Panpiper

Re: Urban Fantasy Setting: Here There Be Monsters Well, it just so happens that while fiddling a couple of weeks ago, I built a 'monster hunter' for a hypothetical Dark Champions game. This is a US military special forces operative tasked with identifying and neutralizing monster threats. Basically the liaison between the authorities and the group so they can get on with their job. Unfortunately the perks required for the conception, cost so much that there was not room for martial arts and a few more 'flavor' skills to more define the character's military background. I assumed a standard 225 points for a Dark Champions campaign. Killroy Val Char Cost 20 STR 10 13 DEX 6 13 CON 3 13 BODY 3 18 INT 8 13 EGO 3 18 PRE 8 4 OCV 5 5 DCV 10 3 OMCV 3 DMCV 8 PD 6 3 ED 1 4 SPD 20 7 REC 3 30 END 2 30 STUN 5 13m RUN 1 4m SWIM 0 4m LEAP 0 Characteristics Cost: 94 Cost Power 3 "Really Tough": Resistant Protection (1 PD/1 ED) 6 "Only a Flesh Wound": Resistant Protection (3 PD/3 ED) (9 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Does not protect from first point of body; -1/2) 7 "Melee Awareness": +3 DCV (15 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only in Hand to Hand; -1) 3 +1 PER with all Sense Groups Powers Cost: 19 Cost Skill 12 +4 with a small group of attacks "Sniper Rifles" 4 Penalty Skill Levels: +2 vs. Range Penalties with Sniper Rifles with to offset a specific negative OCV modifier with any three maneuvers or tight group 3 "Concealed Rifle" +7 with single Skill or Characteristic Roll (14 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about two-thirds of its effectiveness (Only for concealing Rifles; -1 1/2), Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only when wearing a trench coat; -1), Requires A Roll (Characteristic roll; Requires a Dex roll if engaged in vigorous movement.; -1/2), IIF (Special harness; -1/4) 3 Concealment 13- 3 Stealth 12- 3 Tracking 13- 3 Conversation 13- 3 High Society 13- 3 Bureaucratics 13- 3 KS: Military 13- 3 PS: Military General 13- Skills Cost: 43 Cost Perk 5 "Monster Hunter - Detached Special Forces - Rank" Fringe Benefit: General 27 Contact: US Military (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has extremely useful Skills or resources, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Good relationship with Contact), Organization Contact (x3) (27 Active Points) 12- 10 Fringe Benefit: Improved Equipment Availability Advanced Military equipment 10 Fringe Benefit: License to Kill 5 Fringe Benefit: International Police Powers 2 Fringe Benefit: Concealed Weapon Permit (where appropriate) 2 Fringe Benefit: Heavy Weapon Permit 1 Fringe Benefit: International Driver's License 1 Fringe Benefit: Passport 6 Money: Wealthy Perks Cost: 69 Cost Standard Equipment (Equipment costs do not actually figure in Total Cost. They are included here for reference only.) "CQB/Sniper Custom .50 Cal. Barret 95, 20" Barrel, 36" Length, 17 lbs": Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6+1, 8 clips of 6 Charges (-0), +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4), Armor Piercing (+1/4), Line Of Sight (+1/2) (100 Active Points); STR Minimum 19 and higher (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1 1/2), OAF (-1), Lockout (-1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2), Beam (-1/4), Conditional Power Power does not work in Uncommon Circumstances (Does not work in extremely confined spaces; -1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4), Side Effects (Extremely loud; -1/4) Trijicon ACOG Red Dot Sight & Riflescope: (Total: 34 Active Cost, 34 Real Cost) +2 with Ranged Combat (Real Cost: 16) plus Penalty Skill Levels: +4 vs. Range Modifiers with to offset a specific negative OCV modifier with all attacks (Real Cost: 12) plus +4 versus Range Modifier for Sight Group (Real Cost: 6) Concealed 'Dragon Skin' Body Armor Clothing: (Total: 40 Active Cost, 15 Real Cost) Resistant Protection (3 PD/3 ED) (9 Active Points); Half Mass (-1/2), Real Armor (-1/4), IIF (-1/4), Requires A Roll (14- roll; -1/4) (Real Cost: 4) plus Resistant Protection (3 PD/3 ED) (9 Active Points); Half Mass (-1/2), IIF (-1/4), Real Armor (-1/4), Requires A Roll (12- roll; -1/4) (Real Cost: 4) plus Resistant Protection (6 PD/6 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (22 Active Points); Requires A Roll (9- roll; -1), Half Mass (-1/2), IIF (-1/4), Real Armor (-1/4) (Real Cost: 7) S&W .460 Caliber, Model 460 XVR Revolver - 8 3/8": Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6+1, +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4) (44 Active Points); STR Minimum 14-18 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1 1/4), OAF (-1), Beam (-1/4), 4 clips of 6 Charges (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4) Military Frequency Hopping, Burst Transmission Radio: Radio Perception/Transmission (Radio Group), Concealed (-8 with Radio Perception/Transmission PER Rolls) Total Character Cost: 225 Base Points: 225

