Publius

Re: Super Human Registration Act in 5th ed Not to beat a dead horse or anything, because the thread title was Registration in the 5th edition specifically, I thought it was taken for granted that the law was (as Champions Universe puts it) "toothless". There are two reasons given in that book: (1) it would be unpopular to go after popular heroes and (2) American interests would be weakened by aggressive enforcement. Often registration is the price of getting government Sanction. (CU, 35). Sounds like Option 'B' in the CU unless I am misreading your options Oddhat.

Re: Super Human Registration Act in 5th ed I agree that those with the "Patriot" advantage should either register or have a very good reason not to (like "flag not Administration" or somesuch) Also similar disadvantages and the like should be registered (like truthfulness). Hey, if nothing else it will count as another disadvantage right? Maybe even two, a Watched by Government and a Social Disadvantage as a Registered Superhuman. As to the Act itself, I have to say that it is something that the non-powered humans would find very attractive for some of the reasons which Powerhouse mentioned. There has to be a great resevoir of jealousy and frustration (societal inferiority complex) which would make the Act a political bonanza for a deft demogouge (I meant "politician" of course). In periods of crisis some weird legislation gets attention and sometimes even passes, not because it is sensible but because it is popular (and those two things are oiften light years apart from one another). Look at some of the laws we have now, some of the pracitces of government -- and I think this is true whether you agree or not. Without a 9-11 event (and similar attempts were made under the last Administration after Oklahoma City) they would have been improbable if not impossible. As to the laws feasibility, that really has nothing to do with passage. There are plenty of laws which have been passed which are unfeasible, unworkable or just plain bad ideas. The fact of the matter is that the 5e version of the SHRA takes that into account and as GMs we can choose to work it in or not as needed. Personally, I'd use it as a plot device. Captured criminals of course go on the list, as do captured heroes who are vigillantes. I think that it can be mined for story ideas, whether to accomdate like Chimpira's example or to threaten. A former vigillante who has done their time and been registered (forcibly) and thus has a more-or-less Public ID would be an interesting character to play.

Re: Champions PBEM seeking players I know you gave an email addy for further info, but I had a question or two off the top of my head I thought I'd ask first: Is this in the champs universe? Lots of players already, do you work the games with all 8 characters? As in, are all active at once or do some players chime in on some emergency situations without the others?

Re: Scooby-Doo Cthulhu The thought that crossed my mind upon reading the threat title was "Jinkies Scoob, like what's that tentacle growin' outta your back for?"

Re: How to handle Western Hero Duels/Showdowns What about the old notion that it isn't the fastest gun but the coolest hand that wins a gunfight? Never having been in a gunfight, I could not say from personal experience, but I've heard this old saw enough in Westerns (which of course isn't always historically accurate, but is the basis of the genre for Western HERO). I like the idea of trading OCV for DEX, but what about switching that to an Ego roll, modified accordingly, to get off the shot without the penalty maybe? Or how about this: The Gamemaster starts counting down (or up depending on how you think of it) negatives. -1.... -2... -3... -4... Step One: A Game of chicken. The first one to draw (by saying something like 'Draw!') applies whatever number they are on to their Fast Draw (or Dex-2) roll to see if they can get the shot off first. If they make the roll, they go first. The one that waited them out gets to make a Fast draw check as well, using half of that penalty (i.e. if the GM was down to -4 they would only be at -2). If both fail, they go at the same time. Step Two: Cooler Hands Prevail (maybe) Then the EGO check to see how Cool he stays thus keeping his aim steady, the guy that went first makes an EGO check with the minus that he went on. If the first guy blows the roll, he takes the full penalty (whatever number the GM was on when they said 'Draw!') from his OCV. The guy that went second also makes an EGo check with the minus that the action starts with, but if he fails he only gets half the Penalty. (i.e. they went on -4, he makes an EGO check with a -4 penalty but if he blows it only gets a -2 OCV) Step Three: Gunsmoke Abundant Fire in the appropriate order, making certain that you apply the range and all other modifiers. Variant: If one of them is shot but not stunned, allow them to fire at a -4 (or whatever you deem appropriate having just been shot).

