Martin2

Re: Questions about the Champions 6E core rules book

I got confused when buying the Champions book and also thought it was a stand alone book not requiring books 1&2. I think I got it from another postal company and not through the web site store (it was cheaper I think).

So people who are new to Hero it can be confusing if you did not read a whole load of forum entries and picked up the thread that it was a supliment. Or did not get to see it in a shop to look through the book in detail in the first place.

Also the snowballing of books required to play the game in "full" is not helping me run the game as my players have seen the size of the books and the cost to buy into the game with 3 possible books to buy to be up to speed. And even though I try and provide them with as much information as possible they still keep saying it is a "bit complicated".

But as you say the basic book may be a cheaper option for them to read.

Re: Starting points

I honestly don't understand what what point you are trying to make here.

 

I'm reading what you said and it is in total agreement to my previous post.

This is just basic math.

B(base points) + C(complication points) = T(total points)

where B is 325 and C can never be higher than 75.

Just commenting from my point of view as a new 6e that characters are recorded as cost points and then list of complications.

A 400 point 6e character is not recorded as 325 points with additional complications 75.

It is recorded as 400 character points and 75 complications.

A 6e person only does not think the total character adds up to 475 points.

Eg Defender 400 points 6e (Champions book) Characteristics = 172 points, Powers 228 points. 172 + 228 = 400 character points. Character sheet indicates total cost = 400 points. Then there is Complications is 75 points. Defender is not listed as a 475 character he is a 400 point character (or a 325 + 75 character).

In 5e he possibly would be listed as a 325 points and 75 points disadvantages.

But a 400 point character in 6e is a 400 points with additional complications which is usualy 75 but a character with experience has different ratio.

A person only familiar with 6e would think in this way as they are not familar with the recording system of previous editions.

Re: Energy Absorber/Blaster

After reading over the advice I have put together this for the character. I'm still working on the skills/background and tweaking the characteristics' date=' but what do you guys think so far?[/size']

 

----------------------------

 

Pulsar

 

Characteristics

40 STR 10

14 DEX 8

16 CON 6

20 BODY 10

16 INT 6

14 EGO 4

16 PRE 6

 

10 PD 8

10 ED 8

4 SPD 20

20 REC 16

40 END 4

50 STUN 15

 

12m RUN 0

4m SWIM 0

4m LEAP 0

 

Characteristics Cost: 167

 

Powers

27 Energy Absorption: Absorption 15 BODY (Energy, END), Increased Maximum (x2 points) (+1/4), Absorption As A Defense (Normal; +1/2), Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Minute; +1) (41 Active Points); Perceivable (-1/4), Unified Power (Energy Absorption; -1/4)

 

27 Kinetic Absorption: Absorption 15 BODY (Physical, END), Increased Maximum (x2 points) (+1/4), Absorption As A Defense (Normal; +1/2), Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Minute; +1) (41 Active Points); Perceivable (-1/4), Unified Power (Energy Absorption; -1/4)

 

40 Energy Flight: Flight 40m

 

100 Energy Control: Multipower, 100-point reserve

3f 1)

Energy Sheath

: Blast 8d6, Area Of Effect (1m Surface; Damage Shield; +1/4), Constant (+1/2) (70 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), Costs END To Maintain (Full END Cost; -1/2)

 

7f 2)

Energy Maelstrom

: Blast 8d6, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Constant (+1/2), Area Of Effect (16m Radius; +3/4) (100 Active Points); No Range (-1/2)

 

5f 3)

Energy Blast

: (Total: 80 Active Cost, 49 Real Cost) Blast 4d6 (Real Cost: 20) plus Blast 4d6 (20 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -1/2) (Real Cost: 13) plus Blast 4d6 (20 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1) (Real Cost: 10) plus Blast 4d6 (20 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x6 END; -2 1/2) (Real Cost: 6)

Stages:

I: 4d6 Damage (2 END)

II: 8d6 Damage (6 END)