Re: What If: You were the world's 1st superhuman? I am not competent to fully comprehend everything that is happening. And if these visions are prophetic, the consequences are far too grave to be left solely to my own meager talents. However super powered I may be, I am still only one man and one mind. So I shall avail myself of the revenue I have been earning from launch services to start an organization that will manage a number of ventures. Money shall be deposited in a number of secret trusts that will go to funding this organization, so that even if I am killed or disabled, the organization will continue. A proper constitution shall be drafted for this organization to ensure that it always serves the purpose of freedom and justice. The organization will analyze these visions I have been having and any other related phenomena and discuss them to death. Many prominent science fiction writers, scientists and other thinkers will be invited to join in a 'brain trust'. They will of course be paid a reasonable stipend to participate. The most promising of these people will be offered permanent positions in the management of this organization. Regular meetings will be held where they shall all be flown in to congregate, exchange ideas, make recommendations, etc. It shall be a secret group with very tight security, including physical security. Each of the participants will have a silent alarm on their wrist they can activate at any time which will mobilize a response from a local security unit organized in their region to respond. If they feel it necessary, they can be given 24 hour, round the clock bodyguard service. In addition, the Swiss shall be contracted with such that their embassies will be open to any super powered person anywhere in the world who needs sanctuary. They in turn will be empowered to contact Kidnap and Ransom security specialists to help with the safe extraction of any super who requires it. I will see to it that the fact that the Swiss stand ready to aid any super is well publicized, enough that even in backwater communities, enough people will have heard of it that any super likely would know one of them. The organization would be ready to lend any necessary assistance to such persons, including financial, legal, social and psychiatric services if necessary (their families shall also be taken care of if necessary). Extremely secure facilities would be found or built that such persons could live in while learning to control their new found situation, and the location of such facilities also be kept a tight secret. Of course any participation is entirely voluntary, anyone wishing to leave is of course free to do so, these are not prison facilities (though in an emergency, they could be used that way). All security personnel would be extremely well equipped for dealing with possible supers. They would be armored in full Dragon Scale body armor with several layers of Dyneema fabric clothing covering any area not covered by the Dragon Scale. They would be armed with (and licensed to carry) a special, short barrel custom version of the Barret XM500 rifle with an Acog Doc on a special harness under a trench coat. They would also have enhanced vision and breathing gear carried in a pockets that could be donned if necessary along with all appropriate communication gear. And a very secure central communications 'war' room would be set up to coordinate any emergency responses. Air assets for rapid deployment would be either contracted with in advance to be ready at a moment's notice, or purchased to stand ready. Security personnel would be recruited from special forces and other elite military and police organizations so they would start already supremely well trained. However they would also have special facilities built where they could hone their skills specifically for dealing with possible super powered threats. As it is an incipient organization, each group would be in charge of training themselves and exchanging training methods with other groups. They shall decide, along with the brain trust, what training they should be practicing, and if any additional equipment or facilities be required by them, they shall be promptly met. Very significant resources would be devoted to lobbying efforts (and if necessary, public relations), specifically including large campaign donations to a great many politicians to ensure full government cooperation with this organization. In addition we would push for governments around the world to increase their funding of both space based assets and especially the Space Guard program which monitors space based threats like asteroids and comets. The further out we can detect such threats, the easier they are to deal with. And I am not ruling out the possibility that 'that' could be the source of the planet destruction vision I had. Any effort to come up with deflection systems will also be actively supported by our lobbying arm. We will be pushing space agencies around the planet to both build significant space station assets which I can lift into orbit, and to put what resources they used to devote to launch vehicles into developing a true runway takeoff and landing, single stage to orbit launch capability, specifically for passengers. Burt Ruttan shall be specially funded by myself to see if he cannot build just that using his booster aircraft approach. I cannot ensure the world that I will always be there for lift duties, and I am not the best choice for live cargo in any case. My own personal time would still be mostly spent with launch services to further generate trust funds so this organization can ultimately grow even further. I've been maximizing the use of my strength and flight all this time due to the launch services and it has paid off handsomely in substantially increasing my lifting capacity. If actual paying contracts are not available on any given day, I shall on my own dime, put fuel bladders of liquid hydrogen, oxygen and other materials into a decent low Earth parking orbit such that it could be used for some future space project. The organization would start work on a few engineering designs; a rotating space station 'I' could build, a chemically powered rocket capable of moving that station, and a more advanced gaseous fission reactor design for an engine. This would be serious engineering, not just hypothetical. We would be 'planning' to build this. The pop star in my vision shall be contacted quietly to see if she would be willing to come in and consult with us, possibly even help, especially with PR and lobbying maybe. The news media will be scoured for any mention of a costumed person matching the description from my dream and if found will be contacted also quietly, as well as any reports of 'demon' children and such. My assumption is that there is a mutant factor arising and people may be reacting with superstition. Our organization will endeavor to create an Xavier style environment for such children if it will help them. Oh, and in closing I should mention that I do not neglect my own training. I would practice at least a couple of hours a day with my security specialists to allow them to train me in what I might need in the future. And it will be good for them too to have a super they can train 'against'. I need for them to be able to take 'me' out if it came to that. As I might not always be there if a real danger threatened, but the organization would.

