Beast

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

what works for you

I see no need to not use Com

I don't need to remember any player's Com

it is on the character sheet in the characteristics section

no need to hunt through the character's perks or talents to find them

Com will either be used as the base roll or complementary roll

Re: Blasting Mental Blast

accually using hero designer

using vs ecv adavntage you get 0 rang mod unless you choose not to

also a mentalist going against a 10 ego target in a 60 ap game averages 42 pts on mind control

if the target has no defenses against it it would be an ego-0 to breakout so there is a 62.5% chance of breaking free and in effect having no effect on the target

going for a don't shoot me but the others on my team are ok targets might not make you a favorite person on said team unless there is a masocist on the team

in general a mentalist needs to set up their target using either maneuvers or adjustment powers to make the mind control/mental illusions last more than a phase but has them not putting down their target any faster

and when I mentioned not being able to blow down doors and walls

it was in reference to go through barriers and entangles which am ego blast cannot do

because we all know some doors are just locked

Assume the character can fly or the fighting field is not horribly crowded: I think I could spot someone a 100 meters away, that's not even a stadium-length. That's 50", or -8 to your attack roll. You won't hit with a normal EB at that distance, ever. But you will do so easily with a mental attack. That's what I meant. Telescopic or similar only make things worse.

 

If you don't think it's a problem, why did UMM even mention page 279 - "The Mentalist Sniper Problem"?

 

And EB (NND) compared to Ego Attack does not seem fair at all:

 

Mentalists are not "hard to play" by default. But they are poweful by default. Mind Scan, Mental Illusion, Telepathy, Mind Control and EGO Attack are all some of the most powerful things the book offers, because they can have incredibly powerful effects in one turn (against weak enemies with not so much EGO), and just copy something else like entangle or flash easily against strong enemies. We certainly don't need a debate on "is Mind Control powerful enough?"

 

 

I would not say so. There are enough "mental" attacks which have pink flashes and whatdoIknow. Also, SFX should not be mixed with mechanics.

 

 

I'm not sure what you mean? Forbid them MPs? And I can certainly houserule things, but that's not the point now, is it?

 

 

True, but that's quite easy at "medium range", a couple hundred meters, and normal Attacks plain fail at that distance. Advantage: EGO Attack.

 

you also cannot blow down doors or walls: NND can't either. And usually I'd rather shoot at enemies than at doors. Advantage: EGO Attack.

 

robots are immune: Same goes for NND, except everyone can buy it. Robots are also immune to stun, usually. Advantage: EGO Attack.

 

a special adder is needed to attack different classes of minds: That's a band-aid for a SFX problem and we know it. I'd rather have that worded out correctly. ("Power cannot be used against robots: -1/4")

 

 

 

Let's see how we could build it, roughly:

EB, 1d6 per 5 points.

AVLD/NND vs Mental Defense (+1, might be +1.25), No Range Modifier (+1/2), Based on ECV vs ECV (+0 as proposed above, or +1/2), Psionic (means: only vs stuff with minds, no robots or walls) (-1/2), IPE (+1), Visible vs Mental Awareness (-1/4)

 

So total about +2.5 to +3.75 and -0.75, AP from 17.5 to 23.75, real cost from 10.0 (chance?) to 13.57 per d6.

 

And it's very visible now that Active Point caps are broken, which is exactly what we feel. When it works, it works too well. Typical "high ap, some limitation".

 

I'd like to calculate it differently: +2.75 -0.75 = +2, 15 points per d6. That would seem fair anyway.

Re: War Eagles

is the main characters name Billy Mitchell?

