Vanguard

Fear rarely makes logical sense.

I always saw Magneto fighting a defensive war.  Having seen the extremes to which humans will go to destroy those they hate, all too personally, he's determined to make sure that does not happen to his people, no matter what it costs.  In a way he's kind of noble, but he goes about things a bit too heavy handed and is creating enemies more than he protects friends.

So in other words, if it fits it ships!

killer Shrike covered most of it, but it cones down to the bell curve.  When rolling for a Skill check, there is a typical range generated by the results of 3d6.  Your players can expect to roll in this range, and still be concerned about that possible flub and still hold hope of that gkorious perfect success.  
 
If you are inclined to use fumble and critical successes, they still happen on 3d6, but instead of fumbling 5 perxent of the rime (d20), they will only fumble about one-half a percent of the time.  This alows the characters (and by extension, the players) to really be the competent group of highly-skilled adventurers they want to be.  A critical success becones equally as rare, making it something even more special, and therefore more exciting.
 
Skill progression becones more interesting as well, and again, this is because of the bell curve.  Once characters fight there way to 11- or so, each step after that- even a single level, demonstrates a radical leap in ability (owing to the percentage breakdowns of any given result within the curve.  Once the come out of that midrange, they are -demonstrably world-class masters of their skill: a 16 or less means less than a ten percent chance of failure (assuming no penalties are assessed).
 
In regards to damage, the curve works the same way.  It is extremely important when considering this to remember that armor and other defenses are radically different between HERO and the polyhedral game.  In the polyhedral game, better defenses mean the attack misses.
 
In HERO, there no such correlation.  The armor has no bearing on the success of the attack, but does affect how damage is determined.  If a character has an atttack that does 2d6 damage, he can expect to roll somewhere around 7 the bulk of the time.
 
This is not the case with a d12.  Not only can he expect to roll less than 7 about half the he rolls, he can expect to roll a 1 every 12 rolls, which is something he absolutely cannot do on 2d anything.
 
This is important when the GM is trying to balance his games, and it is important when the player is spending his resources.  Both know that defenses at about 10 will mean that a lot of strikes will result in no damage to the character, but it still preserves the fear of mortality by resulting in some,damge from a lot of possible strikes.
 
With a d12, defenses of 10 would make the character nearly invulnerable, meaning he would only take damage one time in six.  If that damage was 1d20, he would take damage haof the time, and a fourth of it would be heavy damage indeed.
 
The d6 bell curve works quite well with the system HERO uses for damage and for skill resolution.  That makes sense, given that the system was designed specifically to take advantage of that curve.  The end result is enough consistency to allow players and gms to determine lumits and levels that make play as light or as deadly as they want it to be and still have a realsitic threat of spectacular success and failure.
 
If you really do want to tinker with the dice, though, I woukd toss out the suggest to try swappibg d6 for d4.  The curve is spectacularly loaded for consistent center-of-the-road results, with the extreme ends being almost eliminated.   It is very remiscent of games that say things like "does 25 damage."
 

 
 
 

While Hero system does not use multiple kinds of dice it is more likely to use multiple dice.  To me there is something satisfying about rolling a whole handful of dice instead of a single dice with more sides.  If you are using normal attacks instead of killing attacks you get to roll even more dice.  In Pathfinder about the only characters that get to roll handful of dice are spell casters.  
 
Rolling few dice with a higher number of sides will definitely have a major impact on the game.  Hero system is actually pretty well balanced because extreme results are a lot less common.  But at the same time when you do get maximum damage the results are usually a lot more dramatic.  In Pathfinder the majority of the damage comes from static bonuses, not the dice.  When you have a +30 to damage the difference between a d6 and a d12 is insignificant.  In Pathfinder the better weapons are usually not those that do the most damage.  A higher critical range or multiplier is often more effective than a larger dice.   
 
The other thing about Pathfinder is that the damage is completely different.  The amount of damage a character can sustain in Pathfinder goes up dramatically as the characters level up. This is not the case in the Hero System.  While your Body and Stun may go up as you gain experience it does not come close to the difference between a 1st level character and a 12th level character in Pathfinder.  In the Hero system you often have characters whose Body and Stun never go up.   
 

Why am I not surprised?
 
Everyone else is bowing and scraping to the SJW and PC Police (which are, apparently, the only police that are allowed to exist now).
 
