incrdbil

Re: The move to FTP

Anyone have thoughts on the move of CO to FTP?

Call me Han.

Started a new, completely original from sctach Star Hero Game tonight. Original Races, planets, technology..many submitted by players in a common group effort. (And a lot of borrowed, inspired, or even comedic tribute items too)

And it all just clicked so well in the first game. Sense of mystery, optimism, good character interactions, initial plot hooks, budding rivalries...

It was one of those days when its really good to be the GM.

Re: What do you really think of Champions Online?

I would lik to see more serious Co content, and fewer pun-based missions. CO needs more zones, and more mission variety. What they have is fien for a one year old game, but they can't rest on that.

Things that need to come down the line--

More zones--

More power sets--

An option to play villains, or Dark Champions ( a vigilante style game, aimed more street level with low level powers..of course, that would be a seperate game really..so never mind)--

More big villain group debuts

More trully challenging lairs. I want to fight a true Supervillain Team--a team of all Supervillains. No more masterminds with minions, or the lone supervillain--a team designed to work together, with specific built AI instructions to make them work together.

Re: Looking for playability criticisms

The Character is plenty Tough. when Grown, hes packing 30 PD/ED and 4 DC's of negation. Given an average dice roll, a 15d6 blast wlll do about 9 stun. if the game centers around 12d6 attacks, you'll take no damage against those.

The low Dex isn't a problem. Even if henchmen and minions out DEX you, they can't really hurt you, unless they pack flamethrowers.

Heck, sell back some DCV. 6 is plenty for a high defense Brick. Buy up OCV levels--perhaps only usabel withthe extra limbs.

As a GM, I'd say the DMCV seems a little high.

Maybe reinvest points saved from DMCV (and limitign the damage negation) into increasing recovery, buying reduced end on powers. (A quick way to mitigate Growth END is the only costs end when activated advantage)

I think the Damage Negation should not work versus fire attacks.

Re: And now, for your daily dose of cute...

http://www.rhymes-with-witch.com/rww09152010.shtml

The Gladiatorial games of cuteness

Re: What do you think of Endurance Reserve in 6E?

But once you're used up your charges' date=' that power is [i']Done For The Day[/i]. An END Reserve can keep on going, "limited" only by the total END and amount of REC in the battery -- all day, all night.

Hmm, recoverable charges of endurance?

Re: What do you think of Endurance Reserve in 6E?

In reference to the discussion of reduced endurance advantage:

Their is an offensive advantage of an END reserve or just high endurance over buying reduced endurance powers in campaigns with firm active point limits,as you dont have to use up your upper active point limit on the reduced endurance advantage.

Looking at a 75 active limit--you can have a 15 DC 7 END attack, or a 12d6 3 END attack.

Re: What do speedsters do in 6E?

Passing Strike--

1/2 phase action +1 OCV +0 DCV STR damage + v/10, Full Move, 5 points.

Best 5 points you'll ever spend on a speedster. Move-by's are obsolete.

Re: What do you think of Endurance Reserve in 6E?

Thing is, a player can simply apply some advantages and limitations to buying normal end and recovery, and get the advantage of using their base end and recovery, and perhaps do it cheaper. So, given you can duplicates END reserves effects, and do it better for the same cost, or even less..why use it?

Re: What do you think of Endurance Reserve in 6E?

But you don't wake up at 0 End' date=' you wake up at End = Stun, which by the way would be a lot higher if those points you spent on Reserve Rec were instead spent on personal Rec. And don't forget, [i']you have to buy Reserve Rec starting from 0[/i], which rather puts to waste what you've already spent on personal Rec. Furthermore, if that 10 or 15 points you spent on Reserve Rec were spent on personal Rec, you might not have been knocked out to begin with, because unlike Reserve Rec it increases your Stun too.

Yeah--buying an end reserve now isn't a great option. Simply buying normal end and upping recovery with whatever limits you had on the old power reserve seems to be a better deal.

Re: What do you think of Endurance Reserve in 6E?

I rarely have characters coming back to consciousness..and when they do, the one or two recoveries usually gives them enough end to get by.

Hmm, ok, time to get my munchkin hat on. Charges of normal END? Absorbtion to a END reserve? Some form of Aid...hmm, possibilities to mimic a self generating power source or stored reserves that way.

Re: What do you think of Endurance Reserve in 6E?

I hadn't noticed this huge hit to the cost of END reserve from 5E. The advantages seem pretty minimal. Hmm, this might be my first 6E rules reversal back to 5E. They may as well have removed the power for all good it is now.

