Kristopher

Re: The Singularity?

No. Not sure how we got onto Cthulhu.

Re: CHAMPIONS POWERS: What Do *You* Want To See?

Sounds like a great book, Steve.

Re: battle Wear vs. Town Wear

Reputation is a double-edged sword. Or axe, as the case may be.

Re: First Contact Could Be Tomorrow!

Looks like it's 2010 AL30.

 

Interesting that that orbit it shows crosses Venus's orbit too. One leg of the Inner Solar System Shuttle Bus Route? That's a really poorly-determined orbit, though.

 

If it's an iron, that size of object is about the same as the impactor that made Meteor Crater in Arizona. You don't want to be right under it when it hits, but as such things go it's modest impact.

So the the results from the impact calculator are wrong? It claims that a 50-ft iron asteroid would airburst 5 miles up.

Re: The Singularity?

So anyway...

Re: Balls of Steel

OK, so how do we explain bullets? Does the bullet (just the bullet) from a sniper rifle really have a combined BODY and DEF of 15?

Re: Balls of Steel

Refresh my memory... an object can't do more BODY when swung/thrown/whatever than its own DEF + BODY?

Re: Star HERO with... not magic, really, but...

My hope for the general direction of the game is that by the time the PCs realize that they've been played, they'll be in too deep to get out. I never know,though, my biggest issue seems to be herding players in the general direction of where the story arc needs them to go. I can be flexible, but when the story goes towards A, I can handle B through F... but they're headed towards Z...

Worry One: getting the paranoid character to feel less threatened and/or more enticed by going with the PI character than he is by other choices. It's already clear that he doesn't trust anyone. He's also technically savvy and prone to checking for bugs and other "paranoia", which makes the initial plot of tracking his ship rather harder. We'll have to see if he checks his own ship for tracking devices before they depart the world he's on now.

Worry Two: keeping them on track once they realize they've been lied to to some degree. I hope to keep the lies a secret as long as possible, doleing out the truth one morsel at a time, so that they never get angry enough to say "Screw it, let's go to Bangkok!" ("What happens on Bangkok stays on Bangkok!")

Worry Three: Linking them up with the "eccentric starship mechanic" NPC, who is the link at least one story arc down the road, and is my favorite NPC so far. She has a lot of backstory and secrets of her own, and makes for a good way to slide another aspect of the setting material into the game. Neither of the PCs is trusting, and the paranoid prodigy made a last-minute change

to his character that makes one aspect of the NPC slightly redundant.

Worry Four: what do they do if/when they recover "Anna".

Re: The Singularity?

Could be a meat beard. Technically' date=' Cthulhu could be said to be bearded.[/quote']

 

That would takes some serious stones, to beard Cthulhu.

Re: Favorite Marvel 'What If?'

I wish I could find the issues of What The--? my brother and I had when we were kids.

Re: battle Wear vs. Town Wear

There are GMs out there who openly believe it's their duty to do everything short of cheating to defeat and destroy the PCs, to thwart their plans, to send them home broken or in a box.

It baffles me.

Re: A couple of brain cells connected...

Maybe - the rockets are actually pretty inaccurate and don't fly the same way every time. Odds are good that given a lot of practice' date=' they might hit one or two - or none. As I noted, they only worked for the Koreans in real life when used to defend walls (and en masse - Hængju had 40).[/quote']

 

The results of the test seem show a lot of the arrows landing the same general area. If they were so inaccurate as to be functionally unaimable, I'd expect a lot more spread when they're fired.

Re: What Happened to the Hominids Who Were Smarter Than Us?

So... about those hominids...

Re: First Contact Could Be Tomorrow!

Huh?

Re: Takofanes, where is he?

Takofanes, where is he?

Right behind you.

Re: First Contact Could Be Tomorrow!

So they're saying 57 megaton airburst at 22500 ft? Well, it would be a spectacular site to see, at least.

Re: First Contact Could Be Tomorrow!

Here's what came of it:

http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/cgi-bin/crater.cgi?dist=.1&distanceUnits=1&diam=50&diameterUnits=3&pdens=&pdens_select=8000&vel=20&velocityUnits=1&theta=45&wdepth=&wdepthUnits=1&tdens=2500

Your Inputs:

Distance from Impact: 0.10 km = 0.06 miles

Projectile Diameter: 15.24 m = 49.99 ft = 0.01 miles

Projectile Density: 8000 kg/m3

Impact Velocity: 20.00 km/s = 12.42 miles/s

Impact Angle: 45 degrees

Target Density: 2500 kg/m3

Target Type: Sedimentary Rock

Energy:

Energy before atmospheric entry: 2.97 x 1015 Joules = 708.39 KiloTons TNT

The average interval between impacts of this size somewhere on Earth is 84.4 years

Atmospheric Entry:

The projectile begins to breakup at an altitude of 16500 meters = 54200 ft

The projectile bursts into a cloud of fragments at an altitude of 6870 meters = 22500 ft

The residual velocity of the projectile fragments after the burst is 8.83 km/s = 5.48 miles/s

The energy of the airburst is 2.39 x 1015 Joules = 0.57 x 100 MegaTons.

