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Re: What is Happening with Dark Champions? Where are you?

Re: Worst Hero Names (of your campaigns) And yet... I've seen significantly less thought put into character design than that.

Re: What is Happening with Dark Champions? I think what you're seeing is twofold. A lot of people use Hero for Champions, and are specifically trying to get away from grit. Those of us who want it are no longer bothering to identify their campaigns as such, because Dark Champions has simply become one of the tools we use so often that we stop thinking of it as a genre. For me, it's something that can be usefully applied to nearly any campaign, and I treat it as such.

Re: A curse that returns? You could also build it kind of like an unbreakable Focus (this is Plot-oriented, not mechanics oriented). There is a very specific and difficult way that it can be broken permanently, but it treats any other attempts to remove it as a long term Suppress/Drain, with a specified Return Rate. Alternatively, the reversal (however done), only affects that particular instance of the curse (turns the Hulk back into Bruce), without affecting the curse itself. Could make for a very interesting plot line in a campaign. I think the problem you're going to run into with doing it by the book is that, once a temporary solution is found, that will be used on a more or less continuous basis to suppress the curse. Or the player will decide they like the curse just fine, and it doesn't really matter how it could be removed. Both issues are addressable, but I'd consider them before implementing this in your campaign.

Re: Gorilla Okay, weird thought, but everyone always builds the "two-headed monster" from whatever source, with the heads side-by-side facing the same direction. What about an ape with a very modified skeletal structure, and one head facing forward, one backward? Build the legs and arms right, and it could move and act in any direction normally.

Re: Worst Hero Names (of your campaigns) No, just cheesy.

Re: Character Class Mottos Rex Harrison would sue you over infringement of his 'Push-me-pull-you' clothing line.

Re: "I know a guy" Contacts? Adventure potential? Speak to me of this idea, for with it I am unfamiliar.:smoke: Seriously, Contacts do work both ways. If your GM is on the ball, they should be getting something from the relationship that matters to the character (and ideally, to the player). My mobster character has spent a lot of time working with or on these people, and I fully expect to have to do a little quid pro quo on some of them to get what I want. In roleplaying potential alone, these people can be a blast, and spice up an otherwise straightforward adventure. PC: "You want what?" Contact: "You heard me." PC: "But why does it have to be from Original Ray's? Isn't the pizza here in San Francisco good enough?" Contact: "And don't forget the anchovies."

Re: "I know a guy" I have a character I'm building for a campaign who has such a VPP. The idea is that he's a mobster, and has been in the business for twenty years. To detail all of the people he would know, all of the favors he could call in, would take forever. I mean, we're talking thousands of contacts here, if you include everyone who knows the Boss or someone else who is a known associate of my character. Of course, the GM and I know we can trust each other. I won't use it to break his adventures, and he won't use it to break my character. Also remember that Contacts have their downside. Unless they're slavishly loyal, people can use them to find you.

Re: Eccentric but plausible ways a character could be rich? Famously good: Interior Decorator Hairstylist Makeup Artist Special Effect Artist Stunt Person/Daredevil (30PD/ED would go a long ways towards making stunts safer) Performance Artist (no, you can't make money doing this, but it'd be funny to combine this with a hero) Conductor of a major symphony orchestra Developed effective cure for baldness, flatulence, acne or the like (minor but widespread condition) Invented toy whose fad time has come and gone Made a series of cult classic movies (preferably embarassing ones) twenty years ago, and Netflix/DVDs are generating royalties, even better with a Public ID

Re: Selling back OMCV Because Swimming has a maximum utility. OMCV can be applied to many powers and situations, swimming lets you stay afloat and move in a controlled fashion through water. You could, conceivably, build a character around Super-Swimming, but you'd be taking at least 3d6/phase Embarassment Damage at the table.

Re: Avian Aliens STR will be proportionally higher per unit of body mass, but on an absolute level, would probably be lower. Remember that a lot of that muscle mass is going to be devoted to flying, not lifting or punching. You're right about the HKA, though.

Re: Selling back OMCV Intrigue game with lots of poisonings. Post-apoc game with concerns about the status of the food. Any game with cinematic scout/spec-ops/ranger types. Werewolf oriented, animal characters, etc...