Re: "Tightening the Curve" on damage I allow my players to buy 'Lucky Damage Dice' for five points a pop. These allow a player to roll the lucky die again whenever that die rolls a one. This is very deliberately NOT on a six, rather a one. The idea is not to increase the upper limit of damage, but to raise the lower end to a more regularly decent damage, but still within the general range of the regular attack. These dice can be used for any damage roll with any attack. From a pure point cost effectiveness, they are not a particularly great deal, effectively costing the equivalent of ten points per damage class. But given that they apply to 'all' attacks and that I allow them 'without' them affecting any 'rule of X', they are a nice little bonus, well worth the taking. A previous thread on this: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/76612-Lucky-Damage-Dice

Re: What If: You were the world's 1st superhuman? Launch services currently cost roughly $10,000. a pound to put a payload into geosynchronous orbit. I could put such a payload up once a day easily. Assuming that supply and demand would drop the cost to $1000. a pound, my six ton payload would still pay me well over $10 million a day! There's not much 'daily struggle' involved for someone making 10 million a day. That's two billion a year! I can give as good as Bill Gates, and still live like a king.

Re: What If: You were the world's 1st superhuman? The OP defined us as being impervious to anything less than a 50mm shell, which is pretty darn close to invulnerable in Champions terms. That is easily on the order of 20 PD/ED resistant. And we are in fact faster than a jet fighter. The OP defined us as as being able to fly at mach two, which is twice the speed of sound. The only jet fighter that 'cruises' at speed higher than the speed of sound is the F22 which has a cruise speed of mach 1.6. All other jet fighters cruise at sub sonic speeds and can achieve supersonic speed 'only' by engaging their afterburners, which burn fuel at an extremely high rate, and most of them cannot exceed mach 2 for much more than a couple of minutes. And we've already got both regeneration and several bits of life support. It's not much of a stretch that we might well have or develop an extended lifespan or even immortality. I submit that super strength sufficient to hit for 12D6 with martial attacks, a resistant PD/ED of 20, a mach 2 flight and regenerative life support all together most definitely counts as extra-ordinary ability that puts you into the super category. Just because you could conceivably be put down with sufficient military force does not mean you are not a 'super'. Shoot, I recall playing an extremely high powered 'Wildcards' campaign for a long time. My character was such an insanely highly powered, flying brick as to make most GM's here puke (it was a very high powered campaign, though I was asked to drop my presence down from 75 to a more manageable 60 - 9' tall horned, fanged, taloned, barbed tail, massively winged gargoyle). And my character was brought down once by a single burst from an aerial defense APC mounting a Vulcan autocannon. Military firepower is easily able to bring down supers.