Large fragments strike the surface and may create a crater strewn field. A more careful treatment of atmospheric entry is required to accurately estimate the size-frequency distribution of meteoroid fragments and predict the number and size of craters formed.

Major Global Changes:

The Earth is not strongly disturbed by the impact and loses negligible mass.

The impact does not make a noticeable change in the Earth's rotation period or the tilt of its axis.

The impact does not shift the Earth's orbit noticeably.

Air Blast:

The air blast at this location would not be noticed. (The overpressure is less than 1 Pa)

Re: First Contact Could Be Tomorrow!

33 to 50 feet isn't big enough to cause any damage?

If it's an iron asteroid, it would be more than big enough, wouldn't it?

Re: "Needler" -- sci fi projectile weapon

Posted the rough draft of most of the weapons here: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/75419-Star-HERO-with-not-magic-really-but/page4?p=1963251

Re: 10 Sci-Fi Weapons That Actually Exist

Until you run into a really bad dude who doesn't care if his skin feels like fire.

Re: Star HERO with... not magic, really, but...

We had our first session on Sunday, it consisted of a sort of "getting to know the PC" session for each of the two players, and some progress towards getting them in the same place.

Re: Star HERO with... not magic, really, but...

Here's a rough draft of many of the weapons for the setting/campaign; if Effect lists more than one line, then there are multiple ammunition types or settings. I still need to include the sonic weapons, the big continuous laser "slicer" weapon, and a couple of exotics.

(I tried to use a spoiler to keep the list from stretching the page, but long spoilers drop the list behind the following posts.)

Bolter Pistol, Light

Effect: 6d6 Normal or Stun

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 10/20/40 m (80 in vacuum)

Ammo: 50 (per energy cell)

Concealable: J

Cost: 600 (50 / energy cell)

Availability: 2,R

Notes: Also known as "packet guns" or "blasters", bolter weapons fire self-contained packets of coherent energy. The main advantages of bolters are freedom from ammunition constraints, lighter weight, few moving parts, relatively quiet operation, and a "stun" setting on most models. The brightly visible energy packets tend to give away the shooter's position, and lose power over distance because atmospheric interference.

Bolter Pistol, Heavy

Effect: 8d6 Normal or Stun

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 20/40/60 m (120 in vacuum)

Ammo: 40 (per energy cell)

Concealable: J

Cost: 800 (50 / energy cell)

Availability: 2,R

Notes: Some models of bolter pistol trade in efficiency for heavier hitting power and greater range.

Bolter Carbine

Effect: 9d6 Normal or Stun

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 25/50/100 m (200 in vacuum)

Ammo: 80 (per energy cell)

Concealable: T

Cost: 1000 (100 / energy cell)

Availability: 2,R

Notes: Heavier hitting power and greater range than a pistol, but more easily carried than a rifle.

Bolter Carbine, Military

Effect: 9d6 Normal or Stun

Rate of Fire: Autofire 3

Range: 25/50/100 m (200 m in vacuum)

Ammo: 80 (per energy cell)

Concealable: J

Cost: 1250 (100 / energy cell)

Availability: 2,X

Notes: Designed for military use, and capable of firing three-packet bursts.

Bolter, Sport

Effect: 8d6 Normal or Stun, Reduced Penetration

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 25/60/120 m (250 m in vacuum)

Ammo: 30 (per energy cell)

Concealable: T

Cost: 600 (30 / energy cell)

Availability: 2,R

Notes: Designed for affordable hobby and amateur target shooting, the sport bolter severely lacks in penetration, making it far less likely to kill a target. Against an armored foe, “sporters” are all but useless.

Bolter Rifle

Effect: 10d6 Normal or Stun

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 25/100/200 m (300 m in vacuum)

Ammo: 100 (per energy cell)

Concealable: N

Cost: 1250 (100 / energy cell)

Availability: 2,R

Notes: The bolter rifle brings a heavier punch and far better range.

