incrdbil

Re: Here it is....rip it to shreds....

Re: Here it is....rip it to shreds.... He needs more Dexterity. Your defenses are very low, and your DCV is very low for a speedster. I'ld suggest dropping a point of speed, the lightning reflexes, and investing it all in Dex. Even for a sppedster, your defenses coudl stand to come up a bit. Perhaps make the inertial Barrier a full time force field to protect you. To get the points needed, well, a normal college teacher doesnt normally rake in 500k per year. Drop the money, cramming, maybe shave off the +1 levels on your skills to make your intertial barrier a full time force field. I notice you bought your recovery up high--if you want to simulate a super healing ability, maybe using those points to buy Aid (Healing) only on self, concentration. If you just worried about end..well, take the recovery points, and instead just put most of them into CON and you should be ok. Though teachers dont have to have a high INT, it might not hurt to drop 5 points in there. I dont quite grok the 'usable as running' advantage on your flight only on surfaces. What does that advantage do for you? It may be possibel to talk your GM into an Elemental Control of Superspeed powers, fitting ion your running, a force field, and maybe the and attack..allowing you to use the multipower to put in some slots of special powers and effects not quite damage related, but useful. He should be agreeable, as you aren't a Heri ID only or focus using type, and are paying for your powers the old fashioned way--point for point. Some skill levels with your hand to hand attack, move by's or move through might help. Consider Scholar for all your KS. No harsh criticism here. In terms of needs to fix I'ld rate your order as Dex first, then defenses second.

Re: Multiple Attack: EC vs. MP It's not a crazed belief. It may be a different opinion than yours, or mine even. An elemental control, rarely used properly it seems, is a build reflecting one ability constructed from several powers. Cramming in Life Support in a EC, or an 'enhanced sense EC' might work for a particualr GM of course I've seen it done before. I'm not much of a fan of it, because it normally seems to be an aspect of number crunching, and not having anythign to do one ability being reflected by related powers. If you ffeel its not unbalancing for your campaign, go for it. For the default game rules, the normal builds of attack powers stacked up in EC's then used as part of a MPA attack is a bit much--somethign that should be by permission, not by default. Hecl, teven the name of the MPa is a vital clue-multiple power attack. The construction and effects of an EC show that the EC itself is one power. Of course you may think differently. There is no one right way to game, just as long as everyone is having fun. In a 12 DC 20 to 24 average Def campaign, its still a problem regardless of how much the player pays for it. Firing off both at once is too powerful an attack--but paying even all of his points to do so yields an unworkable character because they are too defecient in every other area. YMMV. I do like, as an addition to the restrictions of framework limitations, a DC capon MPA's, to include linked powers as well. Thank you for adding another option or alternative.

Re: Multiple Attack: EC vs. MP

Re: Multiple Attack: EC vs. MP Bevcause, presumabily, the characters total defenses are being kept in check by a GM. I wasn't perfectly happy with the advantage option either, just a suggestion. MPA's with multiple attacks in a EC is, well, begging for abuse. (Heck MPA's alone can be unbalancing before you start talking about framework cost reductions) Every time this discussion pops up, some small part of me says just to bar MPA's in general, but it takes away a lot of valid builds.