III: 12d6 Damage (12 END)

IV: 16d6 Damage (24 END)

2f 4)

Charged Punch

: Hand-To-Hand Attack +6d6 (30 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4)

 

1f 5)

Increased Strength

: +20 STR (20 Active Points); Costs END To Maintain (Full END Cost; -1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -1/2)

Powers Cost: 212

Skills

Military Officer Training

2 1) KS: Military 11-

0 2) PS: Military Officer 11-

3 3) Tactics 12-

3 4) Teamwork 12-

 

Scientist

2 1) PS: Military Scientist 11-

2 2) Science Skill: Advanced Particle Physics 11-

 

Everyman Skills

0 1) Acting 8-

0 2) Climbing 8-

0 3) Concealment 8-

0 4) Deduction 8-

0 5) Language: English (completely fluent; literate) (4 Active Points)

0 6) Paramedics 8-

0 7) Persuasion 8-

0 8) Shadowing 8-

0 9) Stealth 8-

0 10) TF: Everyman Skill, Small Motorized Ground Vehicles

0 11) AK 8-

 

Skills Cost: 12

 

Perks

4 Fringe Benefit: Captain

 

Perks Cost: 4

 

 

Total Character Cost: 395

 

Disadvantages

 

• 15 Hunted: [NPC Group] (Frequently; As Pow; Harshly Punish)
  
• 15 Psychological Complication: Hatred of [NPC Group] (Common; Strong)
  
• 10 Psychological Complication: Vengeful (Uncommon; Strong)
  
• 15 Social Complication: Subject to Orders Frequently, Major
  
• 15 Social Complication: Public ID Frequently, Major
  
• 5 Dependent NPC: Daughter - Skilled Hacker (Infrequently; Normal; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills)
  

Disadvantage Points: 75

Base Points: 400

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

Well it would depend on the GM and his campaign maximums. Normaly for 400 points the usual maximum is 12D6 / 60 points active but if he has upper limits as you have 100 active limits 16D6 energy attack and possibly 18D6 HTH with the 40 strength then increased +20 strength boost and then +6D6 HTH. You cound do with some resistant defence (unless I missed it). Some GM's may not allow the two absorbs to stack so each one will have to be tracked separately.

Re: What have your experiences been with a Teleportation as an attack?

I would use Stretching with Does Not Cross Intervening Space.

See another non teleporting power to simulate teleport .

It would get complicated as I would have to link in tempory strength as well as the character is not strong.

Re: Energy Absorber/Blaster

I think (someone correct me if I am wrong ) that if you have absorption to Endurance this will increase your endurance total. So if you have the normal absorption every body absorbed will increase your endurance by the amount. 10 absorption would increase it by 10 (10 max a hit to 20 maximum total). But if you then expend endurance the total will go down but then can be recovered to that amount. So to get the best out of it you should also have a high recovery as well (possibly split between the two?).

So it would be better to boost your own end than make another end pool.

So to take the maximum advantage would be to have extended time on the absorption and then spend time to keep your endurance to the maximum with regular recovery phases.

For the energy blast you could have one that is cheaper by having the limitation of having it cost double endurance so can only be used when endurance is high.

Or talk to the GM to get a "higher than average dice" energy attack but can only be used when you have maximum absorbtion and use up most of your endurance in one go and then possibly have charges with it as well to simulate the all or nothing attack.

Sounds like a cool energy attack character concept

Re: What have your experiences been with a Teleportation as an attack?

TK is the power to move things (and enemys) agaisnt their will on Range.

TK, UAA is a movement Power used as UAA. Wich is bad in the first place. It is listed as one of the most likely abusive builds. It has a miserable scaling and All-or Nothing defenses.

My understanding of KISS is to use the tool with the right effect, not the one whose name fit's the SFX best.

