Blue Jogger

I would guess they became part of the DC universe when it became clear that Static wasn't just a teen hero. He has lots of powers now then when he started with. In the last show, he had an electric force wall, his electric bolts (with lots of tricks) and telekinesis (apparently picking people up by their electrons).

Hmm, some of my weirdest...

Green Liberty - A Green Lantern ripoff, he was an idiot-servant that had an initutive ability to use a Power Ring but had the mind of a child. At one point, a dinosaur attack the city and my character made a huge green hand. "Bad Dinosaur! BAD! BAD! BAD!" Picking up the model dinosaur and pretending to hit it repeatly on the table like a spoiled kid. When the rest of the players recovered, they quickly checked the Strength chart, "Yeap, he has enough Strength to do that."

Captain Power - Shape-shifting Demon w/Memory Loss. Loved to mimic the other heroes. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Actually came in handy to protect someone's Secret ID.

Little Green Man From Mars - Never actually wrote him up, but he was based on a Loony Tune cartoon where a little martian baby accidently gets born on Earth. He flys around in a homemade spaceship that's small enough to fit through doorways. Would have given him tractor beams, heat beams, force fields and Life Support.

I think Strength is fine for superheroes. Most heroes can justify having a 20 or 25 Strength by spending 10 or 15 points. Non-bricks should not go above half the Strength value of Bricks. Where Bricks are 40 to 60 Strength, non-brick should not be above 20 to 30 Strength. (Although, I have played an energy projector with the cheesy Strength ultraslot)

For heroic, NHM need to be enforced (and hard limits above NHM need to be outlined) and, in campaigns where Strength above 13 is rare, then doubling the cost is not outragous.

Nope, it applies to all applicable powers. The cost is the same whether it is 5 or 20. If it is just one power, it can be cheaper because it is affecting a specific power and not some "group of powers".

In your specific example, the 0 END cost NPA needs to be Continuous (because Force Field and Telekinesis are Continuous) and you need to add 0 END cost to the wand (unless using the wand works off of an End Reserve or Charges or something).

15 Base Points (For 0 END on 30 Points), +1 Continuous, +1/2 0 END Cost

15*2.5 = 37 Active Points

-1 OAF - Magic Wand

18 Real Points

Now, what if it was 0 END on just one power. Say the Force Field.

That would be 7 Active Points, w/OAF, 3 Real Points. Because it is just that one power, it does not need the 0 END or Continuous. (It's really a Partially Limited Power if you have played 4th Edition.)

Is this confusing? Yes, it is. The first is an example of a Metapower or a power that affects other powers. The second is an example of a Partially Limited Power.

Originally posted by Kolava

Excellent, I'm fully versed in NPAs now. Though one question never got a firm answer: do NPAs that apply to many powers cost more then single power NPAs, and, if so, how much more?

Yes, it general costs more to have a NPA that applies to batch of powers than just one. This is because "many powers" are defined only by the upper limit (say 60 Active Points) which may includes advantages. So you could end up paying for putting an advantage on another advantage. Note that in this case NPAs, Costs END, is Instant, and Non-Persistant unless additional advantages are applied to the NPA (even if the "many powers" are all Continous, 0 END, or Persistant in nature).

Now, for a specific power, you basically pay the difference of the real cost of having the power with the new advantage and subtract the real cost of original power.

Well, when we playtested a mentalist with Mental Damage Reduction, it was inefficient vs. the same amount of straight Mental Defense. The exception was powerful mental powers where 50% loss meant losing the target level or massively reducing the penalities to the EGO roll for breakout.

Look at Mind Control and Mental Illusions. At 15d6, you're throwing out 26 points of effect. Look at EGO vs. EGO+20 level, that's what 50% Mental Damage Reduction gets you. Granted, you could just buy 30 points of Mental Defense or +30 EGO (with limitations).

That's Champions, you can have it your own way (subject to GM approval).

Magic Rope

This rope can move people across its length at a rate of (10"/turn), it can also tie itself to an item and attempt to move it. This one is rated for 400 kilograms and is 16" (100 foot) long. When used to push or pull or as a weapon, it is rated at 20 STR, 10 STR when used for delicate work. The rope must have one end near the caster.