Re: Blasting Mental Blast

mental blast costs 2x as much an EB not free

this also makes defenses 2x as effective

the costs seem just about right and mentalists tend to be one of the harder arch-types to play so making it cost more to play type of character is just as bad as wanting to double the cost of strength(other subject that is a pet peeve)

in the majority of comics mental attacks are invisible so the system is just reflecting that

as a GM you can require your players to buy mental blast from the ground up

as for sniping you are going to have to see your target(not that bump on the horizion)and Id it

you also cannot blow down doors or walls

robots are immune

a special adder is needed to attack different classes of minds

I feel it is balanced as is

Totally agreed. Free Invisibility always bothered me. If you really want an Attack which can be launched from miles away, cannot be detected and goes through all defenses while hitting 95% of the time (30 EGO vs 15 EGO?), then you should just damn well pay for it.

 

Also, that gets rid of the chapter on "how to discourage players from mental sniping" (in UMM) because you just can't do it anymore for free.

 

I would like the variant on CVs: You may choose which CV (DCV and OCV or ECV) is used, fitting for SFX. You may also choose whether to be 1hex accurate or standard, nothing of these costs points.

 

 

Sidetrack: "We've always done it this way" is not an argument, that's an excuse. Or didn't you stop using diapers at some point? But you have done it before! Therefore it cannot be bad now, can it?

Re: Knox the Fear Devourer

I'd go with an area transfer of pre to str with the limitation it does not work on those opposing him or working with him

some disads like overconfidence and spoiling for a fight would give immunity

Re: Mending an item

for me it would be on how useful is the item

just clothes and things with 1 or less body that are not paid for with points minor transform

weapons,armor,stuff that has a def and body I'd go for a healing

Re: Multiple Power Attacks: How much is too much?

so at best you could add 10 body to 1 of the killing attacks or 30 stun to the tail attack,since you can only add the CSL's to 1 attack

and there would be no added bonuses to hit

you cannot use levels to do 2 things in the same phase

such as using a csl for both ocv and dcv

or a +1 overall for ocv and perception

if you split them up evenly you will get +3 body on the bite(4d6 hka)6 levels

+9 stun on the tail attack(6 levels)

and +2 on each side of the claw attack(reduced penatration)8 levels(I threw the 2 remainder levels here since they would fit)

so now the average would look like this(I used average rolls for the regular attack and added standard effect for the CSL's

Bite 4d6+3KA(17 body 42 stun)

claws 2x2d6+2KA(9 body 22.5 stun)

tail 12d6+9 (15 body 51 stun)

In Heroic games, 2 CSLs (3pt or higher) can be traded for +1 DC.

 

In Superheroic games, 2 CSLs (3pt or higher) can instead be traded for +3 STUN on a normal attack or +1 BODY on a Killing attack (before STUN multiplier). In both cases, the damage is maxed at the existing max for the dice. Given I was putting 180 AP toward attacking, I assumed Superheroic was more appropriate and went with those rules.

 

In an MPA this is on each hit, but the CSL must cover all of the attacks used.

 

The fact that the CSLs are hitting the limit of the dice on an average roll in this case, means you aren't even getting your full bang for your buck with them, since they are quite likely to be clipped.

Re: Multiple Power Attacks: How much is too much?

ok I see now you are mixing normal dice with a standard effect

but what you have are 3x60 active pt attacks not 1x180 pt attack

since you will be going up against the target's defenses 4times(1 of the attacks being reduced penatration)

why have 20 3pt CSL's(unless the dragon has a 2 dex and even that would be way high for most games)

In Heroic games, 2 CSLs (3pt or higher) can be traded for +1 DC.

 

In Superheroic games, 2 CSLs (3pt or higher) can instead be traded for +3 STUN on a normal attack or +1 BODY on a Killing attack (before STUN multiplier). In both cases, the damage is maxed at the existing max for the dice. Given I was putting 180 AP toward attacking, I assumed Superheroic was more appropriate and went with those rules.

 

In an MPA this is on each hit, but the CSL must cover all of the attacks used.

 

The fact that the CSLs are hitting the limit of the dice on an average roll in this case, means you aren't even getting your full bang for your buck with them, since they are quite likely to be clipped.

