Pteryx

Found it. Once under MegaRange and again under MegaArea.

 

So, something like these is necessary:

 

Open Minded: (Total: 56 Active Cost, 13 Real Cost) Mind Link , One Specific Mind: Own, No LOS Needed, Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), Trigger (Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Trigger resets automatically, immediately after it activates, Character does not control activation of personal Trigger; +3/4), MegaScale (1m = 10,000 km; +2), Cannot alter scale (-1/4) (56 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), Always On (-1/2), Stops Working If Mentalist Is Stunned (-1/2), Usable By Other (-1/4), Grantor can only grant the power to others (Real Cost: 13)

 

Open Minded: (Total: 52 Active Cost, 12 Real Cost) Mind Link , One Specific Mind: Own, No LOS Needed, Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), Uncontrolled (+1/2), MegaScale (1m = 10,000 km; +2), Cannot alter scale (-1/4) (52 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), Always On (-1/2), Stops Working If Mentalist Is Stunned (-1/2), Usable By Other (-1/4), Grantor can only grant the power to others (Real Cost: 12)

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says if you have a power that allows you to dig up bobcats out of the ground, you have the power to mine lynx.

The first of those two looks pretty good as one part of the construct!

you have to actually spend time concentrating on a Megascale power. -- Pteryx

 

Possibly this is something else I've overlooked. Can you tell me where, precisely, to find this requirement to "actually spend time concentrating on a Megascale power" because I just read through the description of the Advantage and can't see a reason not to use

 

Open Minded: (Total: 45 Active Cost, 10 Real Cost) Mind Link , One Specific Mind: Own, No LOS Needed, Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), MegaScale (1m = 10,000 km; +2), Cannot alter scale (-1/4) (45 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), Always On (-1/2), Stops Working If Mentalist Is Stunned (-1/2), Usable By Other (-1/4), Grantor can only grant the power to others (Real Cost: 10)

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says one reason not to use it is that it has no defenses against some stranger mentally attacking you, but that can be remedied

6E1 pages 340-341. Every form of Megascale is listed as requiring a Full Phase Action and 1/2 DCV to make use of at Megascale. As such, by RAW, Megascale senses can't be used passively, only for active sweeps.

Normally, a Transform either heals back at one's normal rate of BODY recovery or heals back instantly when a certain condition is met. What level of Advantage would it be worth for both to be true -- healing back normally once a certain condition is met? -- Pteryx

Neat build, Psyber. Given that Mind Scan is considered a Sense, would the Discriminatory adder be enough to make the user know who's "calling"? -- Pteryx

That sounds like a Computer Rules Construct without a Focus or seperate body. Give it "affected as human class of mind" Complication.

Don't think it need Clairvoyance, it should be able to share input. Unless of course it wants to use attack powers (like Mental Powers)

 

"Second chance" PER Rolls:

You might simply simualte this with a high PER Roll/bonus to PER:

The chance of one 11- Roll to fail is 37.5%.

The chance of two 11- Rolls to both fail is about 14 %.

Adding +2 to the 11- gives you a 16.2% fail chance, adding +3 gives you 9.26%.

So +2 too +3 can simulate "having a second roll".

 

using Mental Powers (whether in combat or just to carry on two Mind Link conversations at once while keeping both straight):

Carrying on two conversations might be done with simply adding a level of "Rapid" to Mind Link. Mind link is close enough to a sense power that it might get be applicable. I would think giving a Computer Rapid for Speech would allow it to make multiple conversations over different terminals at the same time.

 

The attack powers are a different matter:

The second being would need the actuall powers to be used. Wich means going full duplicate or a really expesinve Computer Construct.

This is just as bad and potentially unbalancing as "having it controll the arm to shoot the target with the offhand".

Again the senses are a problem: If the Primary mind isn't attacking the same target (like attacking somethign else or dodging) I would say the normal Targetting senses aren't properly focussed on the target to count. The Second Mind needs a sepererate way of targgeting (including using Mind Scan lock on).

It is really important that if it can attack, it can be attacked (and disabeled) in return. But as I understand it can't do anything when the Primary Mind is knocked out.

 

"just thinking a situation over while the original is too busy dealing with a crisis to do so":

That is something the Computer bought as Focus in your pocket can do, so the Computer bought without Focus in your Mind can do it as well. It needs a seperate isntance of all the Skill needed to do the work of course. But it is one of the most simple cases.

But as I understand it can't do anything when the Primary Mind is knocked out.

 

That's correct.

If you take a very large number of perception points for your Clairsentience (say, in the hundreds), do you start needing to take levels of Rapid on the Clairsentience just to keep all the input straight, or does the capacity to sort through that much sensory input come for free? -- Pteryx

The way I'm conceiving of things, the two minds wouldn't be sharing the body so much as the "duplicate" would be a passenger in the body of the "original". The duplicate would have the necessary limited Clairvoyance to perceive what the original sees, but couldn't turn the head to look at something else. Likewise, it couldn't take control of an arm; instead, its contributions would be things like being a source of "second chance" PER rolls, using Mental Powers (whether in combat or just to carry on two Mind Link conversations at once while keeping both straight), or just thinking a situation over while the original is too busy dealing with a crisis to do so. -- Pteryx

How would you build a form of Mind Link that the character in question can't choose to initiate first, but anyone in the world can initiate with him at any time? It wouldn't actually hamper him even if it's annoying at times, so it's not really a Susceptibility, and Megascale's limitations prevent it from being useful for modeling a passive large-scale sense since you have to actually spend time concentrating on a Megascale power. -- Pteryx

If this is addressed in 6e somewhere, forgive my asking a redundant question since I'm stuck with only a 5e book... but how exactly would you go about building a form of "duplication" that doesn't actually involve separate bodies, individually targetable limbs, or any other physical component? I'm thinking something like D&D 3.5's Schism psionic power here -- the ability to act multiple times in a phase, but the extra actions of the "duplicate" can only be mental in nature. -- Pteryx

Re: The Distinctive, The Special, The Cool

 

Well, let's see here...