Bolter Rifle, Military/Assault

Effect: 10d6 Normal or Stun

Rate of Fire: Autofire 3

Range: 25/100/200 m (300 m in vacuum)

Ammo: 100 (per energy cell)

Concealable: N

Cost: 1500 (100 / energy cell)

Availability: 2,X

Notes: The military version of the bolter rifle, capable of automatic fire. Civilian possession of such weapons is illegal in most systems.

Bolter Squad Support Weapon

Effect: 10d6 Normal or Stun

Rate of Fire: Autofire 5

Range: 25/100/200 m (300 m in vacuum)

Ammo: 100 (per energy cell), or 500 (per powerpack)

Concealable: N

Cost: 2500 (100 / energy cell)

Availability: 2,X

Notes: Capable of faster, sustained automatic fire.

Bolter, Triple

Effect: 11d6 Normal or Stun

Rate of Fire: Autofire 10

Range: 25/100/200 m (300 m in vacuum)

Ammo: 500 (per powerpack) or backpack generator

Concealable: N

Cost: 5000

Availability: 3,X

Notes: Triple-bolters are heavy, awkward weapons, and when on the move are typically fired from the hip and aimed using a gunlink, or simply "walked" onto the target. Most people require a full sling/harness, or strength-augmenting armor, to carry a triple-bolter in combat. Some heavy-modification cyborgs or upgrades are able to carry a triple-bolter by hand. The combination of external power, extra cooling, and three barrels firing in rapid succession allows for a blistering rate of fire.

Pistol (Caseless), Light

Effect: 2d6 Killing

1d6+1 Killing, Armor Piercing

1d6+1 Killing, +2 STUN multiplier

6d6 Normal

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 10/30/60 m

Ammo: 20 + 1

Concealable: P

Cost: 600 (5 / 100 ammo)

Availability: 2,R

Notes: The firearm of the future. "Caseless" refers to the ammunition, which actually uses a non-metallic case that is consumed when the round is fired. With no case to eject, the weapon can maintain a higher rate of fire, and the action can be closed to the outside elements.

Pistol (Caseless), Heavy

Effect: 2.5d6 Killing

1.5d6 Killing, Armor Piercing

1.5d6 Killing, +2 STUN Multiplier

8d6 Normal

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 10/40/80 m

Ammo: 20 + 1

Concealable: J

Cost: 750 (5 / 100 ammo)

Availability: 2,R

Notes: A heavier version, with more hitting power and greater range. The larger frame and heavier ammunition necessary make the weapon less concealable.

Pistol (Caseless), Assault

Effect: 2d6+1 Killing

1.5d6 Killing, Armor Piercing

1.5d6 Killing, +2 STUN Multiplier

7d6 Normal

Rate of Fire: Autofire 3

Range: 10/30/60 m

Ammo: 30 + 1

Concealable: J

Cost: 1000 (5 / 100 ammo)

Availability: 2,X

Notes: An assault pistol is capable of firing single shots or three-round bursts. Very illegal in most systems.

Rifle (Caseless), Light

Effect: 2.5d6 Killing

1.5d6 Killing, Armor Piercing

1.5d6 Killing, +2 STUN Multiplier

8d6 Normal

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 20/50/150 m

Ammo: 30 + 1

Concealable: N

Cost: 900 (5 / 100 ammo)

Availability: 2,R

Notes: A lightweight civilian firearm for hunting small game or casual target shooting.

Rifle (Caseless), Heavy

Effect: 3d6+1 Killing

2d6+1 Killing, Armor Piercing

2d6+1 Killing, +2 STUN Multiplier

10d6 Normal

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 25/75/200 m

Ammo: 20 + 1

Concealable: N

Cost: 1200 (10 / 100 ammo)

Availability: 2,R

Notes: Models of heavy rifle range from civilian hunting arms to military sniper weapons.

Rifle (Caseless), Military

Effect: 3d6 Killing

2d6 Killing, Armor Piercing

2d6 Killing, +2 STUN Multiplier

9d6 Normal

Rate of Fire: Autofire 5

Range: 20/50/150 m

Ammo: 30 + 1

Concealable: N

Cost: 1500 (10 / 100 ammo)

Availability: 2,X

Notes: A typical military weapon.

Squad Automatic Weapon (Caseless)

Effect: 3d6+1 Killing

2d6+1 Killing, Armor Piercing

2d6+1 Killing, +2 STUN Multiplier

10d6 Normal

Rate of Fire: Autofire 5

Range: 25/75/200 m

Ammo: 100 + 1

Concealable: N

Cost: 2000 (10 / 100 ammo)

Availability: 2,X

Notes: A heavier military weapon with greater ammunition capacity, longer range, and more hitting power. Very illegal in most systems.