Re: Multiple Power Attacks: How much is too much?

for coolness effect yes by all means

if you hit it may even look like multiple wounds and I won't even count the extra rounds as charges spent

but the damage will be as if you hit with 1 round unless you have rapid fire or an auto fire weapon

You should have seen the expression on my face when I said I wanted to fire my two guns at once (Heroic game) as one attack and was told "Er' date=' you can only attack with one weapon at a time" ... I was like "Have you SEEN a John Woo movie?! Tell me I can't do that...."[/quote']

Re: Multiple Power Attacks: How much is too much?

you do realize that you are maxing out the body on the killing attacks

the bite should average 14 body not 24

and each if the claw attacks average 7 body

and I'm not sure where you are getting +30 for stun with levels(I know you can add I believe 5 pt levels for added Dc's in lieu of a to hit bonus)

also on the knock back your best hit the bite will average 14 body and +2 for the other 2 attacks but then you have to subtract 3d6 for a killing attack

or go with a 12 body tail attack with a +2 and have to only subtract 2d6

I have never used multiple power attack

and the GM's I play with generally don't like them

 

Dragon:

STR: 30

Bite: HKA 2d6

Claws: HKA 2d6 (reduced penetration)

Tail: HA +6d6

 

MPA: costs 18 END or 12 END? Either way it does 3 hits for 12 DCs each off a single non-penalized attack roll.

Now add 20 3pt levels (Bite, Claws, tail): against a dodgy target you will just plain hit; against an entangled target you add +30 STUN to the HA and +10 BODY (and the resulting STUN) to each of the HKAs. (okay, so all your above-average rolls get clipped, but that's part of the point.. ) It's also almost certain to do knockback (14 minimum BODY per HKA, with each fairly likely to do a full 24 BODY. Even 3d6 is unlikely to stop that from knocking back.. in fact 13-14" KB is to be expected!)

 

Average roll damage:

Bite: 24 BODY, 48 STUN (rolled a 3 on multiplier)

Claws: 12 + 12 BODY, 72 STUN ( rolled a 4 on multiplier)

Tail: 12 BODY, 72 STUN (rolled 3.5 per die, +30 from levels)

= 60 BODY - PD - 3x rPD (might not kill, but it should be felt)

= 192 STUN - 4x PD (and despite being broken up, it's quite likely to STUN as well). With the double-jeapardy STUN lotto, you can easily have a single hit for 120 STUN.

 

So.. is this all as crazy as I think it is?

Re: Are these old sourcebooks worth buying?

these are the ones I would get

Primus and Demon

Coriolis Effect

C.L.O.W.N.

Mind Games

Re: Can this be done x 2

you want everything but have no intention of paying for it

you think that 1 special effect teleport object should give you what you want

you want a shovel go ahead I'd give you a 10 lb sledge if you wanted it

but your 20 str hero using a 4d6 club with a 10 str min is only going to do 6d6 damage it might hurt an agent if you miss hitting his armor

any 350 pt villain is going to laugh at you

you want to do damage you need to pay for said damage

not munchkin your way around to not pay for it

yep I used the "M" word

you have been shown how to do things with a VPP or Multipower and you still whine

yep I used the "W" word too

most things in a normal house will not harm a normal super powered being

short of dropping the house on them or your car which if I was GM would make you pay for each and everytime you did it so you might as well buy up your wealth too cause your going to need it

here is a thought for you the more versatile you are the weaker you will be

think jack of all trades and master of none

what you want is to be 1000 point character in a 350 point game

might be fun for you but not the others in your game

Like what? Most any non-rare thing is something the player can say "I wish I had a shovel at home - GM, as soon as I get back to my home, I am going to pick up a shovel at the local hardware store and put it in my house."

 

I mean, it makes sense for many things not to be in the house the FIRST time he wants them, but (If he can get home soon) that can be quickly rectified from that point on.