I agree with Christopher. My Teleporter also wants to disarm people with Foci weapons. Currently I have a UAA teleport attack. Which I "bodged" to the cost of a grab with "teleport strength" of10 strength grab roll and a bonus of +2. So has a good chance of teleporting a gun out of a mook but not out of the hands of a strong villain.

I am thinking of making it a telekenetic str based only for grabbing things as it should be cheaper.

Re: Starting points

A 350 point super in 5e means 200 base points with up to 150 more points with matching disadvantages.

A 400 point super in 6e means 325 base points with up to 75 more points with matching complications.

As a new gamer to 6th that is not my interpretation as I have little understanding of the previous rules.

My understanding of a 400 points 6e means 400 points and a minimum of 75 complications. If a character was to have only 65 complications that would be a 390 points character with 65 complications. As complications above 75 does not give you more character points to spend on a character.

I understand people who have more experience of previous editions would consider it your way. But it would be confusing to new players as they would try and get more complications but not get any more characterpoints to spend.

But this is just my thoughts on the subject (as everyone else has already discussed it)

Re: What have your experiences been with a Teleportation as an attack?

I have a teleporter player.

I have allowed:

Ranged teleport 20m. So he can teleport a target 20m in any direction but not into an object for the random teleport damage.

Blast 6D6 NND (defence teleportation etc)- Teleport in and out of existance for stunning attack.

2d6 RKA NND (defence teleportation etc) - teleport things into people or bits off people. Nasty but the equivilent of other energy attacks (he wanted the objects to be grenades for a lot more damage but I said no that is beyond the points cost of the power)

Same effect as any other energy attack user. The random teleport damage is a bit over powered as you only need ranged teleport 1m (ie straight down into the floor) to get the possibility of serious unbalanced damage.

Re: Ways to manage a huge team with a lot of characters?

In a CoC game we had 2 characters each. One a more combat one and the other a reasearcher. So one died meeting the scary monsters and the other died from reading about the scary monsters.

In this case you could have 2 or 3 PC level characters each but only one can be used at once and the GM could limit the available characters. Each PC earns experience for the character he plays. The other one gets nothing or a very small amount.

You can then have the VPP team mates based on a certain points cost.

As you say you have this large group fighting crime over a great area (looks to be world wide) and they do not all turn up at once to every threat. So no one assigns 30 operatives (varying from 200 points to 500 points) to a bank robbery.

Depending on the level of the perceived threat they get the PC's 1 character each and a set number of NPC's of certain levels for backup. With a small chance of one of the PC's other characters turning up as a NPC (with reduced EXP level gained).

Re: Networked computers

Can you use Mind Link on computers without an Ego?

It does not mean it is a mental power just mimics the power. Security systems with cameras are done with it and also radio's

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

 

Waaay to complicated. Detect Sins (3 points), Part of the Mental Sense group, Naturally blocked by any form of Mental defense.

The use of this "Sense" could still violate a persons privacy, the same way a scanner does in SciFi settings.

 

Three points? OK looking up the detects it may be a 5 pointer but you are still trying to detect something that is not clearly defined on a character sheet (like magic, a mind etc). Your assumption of sin would have to be defined as a sin from the detecters point of view.

Would this detect the level of sin as well or just a person who has sinned?

Most people would be detected by a detect sin power.

Hero's, villains, soldiers, police would possibly flag up to the power.

Would guilt also effect it (the cop feeling very guilty for shooting someone dead for shooting at him or the villain who does not give a damn for killing someone)?

My thoughts would be who ever had the power would have a constant headache from trying to judge the level of evil / sin from everyone around him everytime he switched it on.

Also what can they do?

The person over there is evil. What can I do about it? Nothing as you have no proof to the evil just the evil ometer has beeped.

You would then need the telpathy to find out the exact evil.

Re: How To Build: Gibbon

...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3CI8I5Si_U

Cool video. Could not help laughing at it

How do I rep the Gibbon

Speed 3 or 4. High DCV. High Dex. Possible stretching to simulate attack then get back to the tree?

