prestidigitator

I'd literally have them buy a Base which happens to be in another dimension (subject to the game setting's dimensional metaphysics), plus a heavily modified Extra-Dimensional Movement that's bought in many ways like a Teleportation "Gate" (and is bought as part of the Base). Whether or not things interact, what happens if you bring another "extra-dimensional space" into it, etc. are just a matter of how the Base's kind of dimension works in the game world.

Way too meta for me. Why not allow Detect Character Points or Detect GM Intervention while you're at it? I'd use the Tactics Skill for this, honestly, and IMO it still shouldn't give more than a pretty rough idea (e.g. "they are fighting very defensively").

So I'm probably going to run another fantasy campaign in the near future. Frankly I find all the hand-waving that does things like giving characters the ability to use magic by buying a Skill or three, plus reducing the cost of spells like some kind of equipment thing, really arbitrary and terrible. You might as well not use the Hero System at all at that point. So rather than giving those who are able to use magic some kind of big, arbitrary Character Point subsidies, I'm thinking of doing the opposite: make characters buy the ability to use weapons, armor, and shields. This means I am also fundamentally changing how weapons work. Honestly I think it's more in line with the philosophy of the system. Rather than somehow embodying the actual Attack Powers, weapons simply become a necessary focus (and special effects) for using them (and limit the amount of your Attack Power you can use), although there's a little tweaking in that they can add some e.g. Advantages and instead of buying the base Attack Power with some kind of Variable Advantage, I essentially just apply the weapon Advantage to the Attack Power in reverse (e.g. change the number of points per DC). So I guess you could say some weapons include Naked Advantages of a sort. This could also apply to non-fantasy genres; it's just not what I'm really focused on at the moment. To make this somewhat simpler for my players (who are not very familiar with Hero and don't want to "do a lot of math" and all that) I am also introducing Damage Points, which are basically the Base Points you would spend on the Attack Power or on Str (5 Damage Points per DC for an unadvantaged attack). It just makes it easier (IMO) to say 5 DPs normally equate to 1 DC, but more can be required based on the type of weapon. Anyway, the attachments (rules document and tables) are what all of this looks like so far. Feedback welcome. You all have permission to use, modify, and redistribute the contents according to CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 * Rules: fantasyRulesForSemiHeroicCombatAbilityPurchase_v1.0_1.pdf * Tables: fantasyRulesForSemiHeroicCombatAbilityPurchase_v1.0_2.pdf

If you wanted to get really detailed about the differences (probably even more detailed that the cartoons/movie), you could go with Multiform. Otherwise I'd suggest Shapeshift. I would not go with just a simple alternate identity (i.e. Only in Heroic Identity without a power like Shapeshift) as suggested in the other thread, because they truly are meant to be masquerading as everyday objects (as proven by the tagline, "robots in disguise," even!). This has distinct benefits above and beyond what a simple change in outfit would give you. For example, when someone simply puts on a cape and a mask, they very much look like someone wearing a disguise/costume, which is normally fine for a superhero or masked vigilante. If a player modeled a Transformer using a simple alternate identity, as GM I would personally rule that people don't think there's an ordinary car rolling down the street: they easily recognize it as something quite abnormal even if they don't necessarily know it is a Transformer, or which Transformer it is. Now it might be possible to use the Disguise skill in place of Shapeshift, but in that case I'd probably introduce some complications like requiring a roll each time, having some complimentary knowledge skills, being less effective the more someone studied your appearance (seeing you, hearing you, touching you, popping the hood, and driving you? it's going to require one HELL of a Disguse roll to continue the deception!). I'd suggest the Disguise skill more for any Transformer that might have Shapeshift with a variable set of target shapes, so they could successfully mimic different kinds of vehicle or even particular unique vehicles (e.g. Air Force One rather than just a generic plane of similar model). I don't really recall that sort of story element in the cartoons, but it would be an interesting thing to throw into a game....

I thought we fixed that issue with 6E. Did 6E not make it clear enough that the, "system," simply provides shape and guidance for all your house rules? :-P

For clarity: reduce damage to increase chance of hitting (OCV) or number of targets. But you may have been responding to a typo that has since been edit-fixed anyway.