7----- 30 pt. Multipower Magic Rope- OAF -1, Independent -2

1u--- 5" Flight, Usuable on Others and Self +1 (400 kilograms total), At Limited Range (16") +1/4, No Ranged Penalities (+1/2)

1u--- 20 STR Telekensis, Limited Range (16")

1u--- 10 STR Telekensis, Fine Manipulation +2 (14-), Limited Range (16")

10 Real Points

I wrote up a character that had invisible telekinesis and clairvoyance. The clairvoyance could direct the telekinesis (but did not inform the main character unless it came back and "communicated"). This usually led to disargeements.

The telekinesis was in a multipower. If they worked together, the larger telekinesis was used, otherwise it was a smaller telekinesis with "extra limbs" to represent "6 other guys".

There was a water blast attack and a flame thrower attack and the lion roar (but it only scared the weaker ro-beasts).

Usually, I have found that when I want something close to Boostable, but something that doesn't Burnout (or the limit of 4 additional charges), I usually want something other than Boostable.

Example:

Summon 13 Kobolds (15+20)

-0 Charges: 13

-1 Lim: Expends 1 charge per Kobold summoned

17 Real Points

This allows one to summon 13 Kobolds at once, or 1 Kobold 13 times, or some combination. Without the limitation, one could summon 13 kobolds up to 13 times (as long as doesn't exceed 13 at any one time).

I think the main reason the Burnout rule was added was to prevent people from always boosting the power.

The classic use is in gadgets. I expend more energy than normal (simular to Pushing), I do more damage, but there is a risk that the barrel will overheat, the crystal will crack, etc.

I thought it was so the 50 STR brick could haymaker and punch his way through.

Re: World Creation Issues - Opinions Wanted

Originally posted by Nightshade

1) I have a race of Dark Elves on my world (who doesn't?) called the Morla. Now, I want them to be evil, nasty, and altogether known as the "bad guys." I really didn't want them to be a culture that players chose their characters from. Would you put a write up of this race (culture, aspects, leadership, etc.) in your main world description, or would you leave it out to foster the mysterious side of them?

 

2) In writing up my magic, I have Infernalism (devil magic) and Diablism (demon magic). Again, these are for the bad guys to use. Should I even put them in my magic section, or should I just state that there are these two forms of magic and give an overview what other wizards might know about them, or something else?

I would write up the Dark Elves, but be really sketchy about the details. Give conflicting rumors, old wives tales and third-hand reports as if they were cold hard facts.

On Infernalism and Diablism, give an overview of what other wizards might know and give them good story or two about "You really don't want to go there". Known wizard stories of the exceptionally truehearted corrupted by the sheer temptations of that which should have remain forbidden. Again, really sketchy on exact details, heavy on dangerous and forbidden. "And madness surely will follow anyone who dares walk this path."

I'll take a baker's dozen. Thanks. No, I'll just summon them when I need them.

Summon 13 kobolds (15+20 base)

-3 Charges: 13, requires 1 charge per kobold, charges don't recover.

9 Real Points

I would go with a -0 on "Only to hide the gun" and -1 on "Only While The Gun Is Dismantled".

My reasoning...

Guns that get an 5 point OCV bonus, don't get anything (other than focus limitation) for the fact that the OCV bonus is only with that gun and not a lucky rabbit foot that gives it to every attack. Thus, concealment bought as an IAF - dismantled gun doesn't help the user hide (or discover where other things are hidden), it just helps the gun. It's a "dramatic sense" rule. (I'd love to here counter arguements on this one.)

However, the gun has to be dismantled (don't lost those tiny pieces) and it can be annoying to keep track of several pieces (damn, I left the trigger in the smoking jacket!) this should be worth a -1. This puts it at 6 points, which feels right.

Re: Re: Interrupt...

Originally posted by SCUBA Hero

representing a block/counterstrike or interrupting the attacker's strike.

In a way, a normal block does that. A successful block allows your next attack to fall before the attacker can land another blow. That's a fairly effective counterstrike.

The way I would do it, (if I couldn't buy more speed) is buy a no-range area effect attack (limited to hand-to-hand range) and add personal immunity. Entering melee range means you get hit with my ultra-fast counterstrike attack.

There was one lich in a AD&D module that wasn't evil. Oddly enough, he was just so focused on his research and unwilling to quit it, that he continued on while his flesh rotted away.

Talk about being distracted. "Just a few more years of research and then I'll stop."

Imagine the fun...

"Yeah, I was a supervillian. But now, I take heavy medications and wear this stupid unbreakable collar. Community Service, my butt."

"No way, I'm not going first." **ZAP** "Ok, stop shocking me with the collar. I'll go first. Just because I have forcefield doesn't mean I deserve this, I'm PULSAR for crying out..." **ZAP** "Ok, ok. I deserve that one."