Re: What If: You were the world's 1st superhuman? Right, so in addition to offering launch services, I will need to stay very alert to natural disasters and such. As I would need to earn lots of experience points ;-) so as to boost my life support, and ultimately also my flight to megascale. I want to be able to extend the launch services to delivery of payloads to the Moon and Mars. :-)

Re: What If: You were the world's 1st superhuman? It occurs to me that while no mention of life support was made by the OP, it is possible that my flight might well work beyond the limits of the Earth's atmosphere. Even if I don't actually have life support, I might well be able to wear a space suit and fly into orbit. I would quickly ascertain if that were possible or not, and if as I expect is likely, that I would be able to fly into orbit, I would offer my services as a launch and retrieval service for orbital payloads and in orbit construction of space stations and other structures. I could charge a very pretty penny for such services and have as much work as I could handle. It would amount to a ten point wealth perk, quickly leveraged into fifteen. A lot of good can be done with such resources, not to mention the good that would come from such a cheap and flexible launch service.

Re: What If: You were the world's 1st superhuman?

Re: What If: You were the world's 1st superhuman? One of the first things I would do, perhaps oddly, is see if there is any way I can generate the same level of torque and power with martial kicks and punches while flying, intead of the normal reliance of leg power in connection with the ground. Conveniently I happen to be a well trained martial artist in addition to my new found strength of 40. Then I'd give it some thought as to how I might best avail myself of these new found abilities. I expect I would consult with a number of science fiction writers I know, and perhaps as well a few I have not personally met yet. I'd get their feedback on what might have happened and it's likely meaning. I do not expect I would maintain any sort of secret identity. Then I would consult with various scientists in an attempt to better understand the powers I possess. During all of this, I expect the press would get wind of it and I would be somewhat cooperative with them and friendly. I would charge networks if they want a full sit down interview or a powers demonstration, and use the funds generated to, among other things, commission a very nifty set of heavily reinforced leathers, with replacements, that I could wear during those demonstrations, and if ever there was call for me to 'use' my powers. I expect I would become somewhat political during those interviews and use my celebrity to promote my own libertarian agenda. I would not become a politician, but simply be a spokesperson for freedom and sound economic policies. There are no super villains to fight so I would not be a superhero per say, but if there were natural disasters and such in which my speed (flight) and strength could help save lives, I would certainly be there helping. That would in effect become my job I expect, gaining what money I might need from continued patronage by the news media and what other legit and ethical opportunities might present themselves.

Re: Fantasy Hero wolf write-up needed! I'd beef up the running, or maybe add a X4 non-combat multiple to it. And add +2 PD resistant for thick fur. No resistant ED though as fur burns nicely.