Re: Fantasy Gambling Ideas

we play this one at faire alot but I was taught it as ship,captain,bo'sun

the ship and captain are the same but you needed a 4 for the bo'sun before you could get the crew

everything else plays the same

You might try a web search for "dice games" or "bar games". My grandmother owned a bar for several years and they always had a cup and dice behind the counter for all sorts of drinking games. Usually patrons would play to see who bought the next round.

 

The only one I remember is "Ship, Captain and Crew"

 

This is the game as I was taught:

 

You used a cup with 5D6. The object of the game is to get a six (your ship), a 5 (your captain) and the highest possible on the other three dice (your crew). You had to have a Ship before you could get a Captain and a Captain before you could collect a Crew and you had three rolls to do it with. Whomever had the highest total in crew, won.

 

For example: If on my first roll I didn't get any sixes I'd have to re roll all the dice. If I rolled a six, it would be put aside and I would roll all the rest of the dice to try and get my Captain and my Crew. If I rolled both a six and a five in my first roll I could keep those and any high dice I wanted to use for my Crew and still have two more rolls to to try and get the highest Crew.

 

So the best I could possible do would be to get a 6 for my Ship, a 5 for my Crew and three more 6's for my Crew.

 

*Player 1 rolls his Ship on his first roll, Captain on his second roll so he can also keep a 6 from that roll. He rolls the last two dice with his last roll and ends up with a Crew total of 9.

 

*Player 2 rolls his Ship on his first roll but rolls no Captain on his consecutive rolls so can collect no Crew so he loses.

 

*Player 3 rolls no Captain nor Ship on his three rolls so he loses.

 

*Player 4 rolls a Ship and a Captain on his first roll and on his two other rolls ends up with a Crew of 12, so he wins.

 

 

 

As a betting game there could be an ante and then individual betting on rolls or everyone could ante and make bets after each round of rolling.

 

Also, you could always change the terminology of the game IE: "Captain, Sgt and Squad" or "King, Queen and Army", "Dragon, Lair and Horde" or some such to give it more of a fantasy feel.

Re: Can this be done x 2

this could be done

you just need to figure out what the heaviest thing in your house would be

the fridge,water heater and bath tub would the heaviest things at say 200 kg and pay the points for it

now I would not charge you any points other than the base/vehicle perk points

but you would have to pay for anything unusual, like that hanging 16 ton wt set for the villian that threatens you with a banana

I think I can cut down the power level of the example while still illustrating the same base issue.

 

Let's make the power "Can teleport anything in his house/base to any location within 1000 feet of him"

 

So at this point he can *only* tp stuff that is currently in his place, and can only TP it to a place within 1000 feet of him (including inside other things, like gas tanks.)

 

Surely such a limited ability ought to be able to be built on 100-200 points? Or less? After all, once he has left the house, he has no options to increase his potential? Plus, if he only has one Flashlight at home, once he TPs it to himself, if it break, he's out of luck.

 

But even with this much more limited power, it's too versatile to build in Hero System without resorting to VPPs

Re: Can this be done x 2

if you are going to give your player the points to pay for said effect

then all is well

if not then the payer and you are going to have to figure out how they are going to pay for it with the points on hand

which means what amount of limitations you are willing to put on it or have the power at a reduced level

the big thing is you get the powers you want when you pay the points for them

at what amount of points is up to the GM

Is this *any* different from saying "the system is working as intended, if your power doesn't seem to work the way the world logical consistency would demand, then either you built it wrong, and so should suffer, or it's too expensive and it's more imprtant that you don't get power you didn't pay for even if that makes the game world stop making sense in some ways?"

 

I'm being deadly serious - with the guys who can create stuff, for example - one would imagine that creating napalm, or even basic gas, is not hard *from a story point of view*, if the mechanics forbid it do you just decide not to care that suddenly the truth of the gameworld doesn't add up, because the mechanics and point totals are more important?