Well as mentioned, at least there's still the older material for those of us that don't actively seek "injustice" in everything we look at.
 

The distinction between, "efficient character building" and, "powergaming" can be pretty fine. I consider powergaming to be exploiting the rules to create a character more combat-effective than the campaign guidelines would normally allow.

Yeah I think there's a happy medium between the 9 skills in 2nd edition and 475 variations of Survival available now.  Its nice to have the option if you're playing Science Hero, but doesn't need to be assumed as part of the main ruleset.

Speaking of hidden rolls, my older son ran a short Basic Fantasy Dungeon crawl. And I saw somewhere that back in the day the DM would roll the thief’s skill on the account that you would think you disabled the trap but that may not be the case.  Anyways since I was running a thief I said let’s try it this way. Well it was fun and I even survived falling in the pit trap! 😂 I called that character the bungler instead of burglar. 

Players make their rolls and the GM makes their rolls.
 
When I GM, if we have new players at the table, either new to roleplaying or new to the game system, then I usually have all rolls made on the table with each person rolling, including myself, explaining the roll and how I, or they, calculated it. 
 
If I am playing with experienced players or players that have gotten the hang of things, then I only ask the players for the results and as GM I do a lot of hidden rolls.  I run a LOT of games that have mystery/investigative themes which means that there are events/rolls that the players cannot know about if those plots are to be preserved and lead on to the big reveals.  A whodunit is not a whodunit if you read the last page first.
 
For the die rolls themselves.
 
If a player is actually cheating as in they are not making a mistake or misunderstood some game mechanic, but are actually rolling one thing and claiming another.   Then why am i bothering to play with them?  I'll be courteous,  but once you have cheated in my game, I'll never invite you back.  And if the rest of the table insists, I will just walk away from the game all together.  I've done it in the past and do not see myself changing in the future.
 
If a player distrusts me enough that they cannot trust me to roll a set of dice or run a game even evenhandedly, then they don't trust me.  Since they don't trust me, why are they in my game?  I am up front in the kind of games I run and what the intended feel and rule restrictions the game will have.  You have a choice, play or sit this one out.   If not enough players like what I have planned, I am more than glad to be a player instead.  If no one else is ready to run I have no problem building a different adventure.  
 
But an RPG game is a game not a forced participation with guards. 
You don't like the way I run, don't play.  It really isn't going to darken my world.
 
I love to create stories that allow the players to solve mysteries, resolve ancient curses and be heroic.  If you know the answer from the beginning it is not a mystery. 
I tend to use die rolls for NPC decisions, will they A or will they B.
I have loose event flow charts that incorporate some random results such as "how long until the Thieves Guild becomes aware of X?" 
These are secret rolls that can directly impact the entire game and no, I am not going to trash an entire plot line because one player had a crappy GM in the past. I have had hundreds of very crappy players in the last 30 years and I don't treat every player at my table as crap because of that. 
RPG's are game and you play or run them as a choice for entertainment. 
 
If you don't like the way I run my games, then don't play them.  I mean seriously why would anyone subject themselves to that?  Playing something they don't like. 
 
I have a friend that is a seriously good GM, but I do not play in his games and vice versa.  Why?  While we can talk for hours about gaming and have a lot of common beliefs, his games have a lot of PvP intrigue and backstabbing.  He and his players love the White Wolf betray everyone games.  I don't.  I love games that actually have good guys.  But I am straying from point.
 
Yes, as GM I frequently make hidden rolls especially if the die roll could reveal something that is hidden.  I never put in a threat of obstacle that is beyond the players abilities.  There is always a way.  I tell new players that at the beginning, there will always be a way.  Just because you cant knock it down by force doesn't mean there isn't a way around.  I also do not make people roll for every skill.   Just asking the question is enough for me to reveal a clue, especially one that the PC would know.  The player may not have that knowledge, but the PC they are playing does.
 
But a player having an issue with me making hidden die rolls in a game that I am running?  That is not my problem, it is theirs. 
If that means that particular game doesn't happen, well that is life.

I don't disagree at all.
 
My 60 points of Energy Blast should be about as powerful/useful as your 60 points of random skills, sciences, Knowledges, and modest amount of Martial Arts. 
 
But how many GM's successfully makes my 60 points about as powerful/useful as your 60 points?