Re: Hidden Template On page 51 of Vol. 1, 6th Ed. talking about other maxima, the paragraph referring to penalty skill levels specifically suggests using them as a way of increasing skill 'without' actually exceeding hard limits on skill levels. I interpreted that myself as a permission of sorts that penalty levels do 'not' count towards 'rules of X'. Of course everything is subject to GM interpretation, and if you add penalty levels to regular levels and straight OCV to determine the final OCV levels, that is entirely your prerogative. Personally though, if I knew that before hand, I wouldn't waste combat potential on making them penalty only levels but would spend the extra point each to bump them to full OCV levels, and calculate from there. If penalty levels count towards Rules of X limits, anybody buying them is a fool IMO. I'm not entirely sure how you arrived at '90' AP for attack unless you calculated the reduced End cost in with it. Obviously if that advantage counts against a character's offensive potential, I would spend the AP on actual damage, not on reduced End, or if building specifically to your rule of X, simply buy a straight 13D6 blast. The two points spent on extra 'push' would also disappear. So the character would be a simply OCV 12 firer of 13D6 blasts. A somewhat less interesting character in my opinion than a 12D6 blaster that can push it a few times. Oh, and if I can't stay at range because I don't have penalty levels versus range modifiers, the DCV would be bought straight, so no advantage there for melee grabs and whatnot.

Re: Blocking and relative strengths That Sir, is a good idea.

Re: Star Trek Phaser Disintegration in 6E The OP already started this exact thread in the Discussion forum, so this one is redundant. See: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/77335-Phaser-Disintegration-in-6E

Re: Blocking and relative strengths I have extensive martial arts training and can answer this with some authority. The way a block works in most martial arts is such that even if the punch being thrown was from the strongest being imaginable, the block would still work, but instead of moving the attacking arm, it would move the one blocking so as to avoid the punch. This is not the same thing as a dodge, as the movement is very specifically focused upon the punch being blocked. Note that this is to some extent dependent upon the style of the blocker. If the blocker has studied an extremely 'hard' style that relies upon strength for damage and other techniques, their block may in fact be insufficiently flexible to avoid a stronger attack. But most martial artists would simply find their block moving 'them' rather than the attacker and achieve the same end of not being on the receiving end of the punch.

Re: Eh? Er, yanking a chain? ;-)

Re: Hidden Template Heh. I opened this thread and started reading from the beginning, not realizing as I did so that it was four pages long and five years old. Before I had even read the first page, I opened up Hero Designer with the intention of refuting the notion that Hero advantages the martial artist and brick. Admittedly that notion had a stronger case before 6th Edition, largely due to figured characteristics. As a concept, I submit that any brick or martial artist would be at a severe disadvantage, indeed well nigh insurmountable, versus a ranged combatant such as outlined below. Note the character has only spent 332 points out of 400 (typical super campaign in 6th Ed.) and could easily beef up, or otherwise be a very useful character out of combat as well. And this is 'without' using a multipower or VPP. Val Char Cost 10 STR 0 13 DEX 6 23 CON 13 13 BODY 3 13 INT 3 13 EGO 3 20 PRE 10 8 OCV 8 DCV 3 OMVC 5 DMCV 10/28 PD 8 10/28 ED 8 6 SPD 40 20 REC 16 50 END 6 50 STUN 15 37 Blast 12d6, Reduced Endurance: 3 End (1/2 END; +1/4) (75 Active Points); Beam (-1/4), No Knockback (-1/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) 2 "Blast Power Push +7 End": Blast +3d6 (15 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x7 END; -3), Linked (Blast; Lesser Power can only be used when character uses greater Power at full value; -3/4), Linked (Blast; -1/2), Beam (-1/4), No Knockback (-1/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) 35 Flight 35m, No Turn Mode (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (61 Active Points); Leaves A Trail (-1/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) 38 Resistant Protection (18 PD/18 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (67 Active Points); Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4), Perceivable (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) 7 "Agile Flight": +3 DCV (15 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only versus ranged attacks; -1) 6 +2 PER with all Sense Groups 6 +4 versus Range Modifier for Sight Group 8 +4 OCV with Blast 6 Penalty Skill Levels: +6 vs. Range Modifiers with to offset a specific negative OCV modifier with Blast Total Character Cost: 332 And this character would likely be toned 'down' by a GM.