...unless you're hurting for points, or the GM considers AoE an Advantage that affects damage and there's an AP/DC cap. I do see the point that Spreading can tend to diminish the value of AoE. I'd try to mitigate that through a couple different points, and options for play: AoE is typically less selective, but it often has the potential to hit a big group of targets that you're not likely to be able to effectively Spread across. AoE typically requires an easy attack roll, while Spreading still has to hit targets' DCVs. I often allows AoEs to be Spread also, smearing the area by the number of hexes instead of covering that many targets in successive hexes. Depends a bit on the SFX and the rest of the power's build. If powers were Spread too often, I'd consider additional drawbacks such as -1 OCV per extra target on top of the -1 DC (take another -1 DC without an additional target to counter the -1 OCV for one of them), or minor side effects (such as damaging the environment and having a chance of hitting close by allies/bystanders).

Yeah, I always thought that ruling was messed up. I roll a separate die for the 1-pip and have it do Penetrating damage on a 5 or 6, and similarly only do Pen. damage on a 4, 5, or 6 for a half-die. It may be extra rolling, but then again someone had to go and apply a cheesy Advantage to their power! ;-)

That's a good point. Actually I'd probably look for Rapid to be added in order to easily make sense of multiple streams of consciousness at once, especially if they are excited. That would be whether the attacker used AoE, spreading, or simply successive attacks to lock on to multiple minds. I suppose it should be possible to tune some out with the lock still active, but that's a little different.

Hmm. It's a good point, though. If the system didn't divide things between physical and energy (and maybe mental too, for that matter), but gave you complete freedom to still do so in all of your games.... Anyone who is comfortable with the current split could continue using it, but people who want room to choose splits with more freedom would be better off.

Interesting. I have some catching up to do, I guess. If the system rules are no longer going to be sold in a standalone format, I wonder if they've considered releasing them "open source" in a free PDF or something (say, with a Kickstarter project to fund the composition and editing). If they did that there would still be a fixed place to go for the rules, even if they did include them in the sourcebooks like NameYourGenre Complete. It would be simple enough to say, "This rulebook contains the complete Hero System 6e rules as found in the Open Hero v6.0 PDF, which can be found at http://www.herogames.com/...." It seems like it would be a way to both have one authoritative place for, "canonical rules," and also sell complete and playable genre-based products.

Yeah, yeah. I'm not suggesting you try to, "game the system." I'm suggesting you build the powers in a way that best models your narrative. If the physical part of the force field is independent enough of the rest of the force field to be taken down separately, why not just buy it that way and avoid the question of whether you need to house rule on Adjustment Powers used in this way? It'll probably even get you thinking about what SFX will make sense if suddenly physical attacks can get through but others can't....

Don't know. Never played Aftermath. I'll have to try it sometime.

I've been known to do very wacky things with the Speed Chart, such as using the Speed Chart as a set of durations between actions rather than a fixed schedule, and rolling 2d6 to determine the Segment of your first Phase, adding 1d3 or 1d6 to the offset of your next Phase after significant effects like Stunning, etc. One of the things I've played with is "fractional" Speeds, but usually implemented by having an ongoing count of Segments (from 0 to positive infinity) rather than a clock-like schedule. "Post-12 Recovery," can happen after every Segment number that is divisible by X (standard would be 12). You can, in effect, get fractional Speeds by scaling the duration between Phases and Recoveries. For example, if you wanted increments of 0.5 Speed, multiply everything by 2. Disclaimer: I'm a programmer with no aversion to computer-aided initiative tracking, so YMMV.

Or a swordfish. Anyway, the general Sleight of Hand disarm is one I might allow if the subject is caught sufficiently off guard. Perhaps he knows there is danger about and has his weapon drawn, but is still unaware you are sneaking up behind him. The Stealth roll you used to approach might even be Complementary to the (quite difficult) Sleight of Hand roll....

I hear western showdown music playing. Time for a surprise maneuver, probably with the aid of a little Acting or Persuasion. [EDIT: Maybe even a Pre Attack monologue to get someone to act impulsively.] Also good ways to improve your chances of hitting.

KS: past lives, or a set of KS: (individual past life). I'd assume they could be improved through magical and/or spiritual practices that put you more in touch with your "deeper" memories. (There are also a bunch of other KSs and other Skills that could use past lives as justification, "...even though I've never actually practiced the skill myself." Could be SFX of Cramming, Skill Levels, or Frameworks as well.)

My initial thought is to allow spreading across anyone you can sweep with LOS, rather than counting hexes, and count everyone you're locked onto with Mind Scan as a separate group that can be spread across freely. But that's with just a minute or two of consideration. Might have to ponder it in more depth.

Dude! You're the GM. If you want to allow the rPD portion to be Dispelled separately, then change how the aliens have bought their force field: one power for rPD, and a separate power for rED. It's not the system that isn't allowing the Dispel; it's how you've used the system to buy your powers.

Looks like a long conