Gemphyre

Re: Build this power I had not seen that thread. Which explains my mistake. Gemphyre

Re: Question about the Security Clearance Perk I also have a Secret Clearance. I originally got it in the military. The rules are the same since they originate from the DOD. You can only have access to the information that you need to do your job and you are cleared for. While I had a Secret Clearance, I did not have access to every bit of Secret information that was available at the commands I was at. I only had access to the information stored in my workcenter and/or that I had reason to audit because of a billet I was filling. The "special levels" I was talking about are things like TS/SCI and TS/Crypto. Areas that they take even more care to clear than for "run-of-the-mill" TS clearances, and thus receive extra designations. Gemphyre

Re: Build this power Do I detect a Slayers fan? Paging Shaman Zelgadis. Gemphyre

Re: Question about the Security Clearance Perk Just a minor correction from someone that deals in this stuff for a living. In the Real World, all security clearances include "Need to Know" implicitly. In order to view classified information, you have to have BOTH the appropriate active clearance of the appropriate level AND the need to know the information to do your job. Both the military and military contractors make a lot of effort to make sure that only people that need to know the information get access to it. If you have the clearance but not the need to know, you are denied access. This is the result of some high profile spy cases some years back. By the way, there are "special" levels Top Secret clearances that require extra investigations and paperwork to obtain. Those would be worth more than the basic TS clearance, i.e. 3+ points. However, as noted, the points would be dependent on the campaign. Gemphyre

Re: New Mechanic: Gradual Activation Honestly, this sounds like a more complex version of the Extra Time limitation. Other than the point values, how does the mechanic of this limitation differ from Extra Time? In fact, what are the exact mechanics of this limitation? Also, as a note, AFAK, there are no limitations or advantages in Hero that are dependent on the active points of a power that it is being attached to for the value of the limitation. A few are dependent on the relative levels of the powers, such as linked, but none the actual active point values. Why are you using this mechanic? Gemphyre

Re: CHAR: Tempest It is not so much lost income as poor grades. Basically, it has to do with how good his overall GPA is, and whether or not he fails or does not do well in classes. The "lost income" has more to do with lost status, i.e. GPA, and having to repeat classes, and thus pay the school more money and finish later, if at all. Gemphyre

