Armitage

It's still that high?

Apparently, it's very high among Republicans and very low among...everyone else, which skews the numbers upward a bit.  Expect it to drop when those YUGE numbers of factory jobs in the Rust Belt and mining jobs in coal country don't magically appear.

As others have said, they can be useful for filling gaps in PC powers or knowledge, and can be used by the GM to nudge players in the right direction when they get stuck, but it can be important to make sure they don't take the focus away from the PCs.  An NPC "guest star" can usually fill that role temporarily without causing problems.

I had planned to include a GMPC in a campaign I was working on.  The event that put the brakes on that was when I started planning out a potential subplot involving the GMPC and his NPC love interest.  I suddenly thought to myself "Wait...at what point do the actual PCs get involved in this story?"  The GMPC then became a local NPC hero who may become involved when his area of expertise comes up, and the NPC may or may not become a PC's love interest, with the subplot shifting to a PC if she does.

It doesn't appear to have been mentioned here, and more stupid things have replaced it in the news.

Kellyanne Conway defended the immigration ban by citing the "Bowling Green Massacre", a terrorist attack in Kentucky that was covered up by the media.

“I bet it’s brand new information to people that President Obama had a six-month ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized, and they were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green Massacre,” Conway said on MSNBC on Thursday night. “I mean most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered.”

It must have been pretty easy to cover up, since it never happened.  Two Iraqi refugees living in Bowling Green, Kentucky were arrested in 2009 for attempting to send money and supplies to insurgents in Iraq.  Apparently, that's a "massacre".  She later claimed that she misspoke and meant to say "terrorists" instead of "massacre", but that clearly makes no sense.

"...two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized, and they were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green (terrorists)."

Two terrorists were the masterminds behind the terrorists?

No surprise, she's now crying about people being so mean to her.

The Department of Labor's whistleblower site, for Wells Fargo employees who wanted to report fraud in the ongoing scandal, disappeared shortly after the inauguration.

Three guesses who owes roughly $500,000,000 to Wells Fargo.

Conflict of interest?  What conflict of interest?

An Advantage has to be used, unless it's a Naked Advantage/Independent Advantage, which is a separate Power.

6E1 316

"Advantages Are Mandatory.  A character must always use the Advantages purchased for a Power at full strength whenever he uses that Power."

CC 95

"Advantages are mandatory; a character must always use a Power's Advantages at full strength whenever he uses that Power."

Day Seven, and Trumps new ambassador to the United Nations threatens the UN.

Nikki Haley, the new US ambassador to the United Nations, walked into UN headquarters for the first time Friday and promptly said, "For those who don't have our backs, we're taking names."

The former Republican governor of South Carolina vowed there is a "new US UN."

Haley told reporters, "Our goal with the administration is to show value at the UN, and the way to show value is to show our strength, show our full voice. Have the backs of our allies and make sure our allies have our backs as well."

She then added, "For those who don't have our backs, we're taking names, and we will make points to respond to that accordingly."

The Trump administration has instituted a media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants.

AP Link

Emails sent to EPA staff since President Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday and reviewed by The Associated Press detailed the specific prohibitions banning press releases, blog updates or posts to the agency's social media accounts.

The Trump administration has also ordered a "temporary suspension" of all new business activities at the department, including issuing task orders or work assignments to EPA contractors. The orders are expected to have a significant and immediate impact on EPA activities nationwide.

The EPA did not respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment Monday or Tuesday.

The Trump administration also is moving to delay implementation of at least 30 environmental rules finalized in the closing months of President Obama's term, "pending review", including updated air pollution standards for several states, renewable fuel standards, and limits on the amount of formaldehyde that can leach from wood products.

The USDA's Agricultural Research Service also received a memo banning the release of news releases, photos and other material to the public, but it was later rescinded by the acting deputy secretary of the Agriculture Department.

I'm sure it's all completely innocent.

Meanwhile, Trump is attacking the media for not showing the "million and a half people" that he saw at his inauguration, instead showing empty fields.