My idea is:

Eidetic Memory gives up to +2 where obscure but simple facts are needed to use an INT-based skill. Players are encouraged to roleplay this.

"Hmm.... Chocolate! We can seal this reactor leak if we only had some chocolate. The phosophorine bromide in the chocolate will react with the free ions in the gas, forming a rubber-like seal."

(Remembered from MacGver episode from long, long ago)

Roll 1D6

1 -- Gives -1 (doesn't quite work in current situation)

2 -- Gives 0

3 -- Gives +1

4 -- Gives +1

5 -- Gives +1

6 -- Gives +2 (wow, really useful fact remembered)

Originally posted by lensman

Blue jogger, you are my personal god for today.

 

Great idea that Adder. Thanks

Does this mean tomorrow you'll forget that I was here?

I was wondering, lensman, is this an Always On power?

"Who are you?"

"I am Shadowhawk. Remember? I'm the latest member!"

"Thanks for the assistance."

(Five Minutes Later)

"And lastly, who are you?"

"I'm Shadowhawk. I'm the latest member. I just saved your life five minutes ago."

(Another Five Minutes Later)

"Why is this person in the SuperJet?"

"AAAAGGGHH! I'm Shadowhawk! I'm the latest member!"

Actually I was whining that I could (and have) pull points out of stats to make a cheaper summon but couldn't just add a Disadvantage (to the creature) to make it cheaper.

This becomes a problem when you want to summon an unseen servant and it becomes more expensive than a real loyal servant (though unseen servants are less useful, smart, and flexible as a real loyal servant).

Well, best way, the cheapest way and the way the GM allows are often three different things.

Depending on the campaign, you could probably get away with Invisibility, but upon intergation the person might remember talking to somebody or something or maybe just himself... just can't remember any details.

The GM may allow something like No Interaction Memory as an additional adder simular to No Fringe Effect.

The FAQ admits the errors of doing Eidetic Memory as Retrocognition and that it covers multiple sense groups (even though Retro only covered one) if neccessary. And then defeatly admits...

Until Hero publishes a book that gives Eidetic Memory sufficient concrete benefits to make it worth 10 points, the cost remains 5 Character Points.

So I use Retro when the power is looking into the past (where the viewer wasn't there to remember) and Eidetic Memory for recording devices or for memory enhancing effects.

Originally posted by Blue

Does improved target group also allow for variable result? I'd think you'd need a variable advantage on this power. I think you've handled the "Change Anything" part, now you need variable to handle the "Into anything" part. But perhaps someone with the book in front of them or with more knowledge than myself might verify...

Actually, the advantage is the "into anything" part. The "Change Anything" is the default unless a limitation is taken. If it only works on people, its a -1/2; if it only works on squirrels, it's a -1.

And to answer the question, YES, it's broken. Even a completely universal transform should have limits defined by the character concept and the concept of the transformation power.

Ok, you got me there, Hugh. I did not specifically state that I was summoning a small child wizard, a weak demon/creature, or a flying imp (although I don't think it violates any of these concepts, though child wizard would not be morally right). It may just be a pile of green ooze.

I started with a small child (for stats) but also give it specific creature-like abilities. I handwaved the PRE and Endurance expendures (as some GMs might) and that would have increased the cost. Ok, I give, I min-max the beast more than I should. I also went back and said, better summon four of these things, they are after all cheap and disposable and bears are mean creatures if they hit.

To say that a bear, however, is somehow intrinsically more than its combat statistics... I picture a bunch of Hero guys going out, finding a black bear and measuring it. "(Pant, Pant, Pant) Definately has 10 REC and 36 END. I'm too out of shape to be doing this." BTW, the bear's has about 15 points of non-combat bear powers out of its 108 total.

Here are the stats of a small child.

0 STR -10

8 DEX -6

5 CON -10

5 BODY -10

7 INT 3

5 EGO -10

5 PRE -5

10 COM 0

1 PD 1

1 ED 0

1 SPD -8

2 REC 2

10 END 0

8 STUN 0

Total: -59

I then ramped the DEX to 20 and the speed to 2, the +2 DCV is a normal small child ability, but could represent a certain skill in avoiding being hit.

However, the combat thing was a sidetrack, the main point is that you can get 59 points by using the small child stats (if your creature concept allows for it). You can't, however, get 59 points back by using disadvantages.