badger3k

Re: Question about "DANGER SENSE DODGING" Irk. Great, now I remember.... Months of therapy, down the drain...

Re: Question about "DANGER SENSE DODGING" Personally, I don't. That's what makes the game fun. The PC in this case should not be going toe-to-toe - he should be using this to help his defense, but he should also be using some kind of tactics to avoid that final blast from the BBEG. Of course, if the PC is going to die from my own choices and his roll, well, I might modify the result, but it depends on story and situation (and the genre - dark hero, four color, etc). If it were a fantasy game, I'd let the chips fall where they may.

Re: Question about "DANGER SENSE DODGING" Well, I'm trying to get away from the attachment to opinion that these kind of debates can incur. I've been bad about these things sometimes, and I still need to work on it. Part of me sees no sense to debate something if it's just an opinion, while at the same time seeing some intellectual stimulation in it. Now, it's nowhere as bad here as it is elsewhere - more mature people I think. Even the NGD boards have calmed down tremendously (where I think I've tended to post more). Only 500 for a "clerics are overpowered thread"? I'd expect a lot more. Try "does shape change change hp" or anything with Haste. Or how magic has been broken in the new version...

Re: Question about "DANGER SENSE DODGING" Well, I see more of your reasoning, but you still read the book way too literally for my tastes. Not as bad as some D&D players arguing for 24 pages of posts over one word in the rules, but the same basics. Probably why I should stay away from these boards. No. All I have to do is come up with an effect, and determine what rules or powers I can use to make that affect. Whether it has to apply to the character or not doesn't bother me. I've seen effects that have to be simulated backwards, due to the ways the rules work - some powers in other systems can't be directly translated into Hero due to rules differences. Same idea. This is what I mean. If you want to use change environment that way, you either have to use it as an attack, have a HUGE area, or else it will only affect hth attacks. You can impose an OCV penalty around you, but unless the attack starts out within that radius, there's no effect. Unless you want to buy enough area to handle the NRM 14d6 EB the bad guy has (pretty costly), changing the OCV isn't practical as a defense. It can be used as an offense, as I said, but then you're not changing the area around you, but playing with others. Slight difference, but it may not fit the concept. Ok. I have. As akways, YMMV.

Re: Question about "DANGER SENSE DODGING" Well, yes, unless you're the GM and say otherwise. If you are consistent within your campaign, that's all that matters. My reference to FH shows that it is an accepted option to use AoE to apply power affects to others. And to address that point... If you want to argue, consider the table on page 247 in FRED ("Target a hex, must hit hex's DVC (3; 0 if adjacent)"). Or - Fred, pg 248: "Area of Effect Attacks may be made at either a hex or at a target's normal DCV. Generally, it's easier to hit the hex the target is standing in, because the DCV of a hex is 3, or 0 if the hex is adjacent." If, as you say, the DCV of a hex (which it doesn't have despite its inclusion in the book I have. Publishing error?) is just a standard of how hard it is to hit a location, then what is it for people? Isn't it a standard of how hard it is to hit somebody? If not, what is it? I agree that sfx would determine the rationale, but it's still just different ways of creating the same thing. Give one hex a boost to DCV, and multiple effects over large areas still occur (I would hope that you don't consider that a miss for a larger area of effect just completely avoids the target, which I don't). If you can't wrap your head around the idea behind the usage, then don't allow it. If you can accept it, then use it. What's so hard about that?

Re: [Would-Be Hero-GM]Lethality But only at low levels. Once you start going up, the comparison reverses itself (despite some of the uber-damage builds people work up).