Trump tells CIA employees he thought he saw million or million and a half people at inauguration.  Complains media showed empty fields.

I'm guessing that this is just like how he saw thousands of Muslims in New Jersey dancing and celebrating on 9-11.

The 4e book Champions in 3D included an adventure set in a world that had been overrun by Lovecraftian monsters.  The ability to induce insanity was built as a Major Transform, Affects Desolid, Radius, NND (defense is a successful EGO Roll), 0 END, Persistent, Always On, Reduced By Range.  Minor entities had 1d6 and major entities had 1 1/2d6.  A successful EGO provided immunity for the duration of an encounter.  The Transform induced a 25 point Psychological Complication, with the option that the GM could have a character slowly go nuts as points of Transform accumulated.

The Transform was part of a "Mind Blasting Powers" package that could pretty excessive when out together.  It included a Radius EGO Drain linked to the Transform, returning 5/week, and extra PRE against anyone who failed the EGO Roll vs. the Transform.  1 1/2d6 Drain and +60 PRE for minor entities and 3d6 Drain and +70 PRE for major entities.

As I recall, at one point Trump's inaugural committee was supposedly offering diplomatic positions to anyone who could get an A-List celebrity to appear at the inauguration.

...Here it is.

Two talent bookers, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, told the Wrap members of Trump’s Presidential Inaugural Committee contacted them “with offers of cash or even plush diplomatic posts in exchange for locking in singers.”

This troubles me. I am opposed to violence in protest, including self-violence.

How about a nice, non-violent LGBT dance party outside Mike Pence's house.

Unfortunately, he wasn't home at the time.  Or maybe fortunately, considering how he might have reacted.

So Ford are rethinking their decisions on where to manufacture cars, at least partially because of the anticipated favourable business environment in the US under The Trump.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38497898

 

Is he going to be able to perform the miracle of returning industrial capacity to the States? 700 jobs doesn't seem like many. Is $1million invested per job a reasonable return or is Ford gettin' all poh-liddical?

We already have massive industrial capacity in the US.  We have less industrial jobs due to increased automation and efficiency.  Manufacturing output has more than doubled since 1975, while employment in that sector has declined by about 30% over the same period.  Unless manufacturers are willing to refit with 40 year old technology and/or stop all further advancement, it's a trend that's likely to continue, no matter how many new factories generate temporary spikes.

This actually gives me some hope. It seems just barely possible to me that Trump's as sick of the current GOP agenda as the rest of us, at least in some points. Time will tell.

Well, the impression I got was that he was fine with them doing it...later.  He wants their first priority to be tax reform and health care, i.e. tax cuts and repealing Obamacare.

Congress voted to put their outside ethics monitor under their own control.

House Republicans voted 119-74 Monday night in favor of a proposal that would gut Congress' outside ethics watchdog and remove its independence.

 

Republican Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte's proposal would place the independent Office of Congressional Ethics -- an initial watchdog for House members but without power to punish members -- under oversight of those very lawmakers.

 

The proposal would bar the panel from reviewing any violation of criminal law by members of Congress, requiring that it turn over any complaint to the House Ethics Committee or refer the matter to an appropriate federal law enforcement agency. The House Ethics Committee would also have the power to stop an investigation at any point and bars the ethics office from making any public statements about any matters or hiring any communications staff.

And the ethics office would no longer be able to accept or investigate any anonymous reports of alleged wrongdoing by members of Congress.

Images has been used to create loudspeakers that amplify existing voices, so you could also adapt the standard Tracking Bug design.

Images vs. Radio, Set Effect (broadcast of sounds near the bug).  Make it 1m Radius and add MegaScale 1m = 1 km, and anyone within 1 km who tunes to the proper frequency can detect the Image.

Continuing the trend of proving that the government doesn't work by preventing the government from working.