Re: The Walker - a very low powered superhero

Re: Avian Aliens Reduced BODY is what I was going to say, as well. Those bones are geared to minimum weight, rather than highest strength. Probably reduce ground movement, since their feet are more likely to be adapted to perches on rocks or branches rather than walking, as well as for catching prey. Possibly add something to simulate the ability to glide, as well as fly (I don't know if 6e carried Gliding forward), as most raptors spend more time hovering and circling rather than in wing-flapping flight. You might want to build a Diving Attack Martial Maneuver for them, since it is somewhat different than a Move-by or Move-through (sort of a Grab-by with a big change in direction).

Re: Evasion Talent I should have said "New to the Hero Boards", then. Welcome, either way. The Limited Defenses option is going to give you what you want. And Hero is all about figuring out how the concept that doesn't plug neatly into the powers gets described and finessed.

Re: The Walker - a very low powered superhero I like. Should probably change the character sheet from 'jujitsu' to 'krav maga', but otherwise, nice writeup. Can't see anything unbalancing or big holes at first readthrough. I like "Things You Can Buy at Wal-Mart" as a power name, especially.

Re: Evasion Talent Desolid can cause a lot of secondary effects (i.e. problems). The cleanest way to do it is buy a normal form of defense (PD/ED, Damage Reduction/Negation) with the Limitation Only vs. AoE attacks. I know you have the whole irrational thing going, but it really is the simplest and most effective answer. Another option would be to buy CSL's with the Dive For Cover maneuver, which might play into the character's concept better (he's already quick and tricky, this makes him moreso). Oh, and since you're new to Hero, be warned that this kind of debate can go on for a very long time, which is part of the juicy goodness that is Hero.

Re: Why do tails cost points? I think you just triggered an anime, somewhere in the world.

Re: Evasion Talent Well, geez, yeah, if you want to make it simple and easily understood...

Re: Selling back OMCV edit:{referring to Hugh Neilson's post, above} Okay, I can agree with all of that. It is certainly true that any ability can be considered to be context-specific and dependent on the nature of the campaign in terms of value. Which is essentially what I said, that this question comes down to campaign parameters. I'll restate my question: What value does OMCV give to the zero-point average person walking down the street (other than as a sellback)?

Re: Selling back OMCV I do see a difference between selling back Sight and selling back OMCV. Being blind means you can't read normal text, can't differentiate colors, and could easily have problems perceiving at any great distance. Passive Sonar, like DD's, while sensitive, has it's limits simply due to the inverse-square rule when considering energy transmission. Losing your OMCV, however, doesn't really impact a character in a world without a relatively common use for the ability. Even if the Mental Block rule is in effect, unless you're running into Mentalists on a regular basis who are using powers that that maneuver will affect, you're not losing anything significant. Most other Characteristics have a common use for every character, from the basic Normal to the Cosmic Super. OMCV doesn't seem to have such a use in every campaign. And I think the answer to this question is ultimately going to come down to campaign parameters.

Re: Evasion Talent

Re: Evasion Talent There is an assumption at the core of Hero that is also in D&D, but which D&D has mitigated a great deal over the years. If you are strong somewhere, you are weak somewhere else. More accurately (in Hero terms), if there is an Offensive ability, there is also a way to Defend against it. If there is a Defensive ability, then there is a way to Attack around it. The high DCV character has ALWAYS been vulnerable to AoE attacks. In my group, the One-Hex AoE advantage is known as 'The Speedster Killer'. This is intentional, and a large part of the balance that allows for nearly any character to be reasonably pitted against another character of equal points. As your character advances, you can shore up the weaknesses, or play to the strengths, but you will always have weaknesses. If the GM is constantly throwing AoE attacks against you, finding a defense against that is important. Why would you buy a Defense that only works against AoE? Mechanically, because it will cost fewer points than a power that works against everything. Thematically, because it represents the character developing methods to deal with this particular weakness. To me, part of the fun that Hero has is this simple balance. There is no perfect defense, no way of dealing with every situation head on. It can lead to wonderfully inventive role-play and Power usage because someone always has your number. Finding this balance is not as simple as in other games, and requires recognition of the existence of this balance on the part of both GMs and players. But once you have it, you will find those weaknesses as much fun to work with as the strengths.

Re: Selling back OMCV But of course. One of the first songs I remember really liking before high school (back in '82 or so, I think). And, naturally, it's on the album Stop Making Sense.