The Nexus

One of the things I've always wondered is what difference would it make if you switched from 3d6 to 1d20. I'm not the best in Math, but some things are pretty obvious, for example 8- roll would be easier to make, but I believe that 11- would be pretty close... Or am I off in that? Has anyone ever done this? If so what were the results? If I try this what do you think I would need to change or what pitfalls am I not thinking about?

Re: Conceptual Idea: A world full of supers The problem you're going to run into is "I-Can-Make-Gold-Man". What will that do to the ecconomy? Or "I-Can-Invent-Anything-Lady" how will her Transporter invention effect the world?

Re: Campaign Concept Source: "No Ordinary Family"

Re: New Protectors Rising! (Bay City Campaign idea) It is certainly a great read. As I've said I don't know most of the characters except in some passing references, but reading it, I've started to come up with some legacy characters. Silverfist II: One of the people Silverfist died to save was severly injured and could only be saved with Cybernetics... Quasar II: The original did find a colony of his people, and the stories of his adventures encouraged another to walk in his foot steps. Huntsman II: Well the original did have children, this seems pretty obvious. I've thought about the others a lot too, but I realize this isn't really the direction you were going. I'm guessing the PC's will be the "New Guard".

Re: New Protectors Rising! (Bay City Campaign idea) All the products seem to jumble in my mind, but didn't Huntsman have a son that took over? I seem to remember there being more than one of them, but I'm not sure how I would know that since I've never owned To Protect and Serve.

Re: New Protectors Rising! (Bay City Campaign idea) I don't have the Protectors but have heard the names. Great write ups so far, Silverfist in particular.

Re: “What hurts me makes me stronger powers”! You're assuming he's always going to be fighting one bad guy. Even so, there are literally dozens of published characters that have both energy and physical attacks. If your heart is set on Absorption, this is probably the best way to go, although I would still recommend finding other ways to accomplish the same thing.

Re: “What hurts me makes me stronger powers”! Right, except I wasn't using 6th ed at the time so the rules were different, and that really has absolutely nothing to do with the point of my post. I'll simplify it: These types of characters rarely work out in play. They seem like a lot of fun in concept, but in actual use they're too limiting. You really have a couple of options, none of them very appealing: 1. Do less than the campaign minimum damage at the beginning so you can "grow" into the campaign average and/or max 2. Do the campaign minimum and go from there. With number 1 you run into the problem my other post was talking about. You won't do enough to make anyone mad enough to hit you to power you up, and if you do, they'll only hit you once when they learn it makes you stronger. With number two, the GM either lets you have the potential to go past the campaign max damage, which can be potentially unbalancing, or cap you at the campaign max, which would basically take away most of the flavor of the character. He already does okay damage, and his absorption only increases a few DC.

Re: “What hurts me makes me stronger powers”! I've seen a lot of players want to play this type of character and they usually regret it. It works in the comics because the writers make them work, in game play however, not so much. We had a character that every time you hit him, he grew (Absorption to Growth). The problem was when the fight started he was throwing around 6d6 punches. Now you're a villain and you're fighting 4 heroes, are you going to punch the guy that keeps hurting his hand every time he hits you, or the 3 that are blasting holes through your forcefield? Let's pretend for a minute that you decide to swat the non-damaging guy away just to get rid of him, now he comes back bigger and stronger, would a villain really hit the guy again? My suggestion to you is to convince the player to try something else. If that fails don't use absorption. Raise his defenses, and use a multipower that looks something like this: +60 STR Only when hit, and only +5 for every DC hit with 12d6 Energy Blast Variable SFX (must mimic SFX of attacking power) Only up to amount hit with Things like that.

Re: Fading Stars...when and why should superheroes retire? While this is covered with other ideas, but Strikeforce:Morturari came to mind. It doesn't really work with a "normal" comics world where powers can come from anywhere, but if you wanted a common place for powers, there you go. The heroes don't have to die either, maybe their bodies will only last a year before the powers are rejected (or have to be removed).

Re: Fading Stars...when and why should superheroes retire? The entire team went against Time Master and they are all now 90 years old (or the equivalent).

Re: A Marvel-ous Suicide Squad? You're right, you do need females on the team. I think I would replace Morbius with Fantasia, the girl that was on the Supreme Soviets. Well you could make the Lizard get his arm blown off, it would just grow back.

Re: Out There Idea: Universe as Mind Class This sounds like a special effect for other powers. What do you see this accomplishing?