Needler Pistol

Effect: 1d6 NND (Defense is LS: Poisons, or 3+ rPD), Does BODY (optional), Damage over Time (each Segment for 6 Segments)

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 5/10/15 m

Ammo: 40

Concealable: P

Cost: 600 (10 / 40 ammo)

Availability: 2,X

Notes: Needlers fire crystallized poisons or drugs. The crystal becomes a tight cloud of tiny shards, capable of penetrating clothing, which dissolve almost instantly once embedded under the skin. The effect listed is for the standard ammunition types, but many other effects are possible. A hit from a needler stings, and tiny droplets of blood may appear on the skin, but the crystals do no significant physical damage on their own. The power cell for a needler lasts for several hundred shots.

Needler, Assault

Effect: 1d6 NND (Defense is LS: Poisons, or 3+ rPD), Does BODY (optional), Damage over Time (each Segment for 6 Segments)

Rate of Fire: Autofire 5

Range: 5/10/20 m

Ammo: 80

Concealable: T

Cost: 800 (20 / 80 ammo)

Availability: 3,X

Notes: A larger model, capable of spraying down a crowd with tiny poisonous shards at close range. Used by criminals, terrorists, and oppressive governments, but almost useless against prepared opposition.

Heater Pistol

Effect: 2d6 Killing Continuous

6d6 Normal Continuous

6d6 Stun Continuous

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic (special)

Range: 10/20/30 m

Ammo: 40 (per energy cell)

Concealable: J

Cost: 800 (50 / energy cell)

Availability: 2,R

Notes: Thermal induction weapons, or "heaters", fire a sustained beam that causes rapid, intense heating in the target. The lowest setting causes sharp pain (typically requires an EGO roll to do anything other than attempt to get out of the beam), while the highest setting causes severe burns and ignites flammable materials -- such as non-resistant clothing.

Heater Carbine

Effect: 2.5d6 Killing Continuous

8d6 Normal Continuous

8d6 Stun Continuous

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic (special)

Range: 10/25/50 m

Ammo: 40 (per energy cell)

Concealable: T

Cost: 1200 (50 / energy cell)

Availability: 2,X

Notes: A larger, more powerful "heater", easily capable of causing lethal burns in a matter of a second or two.

Heater Rifle

Effect: 3d6 Killing Continuous

9d6 Normal Continuous

9d6 Stun Continuous

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic (special)

Range: 15/30/90 m

Ammo: 40 (per energy cell)

Concealable: N

Cost: 1600 (50 / energy cell)

Availability: 2,X

Notes: Other than the relatively short range, "heater" rifles make for effectively military weapons.

Gauss Pistol

Effect: 2d6 Killing, Armor Piercing

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 20/50/100 m

Ammo: 20+1 (66 per energy cell)

Concealable: T

Cost: 800 (50 / energy cell, 5 / 100 ammo)

Availability: 3,R

Notes: Gauss weapons use a superconducting magnet coiled around the inner barrel to hurl a super-dense slug at the target. Damage is caused purely by kinetic energy. Most gauss pistols mount the energy cell in the grip, and the ammunition magazine in front of the trigger assembly. Because of the need for both, most gauss weapons are not as concealable as their bolter counterparts. While they have no visible muzzle flash, there is a very distinctive and audible “crack” when a gauss weapon is fired, due to the hypersonic velocity of the rounds.

Gauss Micro-pistol

Effect: 2d6 Killing, Armor Piercing

Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic

Range: 15/30/60 m

Ammo: 15+1 (32 per energy cell)

Concealable: J

Cost: 600 (30 / energy cell, 5 / 100 ammo)

Availability: 3,R

Notes: Gauss micro-pistols are intended for covert use and concealed carrying. With shorter barrels and smaller energy cells, they present a much less obvious profile when holstered.

Gauss Carbine

Effect: 2d6+1 Killing, Armor Piercing

Rate of Fire: Autofire 3

Range: 20/60/200 m

Ammo: 45+1 (138 per energy cell)

Concealable: T

Cost: 1600 (70 / energy cell, 5 / 100 ammo)

Availability: 3,R

Notes: Gauss carbines are larger, fully automatic weapons, useful for paramilitary and special unit deployment. They typically have close-range targeting gear, and a folding or collapsible stock.