Re: (newbie) The Downside of Density Increase

Re: (newbie) The Downside of Density Increase

Re: Blocking and deflecting Considering I didn't read through other comments, I'm not sure what this refers too, but yeah. I'm not really thrilled by an idea of deflecting multiple attacks, unless they come from the same source. If it's from two different directions, then there better be a large penalty for the character to even attempt it (the -2 per successful roll is just the base to me). Sorry, just the way I play. I just don't see the need to make missile deflection roll into the block manuever. Unless the character wants to abort his next action, I wouldn't let him mix defenses like that. If he wants to lose an action, then I'd probably have no problem with it, although there would still be a situational penalty (ie- if the defense is a shield covering one side of the body, that would be bigger than if he was using "magic bracers" or Battle-staves that can cover both sides - sfx plays a big part). I don't just go by what's in the books when making decisions. As for what I'm breathing, it's a mixture of Oxygen, Nitrogen, some trace elements (CO2, etc since I don't want to look it up), and a lot of pollutants, particularly latex from the tile floor I'm installing between posts. I seriously doubt it's affecting my reasoning power, however . Edit - I think you want something along the lines of "whatever you're smoking, I want some...".

Re: (newbie) The Downside of Density Increase Yeah, like Starboy of the Legion, he could increase a targets mass without increasing the ability of the target to bear that weight in the typical fashion of the power.

Re: (newbie) The Downside of Density Increase

Re: What is this power? I'd use Active/5 or active/10 on the powers in the focus to determine how much body each power is worth. It's a little bit more record keeping, so if an attack on the focus does 5 Body after defenses, it might not eliminate a power, but it might also damage more than one.

Re: What is this power? Healing or Transform would be the way I would do it. I'd also look at the "reaches back in time" angle, especially if the Focus has charges, as it would make the ability one that could "heal" charges as well (by reaching back to when the uses were present).

Re: (newbie) The Downside of Density Increase I had a character like this, and the team gadgeteer built a sort of anti-gravity belt that counteracted the immense weight (and cancelled any KB resistance...). A possible rationale is that the character creates a field that lowers the density of surrounding matter as well, although in less obvious ways - in effect, while lowering their own density, they increase the strength of the materials they are on so they do not go through (at least immediately). It would also serve as a springboard for future powers (maybe they can increase the density of air to make a force wall, or their DI can become UAA).

Re: Blocking and deflecting Well, let's shoot at someone with a bullet on the left side, while simulataneously attacking him with a club on the right, and see how he manages to block both in the same second. If both attacks were coming from the same angle, then I might allow such a use, otherwise, you're asking to do too much at once. Why not just make missile deflection a 0-phase action if you want multiple attacks to be blocked?

Re: Blocking and deflecting That's why most shields have a bonus to DCV, and the block maneuver. Stopping something that is on a set trajectory is certainly different than stopping a club that is aimed and can change the direction and angle of attack, among other things.

Re: [Would-Be Hero-GM]Lethality Agreed with that - I haven't run into Hero characters with 200+ Body (although some Dragons, Demons, or Gods might qualify). Despite the "luck" aspect of the D&D hp system, it still makes a big discrepancy, especially since the difference between a first level character and a 20th level character can be some training and a couple months of game time. A hit on a 20th level character is suddenly a weak hit that barely touches the target, when that exact same hit on a low level character cuts his head off. The score is the same, but the results vary by the target. Hero doesn't have that - the hit is the same no matter what the target is, but the target's characteristics change the effects of the blow. Personally, I prefer the Hero method. A good way to simulate the Conan-type character, wading through bodies of foes while only being scratched would be High-DCV (making all those scratches that look bad just a visual effect of missing), Combat Luck (the rationale being the armor reflects his stamina and ability to make big hits into small ones), or even damage reduction (perhaps good vs minions only).

Re: [Would-Be Hero-GM]Lethality Well, that's pretty much what Hero has. Even if you don't use the optional wounding and bleeding rules, you still need to go to negative to die. Now, going unconscious and losing Body until stabilized can effectively simulate the bleeding to death part. I consider shock a component of both Stun and Body (what percentage depends on how you consider it). A weapon that has a lot of shock relative to physical damage might have a higher stun multiplier, unless the shock is more along the lines of the heart stopping (which would put it into the Body camp). Nothing is actually changed, just the way you look at the stats. You can also just use the hit locations for emphasis and interpret results in dramatic fashion. You can say that a hit to the hand means a Dex roll to retain your grasp of a weapon, or a hit to the head might mean an Ego roll to avoid being stunned. The attack does no more damage, but effects are based upon the story rather than the table, know what I mean. Likewise, depending on the situation, you can more or less arbitrarily decide on additional damage (a head hit to a man in full plate might have less of an effect than a head hit to an old, unarmored peasant). The other options mentoned can work as well.

