -
Re: Justifying Playable SPD
Exactly right. It's not important what the raw SPD numbers are; what is relevant is each character's SPD compared to the other characters within that particular campaign. Even that is subjective; a lower SPD character might well accomplish more in those Phases because he has faster movement, better defenses, and/or larger attacks.The absolutes of the game system are the 3d6 bell curve and the 12 segment SPD chart.(Assuming you're playing the rules as written)
Therefore, the context of your game is the only thing that determines what is playable and what isn't.
There is almost no difference between a game where SPD ranges from 2-4 and one where the SPD ranges from 4-8. The high end SPD characters will get two actions for each low end SPD character's action. The only difference is how much falling happens relative to your SPD and when you get your post-12 recoveries.
Likewise, there is virtually no difference between a game where DEX ranges from 10-20 and one where it ranges from 25-35. A 4 point difference in CVs is the same whether its between 3 and 7 or 8 and 12. The only difference is in raw DEX rolls and as a consequence some skill rolls.
As you may recall, I run a SPD 9 character in a campaign with an average SPD of 5. In our last session during a fight lasting 2 full Turns she was knocked unconscious 3 times, Aborted to a defensive maneuver 4 times, and took 2 in-Turn Recoveries. That's 9 actions, or 50% of her total actions, during those two Turns. Our SPD 4 team brick had 8 full actions during the same period; two of which took down an opponent.
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How would you build a guy with a laser designator guiding in smart bombs or missiles?
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Has anyone got a link to some hdc files of light or medium mecha (or if you could post them here?
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Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #1: ACV And AVAD
I know you likely have a much better idea on how 6E will work, but there's no reason that reducing Characteristics automatically implies selling them. It could be that if one needs a number to be lower, one simply lowers it with no corresponding point refund. So if pirate captain's parrot needs 1 BODY, you simply give him 1 BODY.It'd make it harder to model a whole lot of things - especially animals in the bestiary.I'd see no reason why it'd be made harder (i.e. require GM Permission) to sell back your pirate captains parrot's Characteristics.
I know that's probably wrong, but I feel like being argumentative today.
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Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #1: ACV And AVAD
Low powered normals (say in the -25 to +25 point range) often have to sell back at least one Characteristic to have a viable character' date=' and some GMs like to put their games there to start with. It can be damn fun to try to squeak by playing teens or children or goblins who don't have enough growth or experience to take anything for granted. Try it some time.[/quote']I'm well aware of how it works in earlier versions. My question was if we had any confirmation that 6E actually permits selling back Characteristics. As I noted upthread, without Figured Characteristics there's going to be a lot less probability of having "excess" Characteristics in the first place; much less needing a mechanism to sell them back. -
Re: Holding the end of the world
Zl'f: Holds it as long as she can, says goodbye to her loved ones, and takes it into another (unihabited) star system before letting it go. Hopefully the team's starship is fast enough to get her out of the event horizon.When fighting a magic-based supervillian, he/she activates a known 'doomsday device' type magic item... a crystal that when it 'detonates', destroys everything within a planetary radius... and un-weaves it from reality: destroying people's 'souls' and destroying all version of those people or objects on all dimensions/time lines.Shortly before the object detonates, your character manages to get his/her hands on it and... it stops. It continues to glow and hum, but is no longer brightening. After defeating the villain, scientific or magical information gathering reveals that the item reacted to your powers/life essence/whatever to stop the dimensional breakdown, but only as long as you are in contact with it. No one is sure, but it is suspected that it will blow moments after you release it... perhaps instantly.
You now hold the fate of several realities worth of worlds in your hand... and you can't likely hold this thing for the rest of eternity. WWYCD?
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Female/Male Super-Forms
in Champions
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Re: Female/Male Super-Forms
SimComm, have you ever read the webcomic Valkyrie Yuuki? It has a protagonist who finds himself/herself in a similar situation, and beyond being enormously entertaining might also be something you can mine for ideas.
http://www.sgvy.com/archives/Edda1/Cover.html