Re: Character with a symbiote

What would the symbiote be like if it is living armor?

It would give the character with the symbiote the option of buying resistant PD /ED or damage negation etc up to the limits that the GM allow.

Or regeneration, or what ever defensive power you want within a points limit of the campaign.

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

This conversation reminded me of this little exchange. Technically it's about "sin" not "evil" but her it is anyway...

Granny Weatherwax and Pastor Oats discussing sin in Terry Pratchett's Carpe Jugulum:

Like otherpeople have mentioned you have to define evil.

Also with sin your definitions of sin very from religion to religion. Some counting drinking alcohol or eating certain food or foods prepared in a certain way as a ”sin”. So would they be counted as evil?

Very few characters have evil written on their character sheet and Hero does not have an alignment system so the power would have to be more specific than just detecting evil.

Can you detect complications? That will allow some psychological complications to be picked up.

Also the majority of us would have thought about or done something that some other person would have counted as evil (drinking and then driving, not declairing all tax possibilities, fancying the neighbours wife / husband etc). Is it limited to evil thought or just evil acts? And how evil do these thoughts or acts have to be before you register as evil enough to be detected as evil and how long does it wear off?

I think allof this sounds like some sort of telepathy power to scan for specific memories of “evil” acts. This would need a veryhigh EGO +20 / 30. Obviously mental defence would protect against it. Al so it would be difficult to do this AOE so would be one person at a time with plenty of time for break out rolls.

So a very limited power that takes a very long time to scan people and anyone with mental defence should be OK.

You also have the law and a character trying to mentally scan everyone he meets.

Re: Alternate Sexualities in Champions and Supers settings

That's pretty good.

I wanted to say its a pleasure to participate in a thread on this subject matter that doesn't explode into a flamefest and holier than thou competition.

Well isn’t Champions a game where the majority of the men run round in tightfitting spandex so if most players are OK with that they are probably more open to other things as well.

I have a player who's character is gay. One of his complications is Fashionista (serious fashion victim from the gay point of view) so just a bit of stereo typing then.

"That green does not really suit you" to the VIPER agents

Re: Sniper

Well it looks like with a 60 active point limit you can not get a one shot kills all power.

Thats the thing with Hero is that it has to ballance out and to kill any NPC with one shot is a bit powerful!

With those limits you could have a 4D6 RKA and then separate linked skill bonuses for against range. Possibly with more skill bonuses for head shots (as most armour should be weaker on the head for most people).

With enough OCV and skill to hit your GM could rule that with enough time (extra phases looking at a target in the open that does not move so is unaware and on half DCV) you are more likely to hit and roll low enough and you can hit a target with a good shot equivilent to a crit and 24 body minus any head armour.

But this would be a powerful attack. Also most people have some sort of resistant armour on the head so is unlikely to kill with one shot.

So you will have to convince the GM to up the active limit for your one shot and possibly only make it a one shot in a game session power (1 charge).

But then as a GM I would not give any player a power that kills anything with one shot, as every player would want an equivilant power, so everyone would have one. Then to balance it all out all the NPC's must have one. Thats why active limits are put into campaigns to limit the one shot kills all situation.

Re: When, if ever, would your character kill?

Well one of my players (with a code versus killing!!!!) with the NND body "bone warping" power from the Champions power book (which I have explained is a power that inflicts body damage on people with bones and not a break bones power) after downing a powerful oponent said as we can not secure them I will use my power to kill her by breaking her neck. I said it does not work like that it it would not be a good thing to do. They then said OK I will increase my strength and snap her neck then!!!!!

Not wanting the campaign going in that direction I managed to stop them doing it. I explained if they wanted to do that sort of thing the campaign changes and the villains become real villains and use their killing attacks all the time. And they do the same thing to you. You go down and they will kill you straight away and not put you in prison explain the evil plan to you before your team mates or UNTIL turn up to rescue you (in comic book style ).