Re: Phaser Disintegration in 6E A 'shield' in Star Trek is actually a force 'wall', in that it has resistance and body. A weakening shield is a shield that is loosing body. As for how a phaser disintegrates, this is how I would write it up: Cost Power 33 Phaser: Multipower, 90-point reserve, all slots 16 Charges (-0) (90 Active Points); all slots OAF (-1), Variable Limitations (requires -1 worth of Limitations; -1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) 3f 1) Does no body unless it kills the target with one shot, Special effect: Disintegration. -1: Killing Attack - Ranged 6d6 (90 Active Points); OAF (-1), Variable Limitations (requires -1 worth of Limitations; -1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) 3f 2) "Phasers on Stun" - Killing attack does no body. -1: Killing Attack - Ranged 6d6 (90 Active Points); OAF (-1), Variable Limitations (requires -1 worth of Limitations; -1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) Powers Cost: 39 I uploaded it as a package deal: http://www.herogames.com/hdPackageDeals.htm?genre=Star+Hero&ruleset= Look for "Phaser"

Re: Base Line Hero Yes, but it includes combat levels

Re: Base Line Hero Wrong thread maybe? I agree. It smacks of character classes, which is very un-'Heroic'. I used that example simply because it is a classic. My very first Hero character, played for several years in fact as the campaign waxed and waned, was a strength 65, decent defense 'brick' with a Dex of 38, speed of six and acrobatics. She was also very comely and had great art. Technically I do create a number of such baseline characters. But in practice when looking over a character sheet, I tend to run some fairly quick mental arithmetic that usually involves that one simple comparison.

Re: Need list of Character builds as campaign exemplars I would also build and show a typical goblin (and mention likely numbers), a goblin 'shaman', orcs, trolls, giants, etc., always as well mentioning likely numbers players might face. And as well have a few sample 'PC' type characters, so the players see how you would prefer they build their power levels and ratio between combat power and skill flexibility.

I don't believe in Rules of X. I think the Hero System is complex enough for most players without having to add an additional level of math to their character construction, and any such Rule of X tends to be interpreted by the more egregious players as being simply another rule to find loopholes in. Any effort to plug such loopholes in one's Rule of X, invariably wind up turning it into a horrendously complex formula that virtually no one understands. And finally, most Rules of X I have seem are woefully inadequate when it comes to interpreting the effect of truly unusual character conceptions. Instead of a Rule of X, what I tend to do for any Hero Game I am going to GM is to establish a 'Base Line Hero' for that game. Depending on the campaign of course, this hero could be quite different. What it represents is my idea of what the typical opponent might look like in terms of power. I try to keep this conception quite simple for ease of comparison. I will then describe the general power level I am expecting to my players. I might write up an example of a baseline opponent turning it typically into a basic energy projector with some flight and show that to the players, telling them that this is the approximate power level I expect. Then once the players have turned in their characters, I will examine them all and compare them, usually just in my mind, to the base line hero. If the majority of the characters are more powerful than the base line, I simply increase the baseline for their future opponents. If they are all a bit too week, I reduce the baseline for their future opponents. Usually what happens however is most will fit just right. Occasionally a character might need to be beefed up a bit, and I make suggestions, and sometimes there are characters that can too easily defeat the base line hero. If those characters are a minority in the group, I will act to have them toned down to the level where they do not take the shine off of the other players. As example, a typical baseline hero for a supers game with me might be like: Attack: 12 DCs (+- 4 DCs) Defense: 24 PD/ED (+- 8 PD/ED) OCV: 8 (+- 3) DCV: 8 (+- 3) Speed: 5 (+- 2) The numbers in brackets represent the typical range I tend to expect and easily accept in conceptions. Any increase from the baseline on the submitted character should be roughly balanced with a corresponding and opposite decrease in some other characteristic. So if a character wanted to play the 'Juggernaut' with Awesomely high strength and Defense and they submitted a character with an 80 strength and a 35 PD/ED, but the character only had an OCV and DCV of 5 and a speed of four, I would likely allow the character. Note that the PD/ED is higher still than the upper range of defense I would normally be comfortable with. That is acceptable to me because of: Modifiers: Characters without quick movement and or flying can be a bit tougher. Characters without such movement AND without a ranged attack can be a little bit tougher still. Obviously characters can be designed with powers that synergize their combat power, and that is why I prefer this method over a numerically calculated one. I am not looking strictly at numbers. I am looking at the overall effect on the game in terms of combat effectiveness. As a human being (as opposed to a math formula) I am well aware that having for instance a decent 'find weakness' roll complimenting a 8D6 autofire attack could well blow away everything, including the above Juggernaut. I will do a quick mental fight in my mind between the character I am looking at and the baseline hero I have defined. I want the player character to be able to win the fight, but only barely. I tend not to penalize a character if they have built in extra flexibility and a wide variety of defenses (mental, power, hardened, etc.) I do not tend to penalize if they have bought up their constitution, body, stun, etc. even though those are technically combat multipliers. It is often through simply having more stun and con that a player is able to defeat an otherwise similarly powered opponent. Their greater 'heroic resolve' gives them the edge.