Re: Seeking advice on campaign design The fact that you have a campaign in mind helps. You can narrow down possibilities greatly. While none of the supplement books are needed for Hero, you might want to consider purchasing Star Hero, since that is the genre book that deals with primarily science fiction settings. Also, asking questions in this forum and the Star Hero forum will help. Also, a general note. The Hero system has an interesting "quirk", if you will, in how powers are designed that throw a lot of new people off until they get used to it. You generally design powers and abilities from their effects on the world around them, not from their special effect. For example, a Magnum .357 and an SF Laser Blaster might both be 2D6 Ranged Killing Attacks, and be Obvious Accessible Foci (Guns), and thus cost the same, even though what they look like are very different. Note that they would be different Weapon Familiarities, IMO. Now, on to specifics. One of the main differences between a Heroic Setting and a Superheroic on is the origin of the character's powers to attack others. In a Heroic setting, unless it is a bare knuckled hand-to-hand fight, the main armament ability comes from some sort of device. A gun, a knife, a light saber. If the character has innate superhuman powers, they are either racial (Caninian and Feloids all have claws, while some members of the Zhonians are psionic), or else they are "sport mutations", where only a handful of people have the ability. And innate powers tend to be very low level (30 - 40 active point max) and heavy on the limitations. The characters resemble action heros from the movies. Superheroic settings usually feature characters will higher power levels, with most of the powers being innate or from unique devices. The origins of the abilities tends to be far more varied as well. Think of DC and Marvel universe characters. For point values, you can set these at what you want, but the point suggestions from the main rule book are 75 base + 75 disads (150 total) for a Standard Hero to 125 base + 125 disads (250 total) for Very Powerful Heros; and 200 base + 150 disads (350 total) for a Standard Superhero, the effectively the sky being the limit a the top end. For you campaign as you have described it so far, I would say the Standard Hero would probably be your best bet. Remember that your players will get experience points and improve as time goes on, so starting them out too powerful might be a bad move. The way to de-emphasize space battle, IMO, is to make it difficult for them to happen. In transit, a ship cannot attack, be attacked, or even really see out. They can't enter or leave hyperspace/warp space/whatever too close to a planet, and they don't usually travel in normal space between planets. And the weapons for intership combat make it hard for ships to disable and capture ships without destroying them. (OK, I am cribbing this from Traveller. It makes a good example.) You can define your space travel any way you want, and you can make it harder or easier for such battles to occur depending on what you want. With respect to the weapon familiarities in heroic settings. These represent general major areas of weapon usage. If you know how to fire a pistol, you can fire most pistols without significant problem. If you have special weapons that do not work like other weapons, require that the people using it MUST have a familiarity in the weapon to have a chance of using it correctly and effectively. The realism and feel can also be customized however you want. Just vary how realistic or cinematic you want to run the campaign. The way the combat rules are currently structured, 50 stormtroopers do have a decent chance of hitting their target. There are also OPTIONAL (as in you don't have to use them, and their loss does not harm play) rules that can help how gritty and realistic the play is. Things such as Knockdown, hit locations, and other rules. If they give you the feel you want, use them. If they are too complex, ignore them. Initially, you might want to ignore them until you and your players are familiar and somewhat comfortable with the combat system, since they do increase the complexity of combat. There are many experts on these boards that are more than willing to help you with your ideas. All you need to is ask. As you might guess, specific questions work better than general ones. If people know exactly what you are trying to do, you can get more target answers and suggestions. The first thing that you really need to do is pick up a copy of Hero System, Fifth Edition, Revised. You can get them in the online store of this website. This will answer most of your general questions about the system itself. Gemphyre

Re: Char: FrostFire The drop of skills was more of a "need to shave points from somewhere". Since he is unlikely to use them, they can be put aside for now. And as far as the Flight and FF, using an EC slipped my mind. The SFX are compatible since all his powers are effectively from the same source, control of Fire and Ice. Which gives me some points for a few Viper related skills. In Viper, he was basically a Basic Agent, and moderately new to the organization. In the Army, he would be a PFC at best. Gemphyre

Re: Ten Spider-Man Appearances That Will Never Hit Hollywood I know. I am a big fan of anime myself, and I have seen quite a number of shows from that time period. The Giant Robot was, and still is really, the first choice in combat against the main bad guy if at all possible. Spidey is just seems to be one of the least likely heros to have one, and completely out of character for him. Reed Richards and Iron Man would both build their own without a problem, and Captain America would get a Star Spangled Robot from the military. But perpetually broke Spidey living with his Aunt May? Sure, he could build one, but where would he get the parts? (Quick answer, from the remains of other robots that were destroyed by the FF, Cap, and Iron Man. All they would need is a new paint job. ) Gemphyre

Re: Ten Spider-Man Appearances That Will Never Hit Hollywood OK. I have just been watching those clips, and I have a question about the Japanese one that I have yet to see asked. When the H*LL did Spidey get a GIANT ROBOT???? Gemphyre