Re: Stunning enemies (and Dragons too!!) The first Fantasy Hero game I ever ran, I learned how unbalacing PSL's vs hit locations can be. I think Hugh Neilson has the right ideas. It's obvious that called shots are creating a problem in your game, although some of it is self-inflicted. You've given you players all the benefits without any of the drawbacks. Your players will average more damage than someone without your house rule because they never do less than "normal" damage. They'll never hit the hand or other low damage areas. If you're using the characters (creatures) from published books, those characters don't take into consideration your higher damage average and have to be adjusted accordingly. Personally I would have a talk with my players and explain you didn't realize how unbalancing called shots would be, and ask them to adjust their PSL's. If they resist that, then take Hugh Neilson's advice and start giving the NPC's PSL's and using Head Shots against the PC's. I think they'll see the light then. P.S. These forums become SO much easier when you lose that "New Memeber" status.

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread. I realize the commission-er (hehe get it?) wanted the RAF symbol prominent, but I think it would have looked better if it was used as shoulder pads. I really like it, and think you did capture the feeling of Captain Britain without just changing his costume.

Re: Jump Jets I'm pretty new to 6th, so this may be off, but I think the only way to do that is with Flight. It would also take you a couple of phases to do. Let's say you have 6 SPD (cause it's easy to work with) and 30m of Flight based on Jump Jets: Phase 12 - you activate Jump Jets. You'd have to do a half move up and over of 15m, then you could attack. Phase 2 - you do a half move over and down of say 10m. This would be your attack on the way down. Phase 4 - You would half move the rest of the way down, and attack, if you wanted. The other way I could think of, is making your Jump Jets a Vehicle, then your vehicle could drive while you attack. I'm even weaker in the Vehicle rules so I'm not positive on that but seems like it could work.

Re: A Marvel-ous Suicide Squad? Good call on Speed Demon! I actually thought about Paladin, but he's currently in the new Heroes for Hire, and I really like what they're doing with him in that series, and didn't want to mess that up. The other one I was thinking about was Spymaster (that's my "don't ask me, I just like the character"), but wanted someone else with powers and thought he overlapped with Kraven too much (who I like better) so I went with Morbius instead (not completely happy with that choice but still trying to find a replacement).

Re: Low powered Champions character multiform Thanks, I missed that. Took me awhile to figure this out (since things have changed from 4th ed). If you are always small, you no longer buy Shrinking always on. You just take the Complication small, which gives you the minus to knockback, and buy up your DCV (although where do the minuses to perception come in?). If you buy shrinking on top of that, it just adds to what you've already set your DCV to so even though you've only bought 1 level, since you started out as Small, you'll have the same DCV as if you started out as large and bought 2 levels... Right? That's another thing bugging me about 6th ed. The growth and shrinking seem less granular than before. I liked the different levels much better.

Re: Would you marry a near-human alien? That is hysterical. Not sure what this adds to the conversation, but as I get older personality has a much greater effect on my desire than pure appearance. When I was younger, if a girl was hot enough, I could overlook A LOT of personality flaws, now not so much.

Re: Low powered Champions character multiform I think that's a neat idea. The only thing I see is a label thing, the title of your character is Small - Diminutive Mammals, but you have fish and bird powers (a small nit pick I know). The only other thing is that, assuming I'm reading it right, you're calling a 1m animal diminutive. Personally a 3 foot squirrel would scare the s#!% outta me. You might want to take the shrinking out of the Multipower since it really applies to all the forms.

Re: Writing an Origin- Advice Some people like to write short novels as an origin, I tend to keep mine short. I usually only delve one aspect of it. The aspects being: How they got their powers What they've done with (or before) their powers The personality Which one I delve into usually depends on my inspiration for the character, or what most makes me want to play that character (my reasons for wanting to play characters vary, some I play because I like the power set, some because I like the origin, some because I like the personality).

Re: Campaign Concept Source: "No Ordinary Family" I've been watching the show, I think it's "okay". My major problem with it is I can't stand Michael Chiklis. If they would trade him out for another actor I'd be all for it. I'm also worried about the daughter's power. I think it may be too much of a plot killer (a la Peter Petrelli).

Re: A Marvel-ous Suicide Squad? I've always been a fan of Suicide Squad. I like the idea of Doc Sampson as leader too. I think my roster would look something like this: Doc Sampson - morally ambiguous leader Kraven the Hunter - He helps Doc keep the animals in check. Rhino - I love this guy's "costume" Bullseye - The soulless Deadshot Trapster - Formely known as Paste Pot Pete, the guy to get kicked around and made fun of Electro - I see him as trying the villain trying to turn over a new leaf for his wife and child. Morbius - I mean really, what team doesn't need a vampire? Vermin - Hardly ever see him used and he controls rats that's gotta be useful.