Just realized no one answered this. 
KS does have a process and generally you can get your money back.  You do not pay in until they project actually funds, and then you automatically get it back if the project does not actually get the pledged funds.  You would be surprised (or maybe not) how many people pledge and then do not actually pay. 
 
But once the KS is funded and underway many of them run long, especially if it is someones first time KS project.  There is more to creating and fulfilling a project than most people realize.   I have seen projects delayed months for veteran game makers due to circumstances they were unaware of or simple had no control of.  
 
For the main part I have backed 116 and have only seen eight fail to be delivered, with at least 20+ being late, sometimes very late.   Three of which they are trying to complete and deliver even if late, they have issued refunds to all that requested it, I have chosen to wait for the product.  Two I received a full refund for.  One where the author/maker passed away and two where the creators simply disappeared. 
 
I have found that for the most part KS creators are honest hardworking folks that want to bring their vision to life.  Unfortunately, the task is sometimes greater than they anticipated and it takes far more time that they thought it would to deliver it. 
 
I generally wait it out and have found some makers follow on projects become exceptional through the experience.
 
 

And also out of a concern about @Steve Longhealth & well being.

I think it's important for everyone (maybe Steve Long most of all) to consider just how unusual that Q&A Forum is.  I don't believe that even the biggest players, like D&D or Pathfinder, make their top staff available to answer any and every rules question someone wants to post.  Those games have a lot more resources backing them than Hero does.
 
This is not "something Hero has to do to be in the game", it is a value-added which exceeds the norm - maybe someone else is aware of some other games that do this, but I doubt there are many, even if there are some.
 
It was only notable by its absence because we have been spoiled by its presence.

Sorry about the delays, folks. Partly it relates to some health matters and other real life causes for delay, partly it relates to me being lazy, partly it relates to what Hugh pointed out -- since I don't work full time for Hero/DOJ anymore, sometimes other things ambush me and take priority. But I'm working out some things, and Jason and I have figured out an arrangement that will give me the ability to answer rules questions on a regular basis. First I will have to clear out the backlog and delete all responses from other people, but that's what I get for taking so long.

Apparently died after 4 year battle with colon cancer. Damn, great young actor lost.

Why is this a physical lim and not a psychological one?

For me it was a lot of gritty, war gamer, paramilitary mercenaries, versus drug cartels, and Marxist guerillas, in Fictitious foreign countries. The games were essentially 80’s and 90’s action movies, with strong tactical element. And at the time in the 80’s and 90’s, the games started as Danger International games with the occasional weird pulp element or talent. The players were a number of prior service, law enforcement, and cold warriors looking to lay a game with looser rules of engagement, and clear goals. Role play was strong, but combat was careful, as it was a heroic level game. But it usually proceeded like the movies it was inspired by, with a lot of explosions at the finale. This may not be precisely your cup of tea, but it was fun.
 
Suggestions from this, is that you need strong role play at the start, to give the upcoming conflict a strong emotional context so the players are deeply invested. Sympathetic NPCs, really despicable villains, and clear stakes help. Combat in these situations can be wildly unpredictable. As a GM, plan the villain’s forces intelligently for the opposition they expect. This might require a bit of research into real world analogues for your fictional forces , but will give them a firm base as to what they capabilities and equipment are, and give idea and flavor to the players. A Toyota Hillux with a 12.7mm DShK, and a T-55 tank present two levels of opposition to the players. The key is for the players to plan something unexpected, then game it out. Miniatures on a mat will help. This sort of thing is very poor for theater of the mind style play, as distances, cover, facing, and fields of fire, become very important for player decisions and actions. The consequences of poor decisions could be fatal, and giving the characters good situational awareness will keep them thinking and involved.  As this is generally a heroic level game with plentiful mil spec weapons, chances of death are high, so warn the players ahead of time, that character death is a possibility. Don’t fudge the die rolls if you can help it, as this can ratchet up the tension up quite a bit. Open rolls during combats, and saving hidden rolls for non combat or unseen actions in the background also help the tension. But a caution Is that some players do not enjoy a high level of tension. Know your players. If a character goes down during combat, hand them Mooks, and enemies to control. It keeps everyone involved, lowers the amount of work the GM needs to do, and may add some variety to the opposition. Keep the goals clear, and never plan the scenario to be completed in only one way. The usual way these scenarios are approached are, direct guns blazing, stealth, indirect through persuasion (“Let’s you and him fight!), or some way that seems plausible that you didn’t think of. Say the group doesn’t have any resources to smuggle their weapons into this exotic, foreign land, but all of them are trained and deadly martial artists, each a master of a different art?  This gives the adventure a very different flavor than if the group were made up of CIA special operators. Same set up. Different protagonists.
 