Re: Thoughts on the new Champions Universe for 6E

Dr.Destroyer should NOT be a mage. His power should come from the fruits of his own genius and not some mysterious shadow dimension.

I'm thinking you didnt read enough.

Re: The Hero System is bland and over complicated

More importantly' date=' he seems to be basing his opinion of gameplay entirely on the ruleset, without regard to how the rules are applied in any given setting. Calling Hero "bland" without looking at Alien Wars, Tuala Morn, or Keith Curtis's Savage Earth is like looking at a blank notebook at Barnes and Noble and saying that all the novels there suck.[/quote']

He's criticising rules for not handcuffign you to a particalr genre or setting. D&D-itis, if you want to give the syndrome a name.

Re: The Hero System is bland and over complicated

Yep! Pretty much. LOL. How many points did you put into Deduction?

An 8- level would be able to take care fo this one. Anyone who has read many rpg.net threads gets a heavy situational bonus for recognizing a similar theme ...

Re: The Hero System is bland and over complicated

I can't care enought to watch the video. Sounds like another d20 cultist with a webcam, a youtube account, and delusions of significance when it comes to his opinion.

Re: I'm curious, why is Dex still more expensive than other characteristics?

So INT's Perception' date=' Int roll and Int Skills doesn't rate? Smart guys unite![/quote']

 

Oh, they rate. But for what Dex does, as compared to what INT does, Dex does more for your character when averaged over most common settings, especially in conflict situations, which is, at the heart of all balancing schemes, the area of most concern in terms fo gettign balance right.

Re: I'm curious, why is Dex still more expensive than other characteristics?

ChanginG Dex to one point would seem to require lowering the cost of lightning reflexes. Why would you be so foolish to buy it if Dex only costs one point?

2 points gets you a very large skill base of some very important combat based skills, and initiative superiority, and a heavily used characteristic roll, second only to perception. I can't see making it a one point characteristic without lowering the cost of other characteristics and lightning reflexes. A change that requires many other changes indicates it shouldn't be changed.

Re: VPPs in 6th

:

 

So the owner of the VPP gets the flexibility at full power?

 

Doc

Barring a lot of hard to figure out arbitrary limits, yes. Hey are paying for that flexibility after all.

I don't see why VPP's should be subject to an AP limit different than MP's. Flexibility doesn't decrease individual AP limits. If so, then you have to set different AP limits for VPP's, different limits for multipowers based on the number of slots, then another limit for the less flexible non-framework powers. do you change DC limits for a martial Artist with a lot of moves as opposed to one with only one MA attack?

For the new to VPP GM, I don't recommend dive right to the Cosmic VPP. Perhaps starting out with skill roll required to change, or only allow changes between encounters or in special situations.

Another option is to have a character whose main offensive powers is in a traditional MP, while a smaller VP takes care of modifying those powers, or taking care of minor abilities. Get some practice and experience with VPP impact on your game in increments.

Heck, maybe let the villains have them first

In the end, AP's and DC's alone aren't sufficient tools to guarantee balance. They are starting guidelines. Some things you just have to eyeball, balance by feel, and amend as the game moves along.

Some rules you may have to watcch, and perhaps be more strict than your custom is. Actually forbid special powers, or other selection just based on your current assessment of their efffectiveness.

Another way to not worry so much is to give everyone a VPP. A gadgeteet, a spell learning Mage, a'master of a certain power (like a Telekentik based VPP, a shapeshifting VPP) --different enough in feel, all with enough limits to keep them from building too much on each other.

Re: VPPs in 6th

in sixth edition it is. I am still not caught up with the change in the rules...

 

However, the question would remain - how big a power should a VPP be allowed to host if you are in a 60AP game.

 

 

 

So the owner of the VPP gets the flexibility at full power?

 

Doc

That depends--what are the power restrictions, FX restrictions, and the limitations when the player can change the power. Flexibility is useless if the control cost is set so low the flexible powers are all useless. and of course, the more active points poured into one power is the fewer simultaneously active powers running, even with limitations.

Re: VPPs in 6th

It is not unhelpful though. Where do you think the cost break lies - too little AP or pool and they are pretty ineffectual - too much and everything becomes possible...

 

The rules do not give much guidance on how to draw the lines. in a 60AP game - what should the pool of a VPP be set at??