Re: Balancing Magic and Martial Characters in a Fantasy Setting

Re: How do you build a vampire template in 6E? I might recommend: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/76575-Subsidized-Buy-in-Subsidized-Hold-Back If a player earns 3 XP per game and banks it all for 13 games in the system linked, thy will have 100 character points in their GM XP pool.

Re: Focus If you expect the 'extra' defenses to protect the character, then yes, defenses are cheap enough. But these 'extra' defenses do not protect the character, they protect only the focus. And expecting a character to spend a similar number of point on protecting their focus as they do on protecting themselves is very unfair. In fifteen years of gaming, I have never seen a 'focus' specifically attacked. I've seen them grabbed, but not attacked. Buying extra defense 'only usable on this particular focus' should have a limitation of something like negative 20 if you ask me. But if a player in my game approached me wanting to build a focus and wanted to use Sean Waters' system, I would happily let him do so. I agree it is a much better approach.

Re: Expert Craftsman Actually I built a 'master craftsman' as one of many potential Kamarathin characters a little while back. The skill set on that character, distilled from the other cultural/language stuff was as follows: 3 PS: Lock Smith - Int. 3 PS: Armor Smith - Int. 3 PS: Weapon Smith - Int. 3 KS: Clockwork - Int. 3 KS: Lock Lore - Int. 3 KS: Trap Works - Int. 3 KS: Assess Value - Int. 3 Trading - Int. 3 Security Systems (Traps) - Int. 3 Lockpicking - Int. 4 Armorsmith (Mail, Plate & Shields) 13- 4 Weaponsmith (Axes And Picks, Maces And Hammers, Swords And Daggers) 13- For a master craftsman such as you describe perhaps a couple of other knowledge skills such as in Metallurgy and 'tricks of the forge' would do the trick and then, I agree with the perk approach, add a perk. To build regular non-magical equipment, even unusually good quality equipment, does not take 'magic'. It takes knowing how to use your tools and how to process your materials. It is skill and knowledge, not magic. If you want it to be a magic skill, why then do not regular armor smiths need a magic skill to make resistant plate? It is far more reasonable to me to surmise that a master craftsman knows the secret 'trick' of folding metal. Rather than simply take a red hot ingot and beat it into shape, they take that same ingot, beat it into a length and then fold it over. They then do it again for a total or ten or more folds. Each time they do this they double the number of 'layers' in the metal, so ten folds will result in a thousand layers. This has the effect of eliminating any flaws in the metal structure, and of configuring it to be of extraordinary flexibility and resiliency. This is how the fabled samurai swords were made. This is the secret of Damascus steel. There is no magic involved, but the quality of their product is clearly superior. And it not much of a stretch to assert that the same process can be used for armor as well. It would just be 'really expensive' armor.