TheRealVector

Re: Canadian Super Villain Team- Need Help

It might surprise you but I've met a few Canadians with that few point' date=' particularly among te college age crowd so I don't think the idea is so very outrageous.[/quote']

 

I don't think the idea is outrageous at all, just amusing. That's all the few points I have.

 

One of the best times my group ever had was kicking the crap out of Alpha Flight. Although Wendigo aquitting himself very well at the expense of one of our team members.

Re: Canadian Super Villain Team- Need Help

I'd suggest having the villain group's motivation to break Canada's dependance on the US. The last statistic I heard was that there is $1 billion of trade per day going across the border. That is a nice amount for Americans, but it's a critically important amount of the Canadian economy.

 

They could be upset at the American tendency to ignore us when it's convenient, and try to sever ties to the US.

With ties severed America could ignore Canada full time. The Oxymorons best think this thing through. LOL

Re: Canadian Super Villain Team- Need Help

I need some ideas for a group of Ultra Nationalistic Canadian Super villians' date=' young, hot headed and aggressive sort with a general mad on at the world and particularly the US for injustices both real and imaginaed against their homeland. Any suggestions would be well appreciated.[/quote']

 

"Ultra Nationalistic" Canadians? How about calling them the Oxymorons?

Re: Amazing Lightsaber Duel

Of course' date=' it was the same for the recent star wars movies for me... bright shiney things whirling around. Didn't notice much in the way of dialogue or music. It was just in the way of the shiney... oooh, a quarter![/quote']

 

How...fortunate for you. You were spared much pain.

Re: Help with Find Weakness vs. Mental Defense

Well, it is definitely book legal... even discussed in The Ultimate Mentalist. I would pay close attention to this in game... also, occasionally, he should face a target that has Lack of Weakness for Mental DEF (also discussed in TUM).

 

However, remember that it is your game. If you aren't comfortable with the power, just let the player know.

I think it will work out just fine. In our game's history a major arc concerned the player's group, Vanguard, battling my version of PSI (from Conquerors, Killers, & Crooks). The players were put through hell and faced many defeats before the end. Now it has been a couple of years in game time since PSI was broken, it's members dead, imprisoned, or in hiding. Now every member of Vanguard has been allowed to grow from the experience (10 pts Mental Defense).

The player in question, Nemesis, will eventually face mentalists with Lack of Weakness for Mental Defense. At the moment none of my npc's possess that defense and they won't be getting it overnight just because a player has thought of using FW. Perhaps after a few unfortunate encounters with Nemesis an npc mentalist will devolp some Lack of Weakness.

I imagine Nemesis will soon become target number one for villainous mentalists. Which is to say they mind control the nearest brick to smash him into tiny bits. LOL

Re: Help with Find Weakness vs. Mental Defense

He could always make his mental attacks AP.

 

However, I agree that more dice would probably just be better.

 

After all, perhaps he could have

 

Mind Storm: 5d6 Ego Attack

More Effective Against Mentalists: +3d6 Ego Attack, Only Vs. Mentalists, 0END

 

You'd have to determine the rarity of mentalists in your game, but even if they were relatively common, I would go with -1/2 to -1.

 

The 0END lets him use it regardless of whether he knows his target is a mentalist or not. Note that 3d6 was chosen as a value that will cover the typical 10 Mental DEF

 

On the other hand, it may just be more effective to go:

 

Mind Storm: 5d6 Ego Attack, Armor Piercing.

In this case, it would cost less, and still be quite effective. Of course, the END cost would be higher.

 

Another possibility would be a succor/aid for all mental powers when fighting mentalists... with an appropriate limitation that the bonuses only work against mentalists.

 

A final possibility would be to drain/transfer mentalist powers.

 

Example.

5d6 Ego Attack plus 2d6 Drain Mental DEF, BOECV (vs. Power DEF), Ranged, linked to Ego Attack

 

With this attack, the mentalist would be wearing down the target's defenses... So, he would become more effective with each attack.

Thanks for all the great ideas. The player in question is the sort that really likes to pursue an idea once it's in his head. He would like to go the Find Weakness route and see how effective that is.

I've informed him of other options but I don't see that it is necessarily my role to drive him in one direction. As long as it's all legal, logical, doesn't interfere on other player's schticks, and balanced in the context of my game world, of course.