Re: Question about "DANGER SENSE DODGING" Similarly, Fantasy Hero (p 125, Affecting Everyone Nearby) uses AoE as a way to simulate some spells affects on everyone within that area, when UBO isn't appropriate. A slight handwave is all that's needed to apply it to the hex. I don't use many attacks that target the hex, but I like this idea.

Re: Inconsitancies We game online over yahoo chat. All maps are either quickly sketched or in my head. Distances are numeric and I keep rough track. It's worked since we started this a few years ago (and I found it amusing that people in the D&D boards couldn't believe you can play that without a map! Try Hero sometimes...). It actually works out pretty well, although we mostly do Fantasy Hero and not too much Champs . As for pauses, when we play where END rules are needed, our group takes recoveries as needed - but then I learned to do that back in '85/'86, and may have taught them that. I'd say the soliloquy is not a major part, thoug I like the idea.

Re: Question about "DANGER SENSE DODGING" Actually, I see the archetypes as for both reasons. I think most gamers are at least familiar with the concepts of the archetypes, and they provide a good and solid (if often cliched or stereotyped) base for adventure construction/team formation/etc. At the same time, they allow those who want to expand on the basics to use them as a starting point. It's also helpful for those who want to imitate comic characters to have a reference point. Anyway, it wouldn't be superheroic without the traditional roles. That said, the power looks ok, although the modifications mentioned make sense to me. I'd have to look at the character concept before I allowed this - if the character is the spider-man type, I'd go more along the lines of the hyper-dodge power (the +DCV for DS roll option), so that the entire attack misses. If the character is more of an ultra-boy type (or perhaps a martial artist who can use his chi to bolster his physical defenses), where he can somehow either roll with the blow or just endure more damage than normal through some effort, then I'd go with the armor. It all depends on how you want it to work. The hardest part is balancing it in the group. For myself, I tend to try to get a good balance, but all my players know that the first few games are trial periods - any power can be changed if it is overpowered for the game (sort of like the comics continual changing/development of many characters). Naturally, I can't give any solid opinion for the group in question, but my gut instinct is that it is potentially unbalancing. The fact that he equals (roughly) the brick but lacks the weakness to magic, for a slightly better than average roll...I'd watch it carefully.

Re: D & D Diatribe I couldn't find the Dork Tower strip online (I thought it was there, but I guess was wrong). They had one that outlined Gandalf's powers. IIRC, he could: 1) toss flaming pinecones at Goblins 2) blow smoke rings 3) make fireworks and 4) He was tough, because he fought the Balrog, who we know was tough, because he fought Gandalf, who we . . . edit - he could also Threaten to turn hobbits into toads, and was rumored to have cause milk to spoil (these are not as sure as the others quoted above). Really funny strip - they end up using Gandalf to smash down doors. This is not the same as the first one, where they burn down the Shire.

Re: D & D Diatribe Ah well, gotta go back eventually and reread that stuff - it's been more years than I like to remember. Forgot the elves=outsider from the stories - although if they chose mortality, I think they would lose that status, which is what was in the back of my mind. I think I equated being in Middle Earth in the Third Age (IIRC) with being mortal, but most didn't choose until after the Quest was over.

Re: D & D Diatribe Hobbits taste like Chicken. Seriously, though I am not familiar with the d20 LOTR, I would guess the others are normal, and Galadriel was merely a powerful Elf. Remember that Gandalf was an Istari, one of the semi-divine beings. I always thought that they were more powerful than the other beings, even elves, although perhaps in their own areas (such as Galadriel in her homeland) the elves might have more power. Just going on memory and guesses here.

Re: D & D Diatribe