Re: Populations and Genetics

Re: Populations and Genetics True, but once again I'm not saying that this is going to give them the edge in the evolution race, just screw up efforts to figure out exact numbers using traditional methods of calculating population. And you are entirely right that the problem isn't as significant overall in the early 2000s but it would get a lot harder to figure as time went on. My solution: Fudge factor it. Model it out such that it makes sense to you, then cut the number down by half. Rather than have a specific %, you may want to redesign it in terms of how many children the superhumans will have in a given timeframe. That might make it easier to figure out. Maybe the following will demonstrate what I mean by the problem of normal population calculations being thrown off. A normal human, trying to have children could, without monetary, health or other considerations, have about 10 kids in a 20 year period. (Is this fact? Heck I dunno, sounds about right since my brother has done half that in half the time. The point is that you start with a baseline figure that is high, but seems about right) Per 20 years... posthuman/human= .5 hybrids (5% normal success rate) posthuman/hybrid=posthuman .1 posthumans(1% normal success rate) hybrid/hybrid=posthuman 1 posthumans (10% normal success rate) hybrid/human=hybrid 2.5 hybrids (25% normal success rate) I have put that onto a spreadsheet (attached). I am no math whiz, nor am I a population specialist. The numbers I'm generating here are for demontstration purposes only. However, those numbers do tell and interesting story about how fast this sort of ageless (and near ageless) population can grow because of continued fertility (even at the drastically reduced rate). I make some very unrealistic assumptions in the chart, like the fact that half are going for as many kids as possible the others are not and that sort of thing. Remember, I'm just pushing stuff around. The second chart shown adds fatality numbers that I just throw in. These numbers reduce the 2017 totals by a goodly number, but not a drastic change. The last chart in the sheet then takes fertility advancement into account (artificial insemination, harvesting etc.) just by pushing the existing numbers around but it has a pretty dramatic impact on the population numbers (taken on the chart out to 2017). Foir example, this change produces a difference of 7000 adult hybrids by 2006, this differecne alone is almost half again the number without said consideration.

Re: WWYD if you could recieve ONE super power Shape shift (all senses, 0 END persistant or inherent) It would help so much in... Getting money: "Are you sure you would you like us to give that to you that in cash Mr. Gates?" Getting chicks: "Wow, you're like my favorite (film/rock/porn) star, of course I'll <1.2 Meg deleted for sake of decency> for you." Getting thin: "You look taller..." Longevity would be really nice (and runner up for second power) but it doesn't help my cash outlay, my looks or my weight directly. Mind Control would accomplish everything but the last but its just kind of... mean. Flight wouldn't get me any of the above.

Re: Populations and Genetics I agree that this fact alone isn't going to make the difference given the vast population of mundanes that are well-outnumbering the immortals and the near-immortals and pumping out population at a much higher rate. That was why I mentioned the Heinlein referrence, it might make a difference but so so far out in advance that the prospects are rather slim. However, don't be so sure it is inconsequential by itself in determining the total number of superhumans on the planet, a couple of thousand mundane people in 1945 have say, an average of 20-30 years of reproductive viability left right? that same group of effective immortals have had 61 years of reproductive viability and counting. And the first generation, even if it a mere few hundred not-quite-immortals, have had ~40 years of reproductive viability; the second have had their 20 but are still puttin' out kids. That is why I say that the traditional methods of determining population growth are problematic in helping secure the right numbers. Maybe you should add a "there can only be one" clause to keep the numbers more managable and give you free hand in selecting a number that you are comfortable with for the superhuman population.

Re: Greatest Post-Apoc Film of All Time Liked Blood of Heroes, my favorite post-apoc though has got to be "Two" the Twilight Zone Episode with Charles Bronson and Elizabeth Montgomery.

Re: Populations and Genetics What throws the figures off for me is that you have posthumans who date back to 1945 who are still producing children today at an undiminished rate. That is to say that the Posthuman population, being effectively immortal, don't slow down making babies over time like we do (unless you build that into the equation as well). Thus the standard means of making assessments about population growth would be skewed considerably. Also because they are superhuman in ability, most of them will have a better survival rate (unless of course there are high levels of posthuman vs. posthuman fatalities). Sounds like a neat background premise by the way. I do think that the replacement concept might be far fetched in so little time*. Throw in an apocalypse maybe? reducing the number of normals far more than posthumans. That might be the trick. *edit: sort of like Johnny in Starship Troopers wondering what will happen to those folks who migrated to a world with less radiation than Earth. In millions of years, he pontificated, they would not be evolving at the same rate. But then that is a million years away isn't it?

Re: Recommend a fantasy world map? Keith, I have said it before, and I'll say it again: I love your work.

Re: US Military .45 Pistols Whatever they pick, I have to say I hope it will be made in the USA. No matter how parochial it sounds in saying that, we gotta get back to making things here and military spending ought to be leading the pack rather than trailing it.

Re: What fundamental thing would you change about the Hero system? But Strength can be bought up just like other secondary stats (still 1 per I notice). So having a low Size and even Density character does not mean your strength MUST be low. I like this concept personally but some people think the existing system is too much math and this is a lot more to my (admittedly untrained) eye. It is not head explode bad, but if too much math is the major complaint of folks now... whoa.

Re: disvadvantage build Each has advantages, the simplicity of Ghost-Angel's solution is very nice very smooth, you don't have to spend a lot of time on it and if you are going for a "rules light" approach that is definitely the better option. Elegant really. Mine has advantages if you want to simulate progressive worsening of the situation, because for each time interval in contact with the heat source they will get progressively worse. However it will take your making some choices about what you want it to be, so it is more bookkeeping and more planning, but pays off if you like that level of detail. For 10 points for example, you could have the Negative Skill Level -1 effect with a per turn interval (i'm guessing that the condition would count as "uncommon"). Thus First Turn -1, second turn -2 third turn -3 etc. Again for 10 points, you could have a -2 Negative Skill Level effect/ minute of exposure, so the first minute is -2, second minute of exposure is -4 etc. So each has its advantages, depends on what you need and your style. As a GM, I'd figure what the player is capable of handling. Some players like the simpler route, some don't.