Re: Multiple Attack: EC vs. MP I'm ok with the EC limits. I see the EC is well asessentially one power--if you want some form of MPA attack capability with an EC, make that one power attack a combined power within a slot. Linked if that makes you happy. Same for multipowers. Since a MPA is such a potential devastating combo (it was sort of universally agreed not to happen in ym ld groups prior to 5th edition) I'm happy that its somewhat of a challenge to do and won't be exactly cheap on points no matter how you try it. Martial Artissts seem to be happy about it. However, with proper constraints and reasonable player use, I could ok the MPA use of multiple EC powers, (and as far as I"m conceerned, powers made out of VPP are individual powers, not framework limited) if I felt it wasn't oo imbalancing, and maybe imposing some fuirther campaign limits. (An OCV penalty per power tossed in, or, what I liked above the extra end cost). Another thought--an advantage that allows powers in an EC to be used as part of a MPA? Say +1/4 or +1/2? I'm not sure I like an advantage thats purely framework driven like that, but it could be a way to keep EC based MPA individual attacks in control.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas Either provide a _good_ argument, or admit you've been kidnapped and replaced by Soulcatcher.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas Yes, their lives are different. But as for those difference being bad, that isn't in my power. An injustice is neded, a very specific tyranny is finished. what comes after is to each individual. Everyone dies. Suffering--well, all life has pain. I really dont respect the BS 'Utopia" because it isn't real. There can be no Utopia. But the abuse of a known innocent, the nullification of inividual rights that it signifies, is something that can be real, and can't be tolerated. The citizens of Omelas are reduced to a state no worse than the rest of humanity; they must deal with their own faults (and finally develop character). Any evil that results is their own doing. I'm speaking about a behavior, a judgement based on the reality of human condition. Not same second rate mumbo jumbo magical wish. How do you dance around that you are approving of tyranny, persecution, of a minority for the benefit of a majority?

Re: WWYCD: Omelas Why havent you stopped beating your wife/child/helpless parent? Just matching the quality of your questions.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas It's not even close to comparable. If you wont even try to make anythign other than these nonsensical statements, their is little point is continuing. A bomb is designed to kill people with an explosion. Freeing a child from abuse does just that. What happens to the people of the city is ..whatever happens. Maybe the tooth fairy makes everythign better. Oh, picky now suddenly? Since racial tension leads to confrontations, violence, strugggle, by the standard you are adopting, getting rid of the small number of people to make the large number free of thsoe effects is, in your words 'a bargain'. keep dancing, but your position is indefensible, and morally reprehensible.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas not taking direct action like that is one thing. Failing to act in some vague general way with no immediate act(not donating to charity is another) you should try reading my post before making an assumption. The Omelans are evil, undeniably.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas Who knows? In a mystic world where humans no longer act like humans, all bets are off. however, the person freeing the child is not responsibile. Everything that comes after that instant is not under hsi control. Find some less evil mystic mumbo jumbo. The normal possibilities of life have been restored; thsi is not evil. (I'll repeat again, this scenario is pretty stupid for use in judging real world behavior) Two lives would still be a bargain. Then why not three? Half a dozen? And, by that reasoning, we arrive at killing off all minorities to end racial tension is a sweet deal, or defining good and evil by whatever makes 50%+1 person better off than 50%-1.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas By the standards of their time, no. Heck, by the standards of or time, no. Perfect men? of course not. Flawed, certainly. No one is obligated to give up anythign not to be evil. Choosing not to volunteer or donate is not an evil act. If I abuse, or knowingly assist in the abuse of a child (which is what every knowing citizen of Omelas is doing) that is an evil act. If I choose not to donate money to some charity, that is not an evil act. It may be the absence of a good act, but it is not evil.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas No, he isn't arguing for that. Those are possibilities,but not direct actionscaused by the individual intervening. the only thing he is doing is stopping a known, certain evil. after that, the responsibility for the future lies on each citizen of Omelas, not on the hero who stopped the crime in progress.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas The comparison is faulty. The Omelans prosperity is due soley to the knowing abuse of children. We know utoopia Volunteer time is not a guarantee to end world hunger. Wars, distribution, cultural problems all compound world hunger, and volunteer effort wont solve all of thos problems. While in the Omelan situation, we have this artificial construct of child abuse being the sole source of prosperity. If the Omelans were able to live in peace and not give in to normal human weaknesses due to the abuse of one child, why can't they do so without the child being abused? If no one told them that the child had been removed, why would their behavior change,? Since the scenario specifies they can't continue their 'utopian' behavior, the magic effect of the abused child effectively changes Omelans to something other than human beings. (well, for human beings to live in an utopian state, it took magic anyway, since such a thing simply isn't possible).The influence of magic, author fiat, whatever you call it that somehow ties their prosperity soley to child abuse is the disconnect that makes the scenario faulty for discussing real human behavior or ethics. You can't use a situation where people somehow don't behave like human beings to compare to real human behavior.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas

Re: WWYCD: Omelas No, I am not. Whatever potential occurance happens beyond the point the known, certain abuse of one child is not my responsibility. Every individual now leads life with no guarantees, but their future does not include the chance their child becomes the next victim, without recourse or due process, of that putrid society. It's a pointless scenario, ebcause you can't have a utopia if humans are involved in the first place. As long as their are people involved, their will be confliicts, problems-- anything but utopia. There's been enough pointless discussion about a meaningless scenario of impossibile human behavior.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas Denying a child emotional contact, comfort--if thats not cruelty, then nothign is. The society is evil. End of story. Allowing this to continue is no different than saying that condemining 49.99% of the human race to certain (emphasis on that) slavery, misery, and suffering is acceptable as long as the other 50.01% benefits.

Re: WWYCD: Anti- 'Authority' There's no such situation in a comic book. At least one thats somewhere above toilet paper quality. If its a game, and it truly is a no win situation, the GM is sent packing for wasting players time. So, I'll treat the story likes its a regular "we can't possibly win" comic book scenario. Heroes fight. The sneaky guys infiltrate or doublecross, the fighters..well, fight, the intellectuals/negotiators negotiate. Heroes do not join in, surrender, or anything else so weasily. The league of evil dictators eventually turns in on themselves--iron age thugs lack the ability to govern without turning everyone against them; their self destruction is a given, if you only supply enough paranoia.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas The blame lies with the villain (and the tag honorable doesn't apply to a callous murderer. Yu don't make deals like that. If he kilsl the thousands, the blame is only, soley, on the villain.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas "Giving succor to the child means that other children will die of cancer, of starvation, of rape, or even worse, that other children will grow into murderers and rapists." Maybe. It is a chance..but a chance shared by everyone. Ok..so heinous crimes are ok as long as people feel sorry about it.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas Yes you can. the evil is implicit: you guarantee one individual to have their freedom taken away, their life utterly destroyed. One person is singled out, unfairly, no due process, no wrong on their part--so that others may benefit. You have a status of equality, which instead is replaced by inequality. To personally approve of the choice, regardless of the discomfort, is evil. The silly resatrictions of the story, that everyone dies if the evil is stopped, are simply a smoke screen to hide the truth of the matter.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas Is there a reason to even address such implausible, ridiculous situations? Since the dilemma on exists in such impossible, implausible conditions asto make all answers wrong, there is little point in entertaining it. If forced to make a choice-- walk away or bing it all down, then they all die. But the atrocity does not continue.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas The true situation is that their is no good, decent person in the city. The city is not a utopia or partadise, but a lie. They prosper only by the suffering of others. Instead of honestly facing the challenges of life, they torture a very small minority of one to buy comfort for themselves. Character is what you do in the dark, so it is certain that their is no one of character yet in this accursed city. So, you stop the horror. If it destroys the city and every soul in it, so be it; put the blame on the despicable individual/group who caused such an abomination to come to be in the first place, for denying the certainty that, ultimately, one person one day would do the right thing. And, as this thread is a "What would your character do" thread, its implicit our characters could make such a change; there is no point having a WWYCD thread if the characters can do nothing.

Re: WWYCD: Omelas Schaister, while not an angel, would use his abilities (a metahuman con artist) to trick someone into doing it. He'd then set the kids up nice, and cheerfully watch the adult citizens suffer as the weak pathetic creatures used to living in paradise now subject harsh reality. He might even video tape it for his future amusement, or sell it as a reality TV show. (He's not nice) Ranger..gets the kid out. Piles up bodies if he has to.A no compromise with evil situation that violates many basics rules in hsibook. He might bother to tell them that they may as well free the kid, because paradise will be over, one way or another. Hornet would try the intellectual approach to bring any citizen who will listen tot he realization that they do not truly live in paradise as long as such an abomination continues, and have those people redeem themselves by ending their arrangement voluntarily. If the intellectual approach fails--this may be one of the few occasions he damns respect of other cultures, laws, and does whatever is necessary to free the child.