Val Char Cost 10 STR 0 24 DEX 42 23 CON 26 10 BODY 0 13 INT 3 10 EGO 0 13 PRE 3 10 COM 0 5/20 PD 3 5/20 ED 0 5 SPD 16 10 REC 6 70 END 12 50 STUN 23 6" RUN 0 2" SWIM 0 2" LEAP 0 Characteristics Cost: 134 Cost Power END 75 Fire and Ice, 75-point reserve 7u 1) EB 12d6, Variable Special Effects (Limited Group of SFX : Fire and Ice effects; +1/4) (75 Active Points) 7 7u 2) A Fog Rolls In: Change Environment 8" radius, -7 to Sight Group PER Rolls, -7 to Infrared Perception PER Rolls, Multiple Combat Effects, Personal Immunity (+1/4) (72 Active Points) 7 6u 3) Ice Bonds: Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF (60 Active Points) 6 6u 4) Ice Field: Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF, Area Of Effect (3" Radius; +1) (60 Active Points) 6 7u 5) Fire Break/Ice Wall: FW (10 PD/10 ED/4 Flash Defense: Sight Group), Variable Special Effects (Limited Group of SFX: Fire or Ice; +1/4) (75 Active Points) 7 4u 6) Ice Sheet: Change Environment 16" radius, -6 DEX Roll and all Skill Rolls based on DEX, Personal Immunity (+1/4) (56 Active Points); Limited Power Only Affects Persons Moving on the Ground (-1/4) 6 5 IR Perception (Sight Group) 0 39 Flight 17", x4 Noncombat 4 40 FF (15 PD/15 ED) (Protect Carried Items) 4 4 LS (Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat) 0 5 Eyes used to Bright Snow and Fire: Sight Group Flash Defense (5 points) 0 Powers Cost: 205 Cost Skill 3 Seduction 12- 3 SS: Chemistry 12- 3 Persuasion 12- Skills Cost: 9 Cost Talent 2 Environmental Movement (no penalties on ICE) Talents Cost: 2 Total Character Cost: 350 Val Disadvantages 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity Frequently (11-), Major 10 Social Limitation: Former Viper Agent under witness protection. Viper will assasinate if they find out who he is. (Occasionally, Major) 20 Psychological Limitation: Code Versus Killing Common, Total 20 Psychological Limitation: Gentleman's Code of Honor (Very Common, Strong) [Notes: Polite to the ladies. Will not attack from ambush. Gentlemanly at all times.] 10 Psychological Limitation: Protective of Innocents (Common, Moderate) 15 DNPC: Girlfriend 8- (Normal; Unaware of character's adventuring career/Secret ID) 10 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN Air/Wind Powers (Uncommon) 5 Distinctive Features: Very unusual heat signature. Viewable with IR Perception. (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) 20 Hunted: Viper 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 25 Hunted: Primus 14- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching) History/Background: Sometimes everthing looks like it is going right, and turns out all wrong. Philip was just another agent of Viper when he was "selected" to be a test subject for another of their series of Super Agent programs. He apparently had the right "genetic makeup" to have a good chance of surviving the test, and some chance of getting some significant powers. Something like 25% chance of survival, and 10% of powers if he survived. Good odds, for Viper. He was subjected to a battery of painful injections, irradiations, and who-knows-whats during the process, and was in excruciating pain for a month afterwards. However, after he recovered, it did not seem that he had acquired any significant enhanced abilities at all. He was a little faster and marginally tougher than previously, but not enough to justify the expense of the procedure. Philip was returned to active dury with a bonus and a commendation in his record. In reality, the process did change him significantly. The fact that he had no say in the process or his selection disturbed him greatly. And while he felt the power growing inside him, he decided not to mention it. He was also questioning his involvement in Viper and in crime in general. He was remembering the people that he hurt, and sometimes killed, and wondering if it was really worth it. (read "scared straight") Soon, he was being sent out on missions again. And, of course, he got tangled up with some supers that came to foil the crime. However, by this time, he decided that it was time to leave Viper, and go straight. One of the attacks destroyed their transport, and another scattered the agents to the 4 winds. As is SOP for his nest, if separated, change into street clothes and blend in with the crowd, which he did. However, instead of returning to the rendezvous, he instead went to the city's PRIMUS office and turned himself in. He then proceded to spill his guts about EVERYTHING that he knew about local Viper operations and personnel, while allowing a telepath to read him. He told PRIMUS that he was the product of a recent Super Agent project, and demonstrated the powers that he had at the time. He requests, and gets, put into the witness protection program as well as cosmetic surgery to change his appearance after he turns state's evidence and testifies at the trials of the Viper agents that were captured in the raid on the Nest he was attached to. He is also implanted with a tracker during the surgery so that Primus can keep tabs on him. He has been registered in under the US Supers Registration Act under his old name. Since he is using his powers to help the police and law enforcement, as well as against Viper, Primus is not giving him a hard time about it. With Primus's help, he has continued his education and now has a decent job. He knows that Viper wants him for turning traitor, and Primus is keeping an eye on him to make sure that he does not go back to crime, which he has no intention of doing. Note: He will help Primus whenever they ask, since he knows that they have enough on him to send him away for a long time, even though he does have amnesty from past crimes for turning state's witness. He would rather just stay on their good side if he can. End character description. This is designed to be something of a loner character to new players. Also, I was intrigued by reversing the concept of reversing how a lot of villains go their start. Exposed to experiment/accident/whatever, went crazy, became villain. So I turned the formula around. Started out a criminal, "selected" for an experiment (effectively at gunpoint), went sane, and became a hero. Opinions? Gemphyre