I think killing villains is defined by the campaign. If players want to kill people the campaign has to be a kill or be killed campaign. Or it will go in that direction and it has to be wanted by players and the GM. I do not mind accidental deaths but if my players want to kill in cold blood the game changes and they lose the support of the government etc and I am not so happy to run that sort of game.

Re: Junior Superheroes

My game was going to be a young teen based game but the players all being a lot older sort of changed it to late teens - 20's and I changed from my planed 300 to a standard 400 game (mostly because it would be easier as they did not want to be that young).

There is less published material for young teens and therefore low powered. Everything is more aimed at the "average" hero.

So if you plan to run a teen game you will either have to do your own stuff or heavily downgrade any opponents in any standard games. When you have to gang up on an average 400 point villain when you are low powered can be hard.

It will be a lot of low powered stuff to start with and you will have to get a lot of support from your players.

Older players tend not to want to play the "just got powers and they are not very powerful" game. They tend to be more the I have some experience and my powers are more powerful and I want to be a "real super hero with powers".

Young players may want to re live their youth and pretend they had powers. Older players will be less interested in re living things that happened a long time ago .

But thats a general comment.

See how much support you get from your players as they may get bored if you plan to spend a lot of the campaign playing the being grounded for sneaking out at night and you can not tell mum and dad that you are infact fighting crime.

But have fun if you do get the game of the ground.

I expect there will be a lot more roleplaying / skill use / use of super powers outside their intended use etc with this sort of game .

Re: Lim Value: 'Only to increase throwing distance'

In Fantasy HERO the Atlatl has STR only for throwing distance (-1).

Atlatl is a historic item which increases the range of spears which are designed to be thrown.

Lower limitation for a item that is not designed to be thrown???

Re: STD carrier

Without bantering about the aesthetics of the question' date=' I'd probably go with a transform that gives the recipient a physical and social limitation. It would, obviously, not affect someone with immunity to disease, etc. The level of transform (cosmetic, etc) should probably be linked to the effects of the disease (from mildly annoying and uncomfortable to long-term lethal). It would heal back through medicine (or amazing healing powers) as apropos. That said, if a sniggering GM were to infect one of my PCs with an STD I'd just close my books, pack my bags, and walk out FOR GOOD. But that is another story...[/quote']

 

I totally agree on all points.

 

Game mechanics Transform cosmetic , minor, major depending on STD/I. Limitations would be sexual contact with a major time limit.

 

I think it should also be an all or nothing transform. There are known cases of partners being with partners for months / years with no transfer of HIV (but some with it being transfered on the first time). So it will have very little effect on your average PC.

 

Also the effects will have variable effects for STD/I. I think in most cases it would be a complication that has very little effect apart from they will then become carriers with the transform. And in most cases it will have little chance of happening and very easy to get rid of it. For other major effects you are looking at a seriously dodgy game direction.

 

But this is all about game effect and should not costed out as a serious "power".

 

Any player wanting such a power in my games would not be allowed and if I had a GM who had a villain with this as a costed power I would not take them seriously.

 

This could be used as game plot for other NPC's but not PC's

Re: Eccentric but plausible ways a character could be rich?

How about someone you never met and have no family connections left it you in his will?

Story being that a year before they died they changed the will excluding all the family and left it to you.

Could be used to add a hunted family member want their money back complication

Just explain it to your GM that you do not know why he left it to you but he can make it up. So you will have the family trying to get it back.

The reason? Just picked you out of the phone book (they could have an old contact address for you or your mothers address to indicate a very old back story)? Wrong person and the other person with your name will be looking for his money (villain / hero)? Did you assist him or his family or just got rid of an enemy he did not like in your other line of buisness and he found out your secret id?

Give it to the GM as a plot idea .

Re: Sniper

We do not use Hit Locations.

 

Actually, there is another type of round that the Sniper could use: Armor Piercing, Explosion.