The incoming House majority plans to schedule a vote on the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (REINS Act) soon after new members are sworn in next Tuesday. A top priority of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the leading lobby group for big business, REINS would fundamentally alter the federal government in ways that could hobble federal agencies during periods when the same party controls Congress and the White House — and absolutely cripple those agencies during periods of divided government.
Many federal laws delegate authority to agencies to work out the details of how to achieve relatively broad objectives set by the law itself. The agencies do so by drafting regulations that interpret and elaborate upon these statutes and which have the force of law. REINS, however, effectively strips agencies of much of this authority.
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Under its terms, a new regulation that has an “annual economic impact of $100 million or more,” which is less than 0.0006 percent of the U.S. economy, must be approved by Congress within “70 session days” or it does not go into effect.

The HR department at the company that I work for organizes various health, exercise, and nutrition related activities throughout the year.  The more you participate in, the higher your insurance tier, and the less gets deducted from your paycheck for insurance the next year.

Healthier employees = less insurance use = lower insurance cost

Then those clowns should be tossed in jail, just as those attempting to influence the electors via death threats should be.

What about when a candidate's campaign attempts to influence the electors with threats of political reprisal?

Donald Trump’s campaign is pressuring Republican electors into voting for them under “threats of political reprisal,” according to a member of the Electoral College who spoke to Salon under the condition of anonymity.

 

“We have gotten reports from multiple people,” the elector said, “that the Donald Trump campaign is putting pressure on Republican electors to vote for him based on... future political outcomes based on whether they vote for Donald Trump or not.”

 

The elector emphasized that these reports had come straight from the Republican electors themselves, with the threats steering clear of violence but instead focusing on “career pressure.”

Y'know, if I had a nickel for every time I posted a "Hey, check out my cool new totally original idea!" and someone responded with "Yeah, it's in the APG..."

 

Yeah, that's pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Not crazy about the name tho, too close to AP. And I think it works easier as an Adder rather than a separate Power. But I like the pricing structure. Thanks!

The way they presented it in the APG, it practically was an Adder.  For example, a 2d6 RKA, 1 point Piercing, Armor Piercing (+1/4) was listed as a 41 Active Point Power.

(30 + 3) x 1 1/4

A 6e version of Piercing appeared in the first Advanced Player's Guide.

Normal Defenses: 2 points.

Resistant Defenses, Mental Defense, Powers Defense, Flash Defense: 3 points.

One thing that I would recommend, which became GM's option after 5th Edition Revised, and was previously an additional -1/4 Limitation, is the option for powers with Requires a Skill Roll to be subject to Skill vs. Skill contests. 

That could simulate the contest of wills when Talents use their powers.

The Hero System Grimoire has a spell intended to prevent a dead character from being resurrected.  The base of the power is Suppress Healing, 0 END, Uncontrolled.  It prevents Healing from being used on the target, even though the target isn't the one using the Healing.  Principle 6 on 6E2 266, I guess.  Don't worry about the "right way" to build something.  Come as close as you can and then declare "this is how it works."

How many Champions players does it take to change a light bulb?

That's a GM call.

 

Player:  "How does this mutant detector work?  I mean, how does it scan someone's DNA from across the room?  Realistically, that would be impossible."

 

It's been stated a few times that in the Marvel Universe, mutants possess a unique telepathic signature, and that's what devices like Cerebro detect.  Of course, telepathy-based technology is a whole other can of worms.

Perun is also in Marvel Comics, as a member of the Supreme Soviets and People's Protectorate.

I always have problems with all those stories detecting all superheroes, healing all mutants, or killing all metas. It just ignores the fact that most universes have myriads of different ways of becoming a super.

 

 

Well, I did mention in my original post that it would depend on the nature of powers in a campaign.  Obviously, it would be more effective in a setting with only one or two power origins.

In the Progenitor setting I described, all powers derive from the Dark Energy that empowered the Progenitor.  In the Wild Cards universe, all powers come from the Wild Card Virus, with occasional aliens and alien technology.  In the campaign I've been working on on-and-off for ages, powers came from an alien weapon used at the start of an invasion 20 years ago.