Re: Ruminations on Skills Of the appropriate gender and orientation, as well as being single and available, of course. Gemphyre

Re: Ruminations on Skills I have a similar way to break things down in the real world. (Ooo! Eeek!) SS: Theorist - the guy that comes up with the new ideas for how things work. Does the small scale experiments, but does not worry too much about how to apply the knowledge. PS: Engineer - This is the guy that takes theorist's ideas and creates practical applications for them. He does not necessarily make the group breaking discoveries, but he does get them into a mass-producable form for the market, as well as figuring how to mass produce them in some cases. PS: Technician - This is the guy that takes the design that the engineer created and either implements it or, more likely, fixes it. He often knows how it works in the real world, but does not necessarily have the knowledge to design it from scratch. KS: Student or Amateur Scientist - This person knows quite a lot about the theory of how the things work, but not enough to come up with new viable theories, nor is the person necessarily competent in in fixing items in the KS area. Note: If the KS is combined with either SS or PS above, assume far more in depth knowledge than the KS alone. Note that these areas overlap as well. A theorist needs some knowledge of application to test his designs and theories before he publishes them. The Engineer needs knowledge of the science behind the theory in order to implement the design, and knowledge of the practical design in order to create it. The technician needs passing knowledge of the theory in order to understand the design, as well as how to properly test the design in order to fix it. A person with only a KS in a science probably knows or is learning what is needed in order to be effective as a technician, but does not have the depth of skill yet. Admittedly, this is somewhat sloppy, and there are a number of grey areas. But then, that is the real world for you. Besides, as I said, this is more of a personal outlook and philosophy based on personal experience as a student, amateur scientist, Navy Avionics technician, and profession Software Engineer, and how those things mess and overlap. Gemphyre

Re: Toying with new character concepts On concept 2. How about an anti-psi. He has innate very high mental defense and a significant Suppress Ego Powers, AE Radius, no range that is either always on or switchable on and off. Add some appropriate skills and perhaps some device-based powers so that he is decent in a fight and out of it. As a twist, assuming you take the always on option, he does not even know that he is an anti-psi at first. He just knows that some villains and heros REALLY like or hate him, depending on whether or not they have Ego powers. Gemphyre

Re: Regrettable Disads Yes, as well as an open vest. An American Indian (Apache, probably) from the old 1970's Justice League of America Saturday morning cartoons. He could grow to be several stories tall by uttering a "magic word". As I remember, it sounded something like "Innukchuk". Mark Sebree

Re: Regrettable Disads

Re: Force Field LImitation Question Yeah, but getting any Plotdevicium is almost impossible except for villains and NPCs. Perhaps it is too dangerous for heros to use. On the other hand, almost everyone seems to be able to get their hands on Handwavium whenever they wish. Gemphyre