 

• Well-defined levels of effect for Mind Control. You would not believe how many RPGs treat mind control as an on/off deal -- or several individual on/off deals. Even other point-buy systems. Even other effects-based point-buy systems!
  
• PD vs. ED. Others have mentioned STUN/BODY, but I think it's worth pointing out how HERO recognizes both the difference between physical and energy attacks and the need to treat them as equals.
  
• Communicative, customer-friendly, fan-friendly, free online presence. This has become more important than ever in light of the way a certain large company's attitudes have changed.
  
• Suggestions as to which powers to bend into weird shapes to cover strange cases, as opposed to a completely undefined and guideline-free miscellaneous "power" that only exists to codify the concept of making stuff up.
  

 

Just off the top of my head. -- Pteryx

If you're familiar enough with Exalted, you may have heard of the Resplendent Destinies used by Sidereal Exalted -- basically identities that are adopted not through disguise, but mystically. Even if the person looks physically identical and makes no attempt at disguise, they're just not perceived as the same person, and actions done in one identity simply aren't associated with the other. Certain things may break the false identity -- in the Sidereals' case, displaying an anima banner does it. In the case I'm considering, seeing someone don the Focus that contains this power would do it automatically and permanently, and being able to compare depictions of the person with and without the Focus would give a chance of realizing that these people don't merely look alike.

 

How would you build this? -- Pteryx

Will the writing have more life to it? It took me over a month to read the thing cover to cover, and I've heard others complain about the dryness of FREd's text as well. -- Pteryx

Unfortunately, I can't think of much of anyone outside my character's faction who has a Secret ID... but chances are, were this to somehow happen, it'd have to be his creator/father (no other member of the faction in their right mind would openly admit to being in love -- that's grounds for reprogramming) and my character would be stuck as one of the people trying to get the more impulsive of his robotic brothers to hold their fire! -- Pteryx

Well, I am enjoying the read. The train scene seems like it's missing two or three paragraphs, but I managed to fill in the blanks OK. Early on I wondered whether to ask to join in or just leave you two well enough alone... -- Pteryx

Dash-jet over to the villain. Encase him in crystal (Entangle). Carry the whole package out. Problem solved. -- Pteryx

This depends on a few factors, but assuming that he couldn't call for help, my character would probably kidnap Impulse himself and have him imprisoned and sedated someplace more secret. If he has trouble making the arrangements, all he has to tell his fellow faction members is that this guy could kill their creator if he's allowed to run loose. That'd get the help of at least some of his "family". -- Pteryx

Pray. And attempt some divinations. -- Pteryx

*mutters about deletion not being allowed* -- Pteryx

Originally posted by Badger

But realistically after reading some essay of the "physics of Santa" and finding out that to get around the world in one night he'd have to go fast enough to where he would have to face 17,500 times the Earth's gravity. Do you know how much strength and body that means he would have? Though i always suspected he had some time-stopping ability myself .

 

Did the paper take into account starting at nightfall in the Northern Hemisphere at the International Date Line and working his way generally west from there? -- Pteryx

Concerning #27: My, but you people are literal.

 

The Pope and a member of a supers team that guards the Vatican were publically speaking one day about the souls of metahumans... when suddenly a supervillain team popped out of nowhere, claimed that metahumanity is beyond such crutches and superstitions, and attacked. They were staved off, but the damage is done: now the question of whether metahumans are truly human at all in the way that matters most has been stirred to the forefront of public debate. Dozens of fanatics are arguing against it, even claiming that the more spiritual sorts of supers are all frauds incapable of true faith and religious understanding and salvation and the like.

 

What would your character do? What would they think about all this? -- Pteryx

Well, the vigilante fellow robot seems to have the villainess herself taken care of... so my characters would go to the various men who were mind-controlled, make sure they were all right, and then go about his business. He would, however, report what he knew about the guy to his faction later that day, as he may wind up being trouble for them. -- Pteryx

My character believes Santa is a spirit, not a physical being -- and would strongly suspect the genocidal robot faction. He'd probably help defeat this robotic impostor and his elf-drones if he could get away with it (read, if it wouldn't look like he was helping the "good" factions, which would cause him more trouble than it's worth -- they'd likely be able to handle this alone). -- Pteryx

Well, there is this thread:

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9165

My character's a lot better at giving presents than he is at wanting stuff. As it is, his one wish would be to have enough free will to be able to balance his conscience with his loyalty, and his broad love for the world with his love for his "family". -- Pteryx

Considering that my character is part of a hated faction of robots bound to the will of a mad scientist, all of whom are wanted as criminals whether they completely deserve it or not, that news of romantic love towards someone reaching the leaders of the group is met with reprogramming and such news reaching the nastier "brothers" not in power would result in ridicule and manipulation and even more kidnappings, and that even the "sensitive new age" members of the faction are acclimated to lack of freedom enough to tend to feel that it should have its limits... the situation described here makes so much sense in so many ways that it just wouldn't be an issue. -- Pteryx