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patransom

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  2. Has anyone read any good or interesting superhero fiction novels?

    in Champions

    Posted

    I'll second a bunch that have already been mentioned: the Ex-Heroes series, the Confessions of a D-List Supervillain series, Nobody Gets the Girl, and Soon I Will be Invincible are all really fun. Especially Ex-Heroes. That series is a just-one-more-chapter, hard-to-put-down, kind of read.

     

    Several more that I haven't seen mentioned and very much enjoyed:

     

    How to Succeed in Evil (funny and really excellent, there are a couple of sequels): https://www.amazon.com/How-Succeed-Evil-Patrick-McLean-ebook/dp/B00589W1DM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1524749842&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+succeed+in+evil

     

    They Tell Me I'm the Bad Guy (thematically somewhat similar to Confessions of a D-List Supervillain, but darker): https://www.amazon.com/They-Tell-Me-Bad-Guy-ebook/dp/B0064S8ATK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1524749892&sr=1-1&keywords=they+tell+me+I'm+the+bad+guy

     

    Super-Powereds (this series is more young adult and the editing/grammar leaves a lot to be desired, but still an engaging read): https://www.amazon.com/Super-Powereds-Year-Drew-Hayes-ebook/dp/B00BIJ05F2/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1524750104&sr=1-2&keywords=superpowereds

     

  6. Two handed punch.

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Two handed punch.

     

    In 6th edition, HSMA p 94 lists "Requires Two Hands" as a restrictive element worth -0 points. So it follows that you could define pretty much any martial arts maneuver you thought fit (e.g., offensive strike) as requiring two hands, rename it "two-handed punch," and be done.

  7. Getting Stronger and Tougher the More I Get Hurt

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Getting Stronger and Tougher the More I Get Hurt

     

    You probably realize this, but there's a difference between a character who absorbs energy to get stronger and a character who gets stronger when they are hurt.

     

    For the first character, it's appropriate to buy absorption, because the absorption power only requires you to be hit by whatever you absorb (kinetic energy, electricity), not to actually take damage from it (6E1 166). For the second character, the approach suggested by CrosshairCollie seems like the easiest solution.

  10. Considering running a Champions campaign - what do I need to buy....

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Considering running a Champions campaign - what do I need to buy....

     

    If you are going to build your own villains, Champions Powers (and the HD pack) makes it much easier and faster.

     

    If you're going to use pre-made villains, the most useful 6E book is Villains 3 (the greatest number of villains and more flexibility to mix and match). Even if you only want the pdf, you can get it at a slight discount through the kickstarter (and help the rest of us get our hardcopies at the same time): http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/herogames/champions-villains-3-solo-villains

     

    Champions Battlegrounds has some interesting encounters. The (optional) plot thread that ties them together, however, kind of requires you to have an established, known superteam, so it might not be ideal for a group that's just starting. Villainy Unleashed has some fun one-shot scenarios, although I like the Champions Battlegrounds ones better.

     

    If you really want pre-made adventures, Shades of Black and Crossroads Blues are really, really good. Shades being a multi-session story arc and Crossroads being a fun little one shot.

  12. 7 deadly sins

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: 7 deadly sins

     

    Which of the published villain characters would you assign to represent one of the deadly sins.

     

    The deadly sins are: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust envy, and gluttony.

     

    For instance: You may "vote" for Grond to represent Wrath, since he is prone to trantrums and often goes berserk when tricked.

     

    Ohh, this is fun! I just did a search for the key terms in the three 6E villains books and found the following:

     

    Wrath

    Appears a lot, but the best fits might be:

    • Black Paladin: is basically the instrument of the arch-devil, Baphomet, the Lord of Wrath
    • Tyrannon: every one of his forms has a power entitled Deadly Wrath of Tyrannon

     

    Greed

    Appears many, many times, but it's hard to beat the previously mentioned quote on:

    • Franklin Stone: "How do you describe the extent of Franklin Stone’s greed, ambition, and hunger for power? It would be easier to count all the planets in the galaxy or try to get the sea to hold still."

     

    Sloth

    Does not appear, but a search on lazy turns up:

    • Pulsar: "...is, at heart, a lazy underachiever... the truth is he doesn’t work hard at anything; he expects to be given fame, fortune, and women on a silver platter, and he has an excuse for everything that goes wrong."