Re: Megascale Move(damage) question A couple things that nobody has mentioned, yet. For option 1, he would not be able to get to MegaScaled movement speeds. In fact, since we are talking about a Speedster, he would not even get to normal non-combat speeds. Not enough room. As far as option 2, I personally think that the best option here is to enforce the time and distance it takes to get up to full speed. From the rulebook: "Acceleration and deceleration with MegaMovement is at the same rate as for normal movement, only over a larger scale. For example, MegaMovement, at the rate of 1 kilometer per hex would allow a character to accelerate or decelerate at the rate of 5 kilometers per kilometer." A person with megamovement on running or flight needs A LOT of room to get up to speed, as well as a fair amount of time. And, as everyone, including the rulebook, has mentioned, doing this in combat is little better than a kamikaze move, and likely ends up worthy of one hell of a funeral. The hero MIGHT get some last words, or end up as a fine mist across the state. Mark Sebree

Re: Newbie to the HERO system The good news is that Hero Games does publish lists of acronyms. The bad news is that you have to buy their products to see it, such as the Glossary starting on page 6 of the Fifth Ed. Rev. rulebook. Seriously, as another said here, get together a list if acronyms and abbreviations that you are mystified by, post them here, and you will soon have what they mean. Most people here have been playing for quite a while, and are happy to help people that are lost in the system. As with anywhere else, the acronyms as a shorthand way to say a long word or phrase quickly. It saves time talking, and a lot of time and space when writing out character info. Gemphyre

Re: IR Perception Question

Re: IR Perception Question > Easy to Spot is not the same as Easy To Hit. > > You're still trying to hit a very small object, a very small moving > object no less. > You have a point here. > Humming Bird will have difficulties sneaking past the character, but > the character doesn't negate any DCV bonuses or OCV penalties. More than you suspect. IR Perception isn't the only enhanced sense the character has. :-) This is why I am asking the question BEFORE it becomes an issue. If I have the answers, as well as the logic behind it, ready for when the situation arises, the rules seem less off-the-cuff and are less likely to provoke discussion. -- > On another note: There is a difference between Thermal Imaging > and Infrared Imaging - they do use different technologies. > > Also, what we see as Infraread in things like IR/Nightvision goggles > are generally False Color images. I am actually well aware of this, since I deal with it on a professional basis. > And note that Infrared is not the only source of "heat" in an object. > Thermal Radiation occurs across the entire spectrum, it is not limited > to the IR portion. However, the major portion of the heat signature of objects likely to be encountered on Earth is in the IR spectrum. That is why the IR spectrum is associated with heat in common parlance. > > For game purposes, unless you're playing Science Team Hero, I'd > wouldn't worry about the difference much. My question came from how Checkmate was differentiating Thermal Vision from IR Perception. I honestly have no idea what he meant and how they were supposed to be different. especially in game terms. He did not define what the differences were supposed to be. And then he proceeded to answer my question using a power/ability that was not clearly defined except for saying that it was different from the power I was asking about. Without defined differences, I see them as being essentially the same. IR Perception sees heat as defined by the rules and by logic, and since "thermal" refers to heat, that makes "thermal vision" mean "heat vision", or seeing heat, which is what IR perception is. Gemphyre

Re: IR Perception Question > Well your first problem is that IR doesn't actually detect heat, it detects > light in the IR spectrum. That is what heat is. Light in the IR spectrum. High School physics and chemistry. All bodies above Absolute Zero give off heat, and thus radiate in the IR spectrum. However, since all bodies radiate, it is differences in the amount of heat they are radiating relative to the surrounding environment that make them visible. If there is another similar heat source between the viewer and the target, the target disappears. Also, if the ambient temp is close to the target's surface temp, it's "glow" is washed out because everything else in the area is radiating the same amount in near the same wavelengths. This is why most real world thermal imaging and perception devices are cryogenically cooled, to increase the thermal differential, and make the heat source stand out more. > It is exactly like UV Vision just using a different > wavelength. Except that most targets do not radiate in the UV range, as they do in the IR range. > What your character wanted was Thermal Vision. What is the difference between IR Perception and "Thermal Vision"? Specifics. After all, IR perception *IS* thermal vision. You are seeing heat (the literal meaning of "thermal vision"). > > Now going on the assumption that we're now talking about Thermal > Vision I'll answer your question: While someone with shriking does get > a bonus to preception modifiers made against them, this isn't where > the the bonus to HtH or Ranged attacks comes from. I can see a needle > from 20' away, doesn't mean I can hit it with a rock or bullet. Now I > would negate the perception bonus for someone with Thermal Vision if > the the ambient temp was significantly lower, but not the DCV modifier. If you look back at my original post, I said that range modifiers are not affected by this. The idea is that a person with IR perception would have an easier time picking out a small target that is warmer than its surroundings than normal. If you can see a target, you have a better chance of hitting it. That is why not all of the DCV from shrinking is negated, only a portion of it. Gemphyre