Re: Help with Find Weakness vs. Mental Defense

I don't think Sean's not saying "don't use it". He is saying the "it's a sense" aspect doesn't make much sense for non-mental powers either, so if you're using FW, why chase the sensory issue.

 

Frankly, I'm curious why anyone would want FW for mental powers. Mental Defense isn't normally that common anyway. It's likely much more effective to just invest the points in more dice of the mental powers anyway. Anyone the GM wants to be invulnerable will have enough MD and/or LoW to frustrate the mentalist anyway.

I was wondering about the sensory issue because Find Weakness is listed on page #113 of the Hero System rulebook (don't own revised) as a "Special Power/Sensory Power". I'm content to ignore any special "sense" requirements for Find Weakness on Mental Defense, though.

Re: Help with Find Weakness vs. Mental Defense

I don't think Sean's not saying "don't use it". He is saying the "it's a sense" aspect doesn't make much sense for non-mental powers either, so if you're using FW, why chase the sensory issue.

 

Frankly, I'm curious why anyone would want FW for mental powers. Mental Defense isn't normally that common anyway. It's likely much more effective to just invest the points in more dice of the mental powers anyway. Anyone the GM wants to be invulnerable will have enough MD and/or LoW to frustrate the mentalist anyway.

In our game Mental Defense is more common than in the standard Champions campaign. Also, this player is interested in designing a mentalist whose specialty is combating other mentalist.

Re: Help with Find Weakness vs. Mental Defense

Since armour is not a visible power, how does one 'see' that?

 

If you are going to let in FW, then either think REALLY hard about it, or try not to think about it at all.

 

Oh, and mental awareness detects mental powers and, despite the misleading wording that implies it can detect mental defence, it can't as mental defence is not a mental power.

 

So, in answer to your questions:

 

1. Yes. At the GM's discretion.

2. It just does.

3. Yes. But you don't need to to be legal.

 

Sigh.

So were you traumatized by a player with Find Weakness? Sigh.

Ok, I'm an idiot and can't find anything definite on this. I have a player who is interested so...

Question #1: Is Find Weakness against Mental Defense it allowed per the official rules?

Question #2: If so how does it work? Since Find Weakness is a sense how does one see "Mental Defense"? It has no visible effects, not even to mental sense. Or am I wrong about that? I assume a character can find weakness in a suit of armor, force field or an opponents body because he simply can see these things.

Question #3: If a mentalist can't "see" Mental Defense could the player buy a special sense, something like "analyze mental defenses" to set up using Find Weakness on Mental Defense?

Thanks

Re: Rebuilding yourself

Faster...Stronger...Better Than Before

Re: Heroes for HERO?

Eden's power didn't work on Sylar. It was the Haitian that stopped Sylar.

Dusty

Wrong. Just watched that scene again last night. Sylar makes a menacing hand motion (about to use tk) and Eden tells him that he doesn't want to hurt her. Sylar then lowers his hand. Eden also tells him to go to sleep and Sylar begins to relax, although he doesn't fall asleep just yet. Then the Haitian sneaks up behind.

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

Shadow Lord's player shouldn't expect his character gets a free ride either - the other players are just as much responsible to play their own characters. It's the GM's responsibility to overrule any characters inappropriate to the campaign. Once the character is accepted' date=' the character should be played according to concept.[/quote']

 

Preach on brother Hugh!!

Re: Converting Players to HERO

In relative terms yes, but for whatever reason would be GM's have repeatedly expressed to me their trepidation about running the HERO System.

 

I think the fact that in the HERO System the GM is expected to have total control over what is and is not in their games to a degree that is far more explicit and far-reaching than in other game systems, is intimidating to some people.

Good point. Since I love running the Hero system I didn't think of that.

Re: Converting Players to HERO

The only problem Ive found is that while many want to play' date=' few want to GM in HERO.[/quote']

 

Can't we say that about any game system? Always less work to play than to GM.

Re: Converting Players to HERO

Well, with D20 players I just send them over to the "buying weapons (money or points)" thread and then I've guaranteed that they will never ever consider playing Fantasy Hero. LOL!

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

And Balabanto, if your a more "comic booky" guy can't you just let your players have their damn wealthy backgrounds without all the excuses about "realism" and "justifications"? Afterall, it's just a comic book.

