ronpyatt

On page 140, in Volume 1, the following sentence confused me.

 

If the Medic uses an Aid to boost just Winter

Dragon’s Pool (to, say, 60 points, and his Control

Cost to 30 points), the number of Active Points

Winter Dragon can put in any one Power does

not increase — he can still have, at most, 40

Active Points in a Power built with the VPP.

Which appears to contradict this rule:

 

 

No power in a VPP can have an Active
Point cost greater than the Control Cost.

Since 40 is greater than 30, am I missing something obvious here?

As described in Champions Powers, it's a tricked up DEX Drain. The description indicates this power makes the character clumsy and less accurate in attacks.

Is this accurate based on 6th edition rules, because I thought OCV was not affected by DEX?

Re: Healing power beyond re-use limit

Then I must really have a bone to pick with this power.

The arbitrary re-use limit of 1 per Turn is a campaign based limitation and should not be a basic rule for all game worlds. It's not too powerful, as I've see it used in Hero games, and it's worked just fine. Even other gaming systems allow for healing of faster than once per turn where even cumulative healing is allowed. I'm not going to worry about the world ending by introducing an effective healer. Most of the GM's I've gamed with don't even worry about this limit. So, you're right. I should just ignore the rule entirely, as I can imagine a world where such things happen, if if others cannot.

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm attempting to build a character that can heal once per phase (including re-use). What are some of the ways to get around the limit set by the rule "cannot buy healing use more frequently than 1 turn"?

I was thinking of using partially limited scaled dice, 1d6 normal, +1d6 extra phase or maybe using delayed effect, but it's seems clunky.

(6th Edition)

Re: Free Champions Online Weekend!

Go to http://www.champions-online.com/ Click the banner that says "BUY NOW". Go to the Cryptic Store. Pay $39.99us' date=' and pick your payment plan for the monthly charge. Once your card clears (in a minute or so) you can log into the game and play.[/quote']

Thank you for the info.

 

I purchased it, but it's still not working for me. The download just installed the same thing I downloaded this weekend. Looks like there is a support forum. I'll check there.

Re: Free Champions Online Weekend!

I tried it out... I think for about an hour. It's fun. I might like to continue playing now that the freebie weekend is up. However, I'm at a loss as to how to actually take the next step.

When I launch Champions online and get the News, Bloodmoon - Find Out More, and a greyed out Patch pow! with a track-bar that says "No shards found". I'm not sure what that means. I clicked account and logged in. It wants a key (I assume for getting access to the game) or something for the cryptic store.

Is there an easier way to actually get access to Champions Online? I know I'm missing something and feeling like my brain has density increase turned up way too high. The game is fun, but if it's this hard to get to, I'm not sure it's worth the trouble. I could use a big clue like a button that says {To PLAY After The Freebie Click Here}.

Re: From THAC0 to HERO

Very good stuff. Thanks for all the feedback.

I'm not looking to change the system's math or types of rolls. I'm looking for ease of use. With the 11+OCV being constant per character, the other constants such as Half OCV or 0 OCV, should also be pre-calculated with the +11 and sitting on the sheet ready for use. If those pre-calculations have a proper name then all the better. If there are any modifiers that are not constants they can be added on the fly to the Base Attack, which makes it easier as those variables are outside the player's sense of character-self.

I'm looking to introduce the system to new players, and the moment I throw out the To-Hit, I want lights to go off with one of those "AH-HA!" moments and not groans to fill the room.

Something like these Virtual Stats:

Base Attack = 11 + OCV

Half Base = 11 + Half OCV

Un-Prepped = 11 + 0 OCV

With the caveat: Virtual Stats cannot be directly affected by powers.

This is at least until I can get them to know the system enough to find out how it all works... if they want.

Re: From THAC0 to HERO

That 11+OCV really kills it for a lot of players. I've see the same thing happen in D&D when calculating the DC for resisting a spell, where players are constantly repeating, "how do you calculate the DC?" It's better to include the constants like we do with Skill Rolls, because constants are not going to change. No need to keep adding 11 when it's already added into the value.

Re: From THAC0 to HERO

It's not really like THAC0.

 

Personally, I go with the (11+ OCV) - 3d6 = DCV hit formula myself.

Exactly.

I mentioned THAC0 because it represents the terror old D&D players feel when they encounter the HERO System's to-hit formula. I've witnessed it too many times to deny it.

And, yes, I'll be trying the Base Attack - 3d6 = DCV or less method.

Re: From THAC0 to HERO

Flipped Die Rolls

I really like the flipped die rolls method. It's intuitive and familiar, but I want to stick with the HERO convention. Once the players get used to the roll low they'll be in line with the rest of the HERO community. That way, if they go to another HERO game they won't get laughed at.

Re: From THAC0 to HERO

Just use this: 11 + OCV - 3D6 = DCV Hit.

 

You can even write it thusly; assume OCV of 6

Combat Skill = 11 + 6 = 17-

So you have a Combat Skill of 17-.

Yeah, taking out the 11 from the calculation every time is exactly what I'm looking for. Combat Skill (which I will call Base Attack) of (11+OCV)- would work great. It's the opposite of what my players are used to seeing with the defensive value calculated like Armor Class, which was where I was going with Combat Defense, but your suggestion has the advantage of avoiding a negative defense value.