Re: Can this be done x 2

I would not use summon to get this effect

for me I would go this route

napalm: EB 15d6, Trigger (Activating the Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action, Trigger requires a Turn or more to reset, Misfire; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Sticky (+1/2), Area Of Effect (53" Cone; +1), Continuous (+1) (337 Active Points); Conditional Power Power does not work in Common Circumstances (needs oxygen,not under water; -1/2), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), No Range (-1/2), Gestures (lighting the match; -1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4)

 

But that's not my question. My questions is this: If you Summon a decent quantity of napalm over an area, and then strike a match and toss it, does the napalm not burn? After all, you paid for the power to Summon napalm, not for the 15d6 AoE Fire RKA?

 

 

Re: Fantasy Gambling Ideas

here is 1 I learned this weekend at Ren faire

it is called 3's away

you need at least 5d6(you will roll at most 5 times per player w/ 5 dice)

after each roll you must keep at least 1 die(you may keep more if wanted

"3's" are worth 0 all others keep their normal value

object is to get the lowest score

Re: Various Powers at Edge of System

the big problem I see with your absolutes is that it invites the other side to have them also

you want no true death fine

but beware of that inescapable prison that is a 3'x3'x7' box locked away in another dimension

are you running the game or is someone else?

Re: Dropping defences

if you needed the aid you should try to be under some kind of cover and not in the thick of battle

So if I have my power defence on, and, presumably switching it off is a zero phase action (as is switching it on) then if someone heals or aids me between my phases I can't turn it off (as I can't take a zero phase action) and if I do turn it off to allow myself to be healed then an opponent holding an action could choose to attack and hit me when my power defence is down?

 

That's certainly the way I read it but it does tend to make healing and aid a very risky business if you are facing opponents with drain/suppress/transform powers.

Re: How many staffers does a superhero team need?

actually the X-Men had a staff of about 2

grounds keeper(x-military)

nurse

both human

back before their stint in australia

when the basic costume became bullet proof

The X-Men are a prime example of the team taking care of the base themselves.

Re: URBAN FANTASY HERO -- What Do *You* Want To See?

things I'd like to see

something like the Buffyverse(the magic box would seem to be a perfect place for a resourse pool for magic items

Sidhe Seelie and Unseelie courts

the hidden side like in Hell Boy 2

organizations like those in Buffy and Hell Boy that defend humanity vs the super natural

maybe even add the Men in Black

Ideas for normal based tech that give normals a chance vs the super natural

like in Buffy when she shot the villian "that no human forged weapon could harm so she used a hollow charged rocket that created a self forged penatrator"

Re: Jedi Ghosts and fade-to-deaths?

at the end of return of the jedi Darth Vader becomes a ghost and he was tainted by the dark side

I'd add also redeemed to the light side

Transform, physical being to spirit, self only, one charge that never recovers, trigger (death), must be untainted by the Dark Side.

 

Um, about 13 points assuming 10 BODY and no power defense. Most likely the Jedi would buy this out of expierence after becomeing a Master.

Re: Potential HC Campaign: SideKicks

need to do a new background story and design her toys(vehicles and bases)

but here is a rough draft

she is a gadgeteer that can figure out how something work be it tech,magic or alien

Silk Detective

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

15/25 STR 5 12- / 14- Lift 200.0kg/800.0kg; 3d6/5d6 [1]

20/30 DEX 30 13- / 15- OCV: 7/10/DCV: 7/10

15/25 CON 10 12- / 14-

14 BODY 8 12-

23 INT 13 14- PER Roll 14-

12 EGO 4 11- ECV: 4

15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6

20 COM 5 13-

3/25 PD 0 Total: 3/25 PD (0/20 rPD)

4/26 ED 1 Total: 4/26 ED (0/20 rED)

3/6 SPD 0 Phases: 4, 8, 12/2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

6/13 REC 0

30/50 END 0

30/40 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 81

Movement: Running: 6"/12"

Leaping: 3"/6"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Teleportation: 18"/144"

Cost Powers END

kludged magics,super tech and alien artifacts, all slots Concentration (0 DCV; -1/2), Extra Time (Extra Phase, Only to Activate, -1/2), OIHID (-1/4)