 

 

Doc

the Control Cost should allow 60 active points of power to be used. The reserve can be whatever the GM feels comfortable in terms of how many powers he wants the player to be be able to run at once.

A a reserve larger than the control costs makes sense for many characters--especially gadgeteers with tons of gadgets or devices all of a moderate power level.

Re: VPPs in 6th

Hmm' date=' I'm working on a campaign now. I don't have a problem with the concept of Variable Power Pools and in some cases they are necessary . I just think they are too cheap for what they do. [/quote']

 

Sometimes, I think other frameworks are too costly. Ran into the situation--someone doing a huge multipower, realized a VPP was cheaper. Is it the fault of a VPP being too cheap, or that large multipowers cost too much, especially when filled with ultr-slotted powers?

Re: VPPs in 6th

I love VPP's, and the 6e improvements only increased it. Though I have yet to do it, running an absorbtion based character with a VPP with a big control cost, but low starting reserve seems to have promise now.

But other than that, there isn't a huge change. As always VPP's abuse factor lies in just how flexible it is allowed to be. The less limited it is in power and FX ability, the more cautious you have to be...but then, as a GM, you already excercised that caution when you approved characters for the campaign--the same judgement has to be used with what powers you allow a VPP using character to access. As a GM, you hve to be comfortabel saying 'No, you can't manifest that power, even if the mechanics of your pool say so'. Just because they have a Cosmic VPP doesn't mean you allow them to raise the dead, to use postcognition, or Detect: Vulnerability, discriminitory before wielding the 1d6 EB NND does body area effect megascale 100000 km selective 0 END completely invisible, effects are invisible, 0 end, continuous uncontrollable affects desol transmimensional autofire..did I forget anything?. Power availability to a VPP should be understood to be with GM permission not just on a rules basis, or FX basis, but at times, a situational basis.

Re: Really, Hero Games? Two Rulebooks?

Looking at the online store 80 bucks get you both books and both PDF's. 70 bucks gets you both books from here. As a player, you can choose between the full character creation rules or the basic rulebook for only 20 bucks. Only 1 Combat and Adventuring Book is needed, and thats for the GM.

Like it or not, for viable, professional quality hardback color RPG books, these are the minimum prices you'll be looking at for pretty much any system.

Lets look at the Saga system--a book fixed on one certain setting. Naturally, it can be more compact than HERO, which is a multi-genre universal game. But one book alone wasnt what a gaming group would have--plenty of sourcebooks were made for SWSE just from a quick ebay search. So you'ld have the basic book, whatever campaign sourcebook you were in, starship rules...whatever game you play, they will make plentyof bokks you'll want to buy, or they will go out of business.

Looking at games out now--the 'core' rulebooks for D&D, with the ever growing Player handbooks series is ever growing. What is it now, 3 PHB's, plus 2 DMG's, plus you need a monters book, maybe a campaign setting ? (not that camppaign and setting seems to matter much to 4th edition D&D now..) Pathfinder comes with a minimum two to three books to start with. The Word of Darkness.. but you've got two rulebooks to buy there too, minimum, before you start thinking of sourcebooks.

This is the current status quo for the RPG industry. One book games are the exception, not the rule.

I had a concept, now I'm brainstorming for how to implement it.

the players create characters--well, more or less, souls.

The game will feature these souls incarnated in variosu bodies and periods throughout time and space. They lead their normal life, until the soul 'awakens'--some point usually triggers the memory of their past lives--not in every detail or nuance, but enough. These awakenings usually center around them meeting for the first time as a group, or the dawning of some crucial event.

So one set of linked adventures would be their life in a fantasy game. Another could be their lives in a very realistic historical setting. Then a far future fanatsy/sci fi setting, then back to a modern day urban fantasy. (The campaign progresses, but their incarnations through time and space don't have to be linear.)

So,, given that their bodies, even genders may change, and they may inhabit a medieval warrior in one life then a superheo in the next, point total will change, what is the best way to have characters defien souls--basic personalities, but also reflect certain core strengths and assets. Perhaps I could have a characteristic template of modifiers, that is added to whatever body they inhabit. (One soul is always brighter than normal, one soul always has a unique aura (Presence), one is always lucky.etc)

Slowly, over the campaign, the souls grow more powerful in their ability to shape reality. (Luck, heroic action points..maybe a small flexible VPP that grows to enhance each body upon awakening)

Any suggestions on the campaign itself, character construction? I'm thinking of making an eternal enemy. I forsee lots of tragic ending scenarios, Arthurian in feel. Not always happy endings..