Now, this may not entirely be the flavor you are looking for, but it’s a good formula for running a convention game. Hopefully these suggestions are helpful. 

No problem. I don’t mind sharing foibles from my gaming experience. As I tell them at work, if I show you something it’s because I’ve done it and wrong too. 😁 

That.
 
The entire system is based on a complete divorce of Special Effects from Mechanics.  Limitations are _Mechanics_.  If you or your player want the power to have an actual drawback or weakness of some kind, figure out what that Limitation is, how it is or potentially is problematic during game play, and apply it.  Take your discount and do as you will with it.
 
Just because it looks like energy shields does _not_ mean that it is inherently inferior to any other build.  Just because it's _visible_ doesn't mean it has an inherent flaw or drawback.  In my time, I have seen precious few Energy Blast builds that weren't visible.  No one expected any sort discount for it.  By the rules, _every_ power has be to detectable by default unless the player _pays extra_ for it not to be detectable.  So yours is detectable in a less-common fashion.  So what?  It had to be _something_, or it would cost extra.
 
 
 
Those, too.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The HERO System died --- yeah, I know: a lot of us still use it, but make a hard search at hobby shops and conventions.  It's dead.  We're all hardcore necromancers who love it too much to let it go.
 
 
The HERO System died, ultimately, because too many people could not buy the core concept that special effects and mechanics are two totally separate things.  Ultimately, the disagreements over the need or value of one related to the other even wedged up the fan base pretty badly.
 
Don't get me wrong:  I _totally_ get the idea of taking a Limitation because it's appropriate to the concept.  However, absolutely nothing in the core rules mandates that you have to take one, just because it fits your concept.  You can have a concept-- like light-up energy shields, or "lands at the very end of the Phase" or whatever-- and it works just like you say it does, even if you _don't_ take the Limitation.  I am willing to bet that most of us would take the Limitation because it _fits_ the concept.  However, they do not _define_ the conception:  the player does that.  Then he can opt to take appropriate Limitations that work with his conception.
 
 

Hero Designer is character generation software.  And that's it.  It has all the core rules for character generation but that's it. (See GB(i)'s post for clarification.  This statement could've been really, really confusing and I didn't notice that until just now)
 
The Downloads/Store section should give you some screenshots of the HD interface and some of the user uploaded export templates usually have the preview screen shots as well.
 
Again, I believe Hero Designer is worth the investment if you're planning on running a game.

For me this falls into the area of plot device.

It might be useful to look at the problem from the other end - what, "attacks" has the Earth survived? The biggest one coming to mind is the Chicxulb Impact. This was estimated at between 10^24 and 5*10^25 joules, which works out to  86 DC (if I've done the math right). While that devastated the biosphere, it wasn't even close to enough to destroy the planet.

In the 5e rules (p. 448) I found that a hex of stone is 19 Body, and a hex of dirt is 10. I went to 15, also considering that the core is pretty dense.
 
The volume of the Earth is 1,097,509,500,000,000,000,000 cubic meters
 
A hex of dirt is 2mX2mX2m so 8 cubic meters.
 
When I divide 1,097,509,500,000,000,000,000 cubic meters by 8, I get 
137188687500000000000
 
(I divided the volume in meters cubed by 8 meters cubed to figure out how many square hexes are in the Earth.)
 
137188687500000000000  X  15 = 2,057,830,312,500,000,000,000 Body
 
(Solo was right!)
 
But don't forget you'll have to subtract the Def first (4 or 5?). 😝
 
PS: But when you think of it, how much Body do the humans alone have when you add it up? When you think of that...

OK, I want to get this out there so I can stop thinking about it before bed.
 
One cubic meter of stone has 19 BODY. Assume that doubling the volume adds 5 BODY. Earth has a volume of ~10^21 cubic meters. That is about 70 doublings, which gives us 369 BODY for Earth.
 
Figuring out how much Damage Negation Earth has is left as an exercise for the reader.