Gauss Rifle

Effect: 3d6 Killing, Armor Piercing

Rate of Fire: Autofire 3

Range: 25/100/400 m

Ammo: 45+1 (138 per energy cell)

Concealable: N

Cost: 4,500 (100 / energy cell, 10 / 100 ammo)

Availability: 3,X

Notes: Gauss rifles possess long range, a high rate of fire, and lethal hitting power – enough to make up for their lower ammunition capacity relative to bolter rifles.

Gauss “Buster”

Effect: 6d6 Killing, Penetrating, CMWF

Rate: Semiautomatic

Range: 50/500/2000 m

Ammo: 10+1 (33 per energy cell, or from generator)

Concealable: N

Cost: 12,000 (500 / energy cell, 10 / 10 ammo)

Availability: 3,X

Notes: Short for “tank buster,” Buster is the common nickname of the Gauss Infantry Cannon. Busters are considered by many to be the ultimate man-portable anti-tank weapons. They are usually equipped with an enhanced wide-spectrum smart-scope, which negates range penalties for vision to just over two kilometers.

Sliver Pistol

Effect: 2d6 Killing Penetrating

6d6 Normal 1-hex AoE

4d6 NND (LS: Poison or rPD 4)

Rate of Fire: Autofire 3

Range: 15/30/60 m

Ammo: 64 (128 per gas cartridge)

Concealable: J

Cost: 1600

Availability: 3,X

Notes: Sliver pistols use compressed gas to propel the relatively diminutive sliver rounds. Because the only power required is for the trigger system and accessories, the power cells are actually of the same type typically used in wrist chronographs and similar gear, making the weapons indistinguishable from mundane items, as far as weapons scanners are concerned. Additionally, they are far quieter than bolters or firearms, and should be considered suppressed (sight and hearing) for purposes of noticeability when they are fired. The most common sliver round for pistols is 2.5mm x 15mm.

Sliver Rifle

Effect: 2.5d6 Killing, Penetrating

8d6 Normal 1-hex AoE,

5d6 NND (LS: Poison or rPD 5)

Rate of Fire: Autofire 3

Range: 25 / 100 / 400 m

Ammo: 192 (384 per gas cartridge)

Concealable: N

Cost: 3,000

Availability: 3,X

Notes: Similar to sliver pistols, these rifles use a larger 3mm x 20mm round, and larger gas cartridges. They are usually equipped with advanced targeting gear, such as computerized multi-spectrum scopes, to take advantage of their long range and stealthy characteristics. In the hands of a skilled marksman, a sliver rifle can be a devastating weapon.

Sound Pistol

Effect: 7d6 Normal, AoE (1 hex)

5d6 Normal, AoE (14 hex line), No Range

Range: 20/40/60 m (or none)

Ammo: 40 (per energy cell)

Concealable: J

Cost: 900

Availability: 3,RT

Notes: Sonic weapons use modulated ultrasonic beams to cause intense vibration in a target, resulting in intense discomfort, or even injury, depending on the power level. Due to the nature of the weapon, treat either setting as Armor Piercing against rigid armor with no padding.

Sound Rifle

Effect: 8d6 Normal, AoE (1 hex)

6d6 Normal, AoE (14 hex line), No Range

Range: 20/50/10 m (or none)

Ammo: 80

Concealable: T

Cost: 1400

Availability: 3,XT

Notes: Sonic weapons use modulated ultrasonic beams to cause intense vibration in a target, resulting in intense discomfort, or even injury, depending on the power level. Due to the nature of the weapon, treat either setting as Armor Piercing against rigid armor with no padding.

Re: "Needler" -- sci fi projectile weapon

Sounds good.

Because this is for a game that doesn't use character points for equipment (unless it's cybernetics or bioenhancments), I wrote it up as "Special -- Ignores 2 rPD" for now, and went with something otherwise similar to Sean's build.

Thanks everyone. I'll probably post the weapons list in my thread about the campaign on the Star Hero forum when I'm done with it.

Re: A couple of brain cells connected...

Two things:

A) The Mythbusters test used a small number of spread out targets. Against an actual advancing army, they'd likely have scored a lot of hits.

The team had never fired them before. Given them another volley, and they probably devestate those dummy targets.

Re: The Singularity?

Ayup. Although the AIs in that world never seemed terribly smart' date=' despite their gigantic computing power. In Ian Bank's Culture novels, the most advanced society is run entirely by AIs (called minds) and people don't actually worry about it too much since they mostly assume they couldn't work out what was going on anyway. One of the nasty background elements to the Culture novels is that it's very clear that human society (actually all of the societies described) only continue to exist because the minds want them to.[/quote']

 

It's a rather dystopian setting.