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

Reality's a B-tch, huh? LOL

So the world burns and characters die and some players leave in a pout? Now your left with only twenty-five players after some very interesting game altering events.

The new campaign might be a better, stronger game. It's hardly going to destroy the game if you adapt.

Re: buying weapons (money or points?)

zing!

 

....

 

On the flipside of this coin - there is a certain level of repsonsibility on the players heads not to turn the game into Loot And Burn, or to work with the GM in cases where things are breaking the game.

I certainly agree...unless the players and the GM actually want a game of "loot and burn".

Not my kinda game, but many people in the roleplaying hobby are very quick to look look down their noses at such people as not only poor roleplayers but actually bad people. It's the unspoken assumption of half the posts on these boards.

No skin off my nose, but I do find it endlessly amusing.

Re: buying weapons (money or points?)

This is something to keep to heart in a Heroic game.

 

There's no reason, obligation or need for a GM to remove an item.

 

To touch on that whole "it's starting to unbalance my game" point - what if the same item had points paid for it and was doing the same thing? The GM suddenly can't do something about the issue?

 

In both cases the GM is obligated to work with the player to bring balance back - not fall back on the old "well, you didn't pay points and it's breaking my game, so haha! it fell down a ravine. Oh well." That's bunk and I'd kill my GM were they to do that.

But Ghost-Angel, adopting your attitude would be one less tactic in my arsenal of player misery!

If I start letting players keep the very things I placed in the game world as rewards I'll have to start working harder; thinking through my plots, updating npc threats, customizing pre-generated scenarios for my players etcetera.

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

(I think I am right' date=' and so I will do this!).[/quote']

 

 

Makes more sense than, "I think I am wrong, and so I will do this!" LOL

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

5) With science' date=' GOOD, HEROIC scientists don't just release untested technologies upon the general public and say "Here. Use this." If a bunch of aliens invade the earth, you should trust your superheroic buddies when they say "I think this needs some more testing." Even Reed Richards doesn't just throw out random technologies for people to use, and he's the most irresponsible high tech scientist in comics. Shadow Lord took that decision out of their hands, and let the chips fall where they may.[/quote']

 

Reed Richard's technologies are not realeased to the generaly public for one reason and one reason only. The writers don't want him to.

 

The writers have no desire to explore the realistic implications that would have on society. They know that it would quickly lead to a world so radically different from today's world that the reader would have a hard time relating (he'd be reading sci-fi instead of superhero comics) and therefore lessen the dramatic impact of any story the might want to tell.

 

Simple as that. Everything else is just a rationalization.

 

And by the way, third world countries have been incapable of adapting modern (and absolutely not secret) technologies in agriculture, sanitation, and power distribution for decades. Glad to see that they handled the nanotech so much better.

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

Ok, Mephron that's very interesting. So what about BoloOfEarth's question? Where is the U.S. (and other) government in all this?

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

Some heroes do think that shanking the asshole in the alley isn't going to solve problems. I happen to play one of them with my gadgeteer.

 

Now, mentioning the horrible lack of sense of humor he's showing to my 11- Contact MerryAndrew The Foolmaker (Leader of CLOWN), that may be more up the line. Except the PC has also been shown to go completely nonlinear when horribly embarrassed, and watching them be slaughtered by him would probably ruin him, but also result in people dying that I'd prefer not to see die. And he probably would try to kill them all; the player has said that the PC has become more dark and a bit villainous in his methods (which means that hopefully he'll slip up and we'll catch him and legally kick his ass into Tomorrowland).

 

But my gadgeteer has sighed and decided that he can manipulate the legal system just like he manipulated the press, and until something can be done to make his trouble obvious, I just need to sit and wait for him to buy the wrong thing.

 

(Actually, a third PC has information that will bring his world crashing down when it's revealed, but no one else knows about it yet.)

Sounds like you have some good ideas on how to put this (somewhat) villainous player back in his place. A strategy that nullifies his wealth advantage is a good idea.

Best of luck!

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

Oh ok' date=' Fair enough. It was difficult to tell from your posts, they really came across as being pretty bitter about many bad experiences.[/quote']

 

Glad I cleared that up. I'm not bitter at all. I love the hobby and love my players.

 

But I really do believe that there are plenty of real GMs out there that aren't too far off from my parodies. There are plenty of posts on these very discussion boards that make that obvious! LOL