Notes: 2 full phases to get into hero id

7 1) +10 STR, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (15 Active Points)

13 2) +10 DEX (30 Active Points)

9 3) +10 CON (20 Active Points)

9 4) +2 SPD (20 Active Points)

3 5) +3 REC (6 Active Points)

27 6) Find Weakness 13- with All Attacks, No Range Modifier (+1/2) (60 Active Points)

Notes: costs 1/2 end to use(3 pts) every phase used

7 7) Sight Group Flash Defense (15 points) (15 Active Points)

2 8) Teleportation: Fixed Location (5 Locations) (5 Active Points)

Notes: command seat of her Lav-25team base

4 9) Teleportation: Floating Fixed Location (2 Locations) (10 Active Points)

16 adapted magics,super tech and alien cybernetic nanites: Elemental Control, 74-point powers, (37 Active Points); all slots Extra Time (Extra Phase, Only to Activate, -1/2), Concentration (0 DCV; -1/2), OIHID (-1/4)

15 1) Armor (20 PD/20 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (75 Active Points); Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) 7

17 2) Teleportation 18", x2 Increased Mass, x8 Noncombat, Safe Blind Teleport (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (76 Active Points) 3

37 Modified weapons: Multipower, 75-point reserve, (75 Active Points); all slots Restrainable (-1/2), OIHID (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4)

4u 1) 2x Colt M1911a1 .45 cal pistols custom loads magic reloads: RKA 2d6, Autofire (5 shots; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1) (75 Active Points)

4u 2) 2x Colt M1911a1 ,45 cal pistols with custom mercy rounds: EB 6d6, STUN Only (+0), Autofire (5 shots; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1) (75 Active Points)

15 tinker power: Luck 6d6 (30 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (only on how something works; -1)

Perks

20 Lav 25, nanite computer, extra dimensiona base,robot dragon: Vehicles & Bases

5 Money: Well Off

Skills

3 Acrobatics 13- (15-)

3 Analyze: Magic 14-

3 Breakfall 13- (15-)

3 Bugging 14-

3 Combat Driving 13- (15-)

3 Combat Piloting 13- (15-)

3 Computer Programming 14-

3 Concealment 14-

3 Criminology 14-

3 Deduction 14-

3 Inventor 14-

8 Penalty Skill Levels: +4 vs. Range Modifier with a tight group of attacks

6 Survival (Temperate/Subtropical, Tropical, Desert) 14-

5 TF: Science Fiction & Space Vehicles, Combat Aircraft, Helicopters, Large Planes, Small Planes, Wheeled Military Vehicles

3 WF: Small Arms, Vehicle Weapons

0 PS: Archeology (Custom Adder) 11-

0 KS: anchient greek culture and mythos (Custom Adder) 11-

0 Paramedics 8-

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 269

Total Cost: 350

200+ Disadvantages

10 Distinctive Features: (Concealable always looking around; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

20 Hunted: Nazis 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish)

20 Hunted: DEMON 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish)

20 Enraged: when normals are harmed (Common), go 11-, recover 11-

5 Physical Limitation: needs glasses to read (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)

10 Psychological Limitation: Hates Nazis with a passion (Uncommon, Strong)

15 Psychological Limitation: Curious (Common, Strong)

10 Psychological Limitation: Annoyed by incompetence (Uncommon, Strong)

20 Reputation: property damage, 14- (Extreme)

5 Rivalry: Professional (other detective types), Rival is As Powerful, Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival, Rival Aware of Rivalry

15 Social Limitation: Secret Id (Frequently, Major)

Total Disadvantage Points: 150

Background/History:

Personality/Motivation:

Quote:

Powers/Tactics:

Campaign Use:

Appearance:

Re: Potential HC Campaign: SideKicks

I'd be up for this game

what AP caps and CV's do you want to see?

Re: Call for Replacements

since both of mine are constructs by Dr Destroyer both are wanting to avoid him and see strength in numbers