An interesting question was raised by a new player in my Supers campaign. Luckily, it was not during combat, so I did not have to make a snap decision. However, I would like some input from others before it becomes a problem. The character in question has Sight Group IR perception, no other special modifiers to this. During "normal" circumstances, this is not a problem. She can see heat sources in the dark, etc. However, in reference to a recent battle where she was introduced, she raises an interesting question/argument. The battle was with GRAB, and the question deals with Hummingbird when she is shrunk. Assuming that ambient temperature is normal, and given that there are most living beings are significantly warmer than their surroundings (20-30 deg. F at least), this should make them glow significantly in the IR spectrum. For something as small as HB, she should show up as a bright red ball. Even more so if it is cold out. Therefore, she should be easier to see, and thus to hit either HTH or at range. Possible ruling for normal conditions. If there are no heat sources or heat shields between the character and the target, the Perception Penalty is divided by 2, round down. And if the Perception roll is made, the DCV penalty from size is divided by 2, rounded down when shrunk, and applied BEFORE any maneuvers. This only applies to shrunk/small targets, and has no effect on normal sized targets and no effect on Range Modifiers. For cold weather/environment, there can an even further reduction of the Perception penalty because of the greater difference in heat from the source and the environment (glows bigger and brighter). Perhaps a division by 3 or 4 for extreme cases. For a shrunk character with fire/heat powers, the same thing can be done normally. The division of the DCV penalty probably should not be changed in any case. I am looking for opinions and suggestions please. Mark Sebree Gemphyhre

Greetings, I have a character in my Heros campaign with electrical powers and the ability to teleport through and along electrical conductors. He also has a disadvantage that when he is soaked and charged up (i.e. using his active powers), his internal energy discharges completely. I am sure that a number of you can figure out my question by now. Basically, what is the result of him teleporting through water? My personal opinion is that since he is in an energy form during the teleport, there is no problem. However, if he does not end on a dry surface (i.e. stops in the middle of the water), he will short out since he has to be powered up to teleport. However, I would like to get other opinions. And to clarify the part about being "soaked". First, it is only when he is using his active powers is he considered "powered up". Most of his defenses do not require that he pour any power into them. Second, "soaked" refers to him being hit or drenched with a significant amount of water. A glass of water in his face, or him walking though a puddle will not short him out, although it might raise some sparks. A water attack or being knocked into and breaking a fire hydrant, however, will leave him soaked as a result.

Re: Help with a power for character Obvious ones for your character description. Physical Limitation - Does not understand the human world. (straight from your description) Public ID or Secret ID. Psych Lim: Sometimes tries to do things according to "video game physics" and according to "video game social interaction". (Think about it for a moment. Could be good for some humerous situations if not overplayed.) Social Lim - Well Known - like Famous, but with a lower chance of random person knowing hero because of resemblance to Video Game character. Could also have a positive Reputation, in a large large, limited group Since the character is a video game character, I would not give a Code vs. Killing, since that was the character's main function in the game. Or at most, only at the Moderate level. Perhaps a vulnerability to Electrical attacks, and a Susepatibility to strong magnetic field because of his origin as a video game character, as well as Magic vulnerability since magic brought him to life. What are the character's weaknesses in the game he was drawn from? That could also be used. These are just a stack of items off the top of my head. You are the one that has to decide what is appropriate for your game and this character. Gemphyre