 

Also, I thought of another type of grenade: Tear Gas (Probably a Flash: Sight/Smell/Taste Group, right?) Flush 'em out into the open and then aerate their brains.

 

Maybe have one Multipower for the Ammunition, and another for all the different types of grenades he/she will use. There will 2 types of the regular grenades. The type you throw, and the type you fire from the grenade launcher that is attached to the underside of the rifle.

 

And while I'm thinking about it, let's say that there are 4 of each type of grenade (Charges: 4). When I use the last one of a certain type, do I need to buy the power again, or do they just magically reappear after each game session downtime?

I sounds like a MP with lots of ammo options. One for all of the suggested options.

The sniper has a well adapted rifle for the various bullets or as suggested a suitable weapon (grenade launcher etc) for the rest.

Possible one for a sniper is the NND highest RKA attack you can have for your MP active points. The defence would probably be less than a certain amount of resistant armour on the head and a very long time setting it up. Possibly 2 or 3 phases. This will mimic the sniper finding his target having a bead on him for several seconds and then shooting him in the head.

It would be useless in HTH combat but if you want to take out one target in one shot that would be the one.

Re: Group equipment MP or VPP

OK thanks everyone.

Lots of input from a points critical and points not so critical view points.

I am the points critical GM and him being the points not so critical player we have our clashes.

The game will probably be ending next week and I will offer as mentioned the character rewrite to him and all players (but not a radiation leak option as I think that is too cheesy . They will get to refocus their powers and get a chunk of EXP to spend). So he can go for a teleport reduction for a real gadget VPP or a group low tech easy to break low cost VPP.

What ever they want to do if I ever run a game they can have the characters they want.

Re: Group equipment MP or VPP

It completely depends on how you approach roleplaying and character design. To me, everything starts at the character conception and writeup. If the writeup says the power set is X, and X logically means Y and Z, then the character automatically has Y and Z. Points don't matter - he has them. If I (or the other players) are uncomfortable with the idea of Y and Z, then concept X is not allowed. Perhaps the slightly different concept W must be used, or maybe the concept has to be abandoned. To bring in a different thread, if the character is invulnerable to fire in the concept and description, then it is invulnerable to all fire. The implementation of this does not matter, and for me at least, doesn't not have to even be implemented within the rules - just write down Invuln to Fire on the character sheet and be done with it. Whether this is an unbalanced character for the campaign is a totally different issue, and is judged separately.

What about characters that start out with one concept and then assume several sessions into the campaign states "I earn 500,000 a year so I can buy what ever I wantin the way of equipment". So a background that is not the concept he explained to me in character development.

In my campaign this is the case. His background was rich inherited with social skills connected and he could Teleport. He has a multipower with every trick in the book for transporting the party 5,000km, through teleport protected walls etc (he also said he wanted to be an olympic level archer which he would do tricks with his teleports but told me nothing about the tricks so I just gave him a ranged KA and he has not used it). He is also said "I have teleport 100kg so I should be able to teleport people out of armour, tyres of vehicles and drop them on people" all for free and not paid for.

So he had powers X (teleport) and Y (rich) and assumed Z (Multipower gadgateer) was free.

Re: Group equipment MP or VPP

Thanks for the various feedback guys.

I have had all of these responses before as it is a regular theme for me on the forums.

I explain the rules then he says why not. I explain I have not miss read the rules as everyone else agrees with me.

I am going to try the VPP for the base with an effective -2 limitation for easily broken focus of the high tech kind and bulked out with an extra 10CP from his wealth option and then what ever the group want to add to it.

I will then get him to supply a list of what things he wants in his base store room. He will have to supply the method he wants to get hold of them. I will then say what he can have and number crunch it to the VPP limit and explain how much they can take with them and then explain it is non super tech and is costed for non super tech so will be damaged very easily.

I will also offer him a character rewrite as the campaign will stop as my scenario is coming to an end so they can have it all ready for the next game. If it ever happens!