I'll try using this Base Attack value. It still feels a bit clunky, but if I can just get them around that we should be fine.

My group recently starting playing with the HERO system (6E), and I've been teaching them how to play. One of my players recognized the attack roll pattern as too similar to the dreaded THAC0. When I broke out a chart, eyes rolled.

I know there are several methods to presenting the formula, but I'm looking for an easy way to present the values by simplifying the process and removing some element of the formula without relying on a chart.

The number 11 is the only universal constant in this formula. Since I have a lot of players with D&D background, I thought I'd use the 11 to create a pre-calculated Combat Defense number (similar to Pathfinder's CMD or AC), which would be 11-DCV = CD, and making that CD a regular part character sheet. Since the target number would be CD or less, the attacker's to hit would be simply 3d6 - OCV.

Positive modifiers increase the CD, and negative modifiers decrease the CD.

Am I calculating this correctly?

Re: Damage Negation Hi/Low

You could optionally remove the "middle" dice from an attacker's roll for standard DN.

I'm really enjoying the sharp edged effect of the Damage Negation power. Very sweet.

I thought of a variant that might be exciting for rollplay (because I haven't figured out an in-game reason for it, yet): High Damage Negation and Low Damage Negation.

3 DC of Low DN, where the full damage dice are rolled and the lowest 3 damage dice are removed. I know it's a total twink job, but I could have fun with it. I might give it a -1/4 limitation, but I also might give a +1/4 advantage for a 3 DC of High DN, where the highest 3 dice are removed.

I really like the alternate form of desolidification found in the 6E Advanced Players Guide. It makes it easier to create certain special powers that I found to be a bit clunky with standard desolid. I'm thinking of making it a standard power for my games.

Re: And 6e print books start to arrive

Got mine just a few hours ago. Thank you for getting V1 & V2 to me so quickly. Excellent color and condition. The corners are bent (a little mushed in), which I now consider part of their character and appeal. Delivery folks like UPS and USPS always toss their boxes as if nothing were in them.

Re: All Books In Warehouse: APG, Both 6th Ed

I'm only up to page 17, but The Advanced Players Guide rocks! It's making me late for work.

Re: The HERO System Advanced Player's Guide

Will there be a PDF version?

Re: Empathic Seizure

This is fantastic! I think any one of the suggestions might work very well. Thank you all for the input.

How would you build a power that occupies a target by wrapping their mind in their own emotional web, paralyzing them?

I thought of using Entangle, but I didn't want the entangle to have any Mental Defense. Mind Control maybe?

Re: 6E: Astral Blast

Again, though, the question is what mechanics are you using to represent that "extra layered dimension"?

 

If the "extra layered dimension" has several mechanics associated with it, you'll have to make some tough decisions. For example, if temporary visitors to the astral plane use Desolidification, but fully astral beings ("native", or those who can travel through more of that dimension than ordinary visitors, or whatever) are fully in another "dimension" (it takes Extra-Dimensional Movement to get there), you might want some kind of combination of SFX, Transdimensional, and/or Affects Desolidified. Or maybe use Variable Advantages and call it good. Or maybe just hand-wave it. Again, it's a "cosmological" decision that is going to take some thought on the GM's part.

Now that you put it that way, it's easy. The extra layer is, mechanically, both desolid and extra-dimensional. So a Transdimensional Mental Blast should do it.

Thanks!

Re: 6E: Astral Blast

The astral plane is set up as an extra dimension layered on top of physical. Astral travelers, ghosts, astral projectors, and astral seers see the physical world but sort of grayed out. Some astral beings can manifest in the real world to allow others to sense them.

I'm picturing this as a psychic attack and should translate into some kind damage that can kill. The attack would usable the physical plane or from the astral plane.

Trying to build a power that projects a harmful wave of intense astral energy that affects only astrally projected targets and those that are interacting with the astral plane.

I can't decide if it should start off as Mental Blast or use RKA.

What ways could I build a psionic power that teleports a known (or LoS) and willing target to the summoner from anywhere in the world?

Re: Alter Shape

Those are great ideas.

The idea I had for this power was for a psychic (in a Heroic world with Psionics) that could alter his flesh even down to the cellular level, rewiring himself with new features. It's would not be just cosmetic.

However, the resetting of bone and moving tissues would be a very painful and damaging process. Doing it too often would kill him or at least put him in the hospital for a while. The recovery back to normal should take as long as his BODY takes to heal naturally.

He could remake himself back to what he thinks is normal for himself, but again he would take more damage to "change back". (He will most likely befriend a healer of some sort.)

He could change his features into a wide variety of things, but limited to whatever (real world) flesh can be shaped into: claws; hardened or silky skin; fangs; elongated webbed feet. If he were to push his abilities for even more drastic changes, he could move the placement of the eyes in his skull or greatly increase the capacity of his lungs.

He would not have the ability to add mass, though I guess he could increase his mass by altering his metabolism and eating a lot. Then he'd have more flesh to work with.

If I were to use Transform, I'd go with 25% of the Transform damage would also be BODY damage to represent the ruptured tissue. Partial Transform would be a must.

I also thought about using a VPP.