Re: disvadvantage build Offhand I'd say susceptability. The damage is only one possibility of what could happen when exposed to that which you are susceptable; you can substitute 10 Active points of any power per die of "damage" like say Negative Skill levels...

Re: What Are You Listening To Right Now? Pink Elephant, Cherry Poppin' Daddies

Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Speaking of porinting out the pdf, how many pages will T-HERO be anyway? Any early indications or are we gonna have to wait for it to come out?

Re: Name Help: Eyptian Sorceress villian Dude, you cannot name your supervillain after my girlfriend (soon to be "my old lady" because the seven-year anniversary is coming up). You could always go Hatshepsut

Re: Adice for building a Gadgeteer please. I know this is kinda out there, but what about Multiform? Specifically a multiform that can only be changed in the lab (for whatever honking negative that would be). You would be sort of limited for the powers, BUT if you built a group of devices around a similar real cost point base (like the "big offensive weapon" at 60 Real points), the GM might allow some limited switching to take place (for the price of a power advantage or adder maybe?) Gadget Platform Multiform (350 Character Points in the most expensive form) (x8 Number Of Forms) (85 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Hour, Only to Activate, -1 1/2), Conditional Power Power does not work in Very Common Circumstances i.e.Not-being in lab (-1). Real Cost: 24 points If you increased that to 128 forms, more than enough if the Gm allows you to define them along the way, it would only be 30 points.

Re: Disads for "Cheese Champions!" Ah, Cheese Champions. The thread title reminded me of a story. Once, not long ago, one of the super-intelligent members of a superteam was at an office party. You know, one of those events where a group of puffed up supers gets together in a hotel ballroom and chit-chats while dastardly plans are being hatched elsewhere in the city. Anyway, this super-intelligent guy decided (being far too intelligent to mingle) that he would use the chesse tray to classify the various powers exhibited by the heroes and villains of the city. Cheddar for instance would represent superior-strength and Munster for the Metamorphs and pepper-jack for gadgeteers, that sort of thing. A complex system of slices and twisting was used to represent mixed-power types. As the night wore on, he stacked the cheese into piles, ordering more of all the different types of cheese they had available (save for one) from the puzzled waitstaff and collecting a group of other hyper-intelligent supers all around him, watching his work silently for clues as to what the heck it was supposed to be (silently, for they were also far too intelligent to mingle). Finally one of them had the temerity (or simple lack of hurbris, since most were nodding their heads in approval even though they themselves had no idea what was going on) to ask the cheese-stacker what the heck the whole thing was about. The cheese-stacker, who happened to be finally finished, then declared: "This represents my study of heroes and villains of the city, specifically the distribution of their powers." He went on to explain his cheese code. The collected super-intellectuals all nodded and then one of them glancing from one stack to a more-or-less evenly tall stack and finally asked: "Which one represents the heroes and which one represents the villains?" (select the text by cursor to see the answer) "Simplicity itself, look at the cheese at the base" the cheese stacker replied, pointing at each in turn. "This is the Gouda tray, and that is the no-Gouda tray."

Re: I need a function! The Unified Field Reflux Generator is misidentified by 6 out of 10 PRIMUS Agents as "something that accompanies an intake of spicy food and cheap grain-based alcohol" on the Grade 3 Field agents exam. In fact it is a device which uses the extremely odd Unified Field theories of Professor E. Byrum Paradox (which none but he apparently fully understands because of thier inherently paradoxical nature) to create a force field which resists all forms of directed energy, kinetic energy and even magical energy thrown at it. The field derives a portion of it's own power from the attacks that are directed against it, and thus can only be defeated by a sufficiently large attack that will either (a) bring down the field before the refreshment threshold is triggered or ( overtax the Reflux unit that stores and disperses this energy back into the field. It is presently being used in some of the major PRIMUS Field offices because the bulk of the unit prohibits individual deployment. (Build as a standard --albeit large-- Forcefield with a linked Absorption device feeding CP back into the Forcefield) A Chronal Inversion Matrix

Re: Fringeworthy Hero -- The Mellor Fringeworthy... Ah, the Mellories.

Re: Ravenswood Academy Yearbook Neat job, you'll be repped as soon as I can. Interestingly enough, I (or rather my 1-person publishing company) have recently put together a yearbook for an alternative education high school. Actually, the students put it together (shudder) I just fixed some of the glaring problems (like replacing right hand only page numbers with right and left side headers and footers, making them redo some of the ads and fixing mis-spelt words cuz i m so gud at speling miself) and will be printing, binding etc. the whole thing this weekend.

Re: Free setting for a SF campaign! Link What an awful layout job! May have looked nice in color but in black and white it is atrocious. This illustrates my problem with a lot of these new games, they have the glossy color pages that look nice enough to frame but that does not always make them readable. I was doing fine until I got to the rules. I'm not much of a mini guy, but I found the background kind of interesting.