     

    Pride

    • Dr. Destroyer: "Destroyer has two Achilles’s heels — one known to the world, one carefully kept secret. The first is his pride and arrogance, through which he can sometimes be taunted into exposing himself, and which drive him to grandiose schemes when more covert action would probably allow him to achieve his goals more quickly."
    • The Soviet Guard, Hammer, and Sickle: "... are all Communist loyalists who’d like to have the Soviet regime (and Russian pride) restored..."
    • El Salto (for a more humorous choice): "...is is justifiably proud of his leaping abilities..." but "... even prouder of his large, luxuriant moustache..."

     

    Lust

    • Astralle: offered herself as a lover to seven demons to gain her powers; has the complication "lecherous"
    • Mind Slayer: "...genuinely loves Psimon and has no outside interests at all. However, some day she may finally grasp the fact that he doesn’t love her in return, and her wrath in that case might be terrifying."

     

    Envy

    • Jade Phoenix: "...murderously jealous of anyone whose martial arts prowess (particularly with Kung Fu) even approaches his own; he’ll try to kill or cripple any such fighters. It was this envy that led him to destroy Yengtao Temple."
    • Morgaine the Mystic: "...finds herself on the bad end of the Crimelords love triangle. She still carries quite a torch for Dreadnaught, but his devotion to Tiger Lily blinds him to the fact that she’s much better. (Or at least that’s how she sees it.) She’d love to get rid of Tiger Lily so she can have Dreadnaught to herself, but she doesn’t dare do anything that would make Dreadnaught suspicious of her."
    • Bulldozer (for a very humorous choice for envy OR lust): "I’m the envy of every man — and the fantasy of every woman!"

    Gluttony

    • Slun: "... his greatest love is gourmet food. His gluttony is nearly boundless, and he often holds 'business meetings' over dinners that last for hours. Anyone who can compete with him as a trencherman earns a measure of his respect."

     

    Special Mention:

    • Tartarus: his "personality/motivation" section mentions pride, greed, rage (i.e., wrath), lust, and gluttony. So you just need someone lazy and envious to turn him loose and he could do the rest :)

  17. Do you use Dr Destroyer in your campaign and if so, which version & how?

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Do you use Dr Destroyer in your campaign and if so, which version & how?

     

    Seen as the original that I loved to hate was 'killed off' and replaced with one using magic I was thinking of kicking off my Champions 'A million stories in Millenium City' campaign with the old tech version hiding away and watching....then have this new arcane version turn up from a quantum universe..two? YES, TWO DR Detroyers...OR have they already done that and I've been subconsiously influenced by something I've read?

     

    Hmmmm, how would the original DD react to a quantum universe imposter???

     

    Yep, that's almost exactly what they've done, as of about 2-3 months ago in the online game. The original DD does not react well.

  18. Cheshire Cat question

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Cheshire Cat question

     

    [ASIDE: Is that costing right? TPort 10 m is 10 points x 2.25 = 22 - where is the Position Shift paid for?]

     

    I copied and pasted right from the pdf, so yeah, it looks like either the point cost is wrong or he shouldn't have Position Shift on the ability. He should have paid 34 points for it, if it has Position Shift (and his main teleport has position shift, so...). Of course, that's not the only error in the book. It's not even the only error on CC's character sheet...

     

    Comparing it again to the speedster: for 5 points the speedster can buy Passing Strike from HSMA. For that, he gets his full STR damage (same as CC), plus +1 OCV (which CC doesn't get with his trick), plus +v/10 damage (which CC also doesn't get). With the points he's saved, he can buy a lot of 0 END on his movement.

  19. Cheshire Cat question

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Cheshire Cat question

     

    To help inform the discussion, this is the exact power that Cheshire Cat has in 6E Villains Volume 2:

     

    22 Staying Out Of Reach: Teleportation 10m, Position Shift, Trigger (whenever he wants to after performing an attack, activating Trigger takes no time, resetting Trigger is a Zero Phase Action; +¾), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½)

     

    The text discussion of his powers makes it clear the intent of this power is for him to teleport up to someone, attack, then teleport away. Whether this "breaks" the rule that attacking ends your phase, I'm not sure. He did pay the modifier to have the trigger take no time...

     

    IMO, whether it technically breaks the rules or not, it's not overpowered. Compare it to a speedster using a move by. He comes from far away, hits you, and ends up far away from you. Unlike CC, he has to move through the intervening space, but he also probably paid less than 22 points for the 10m of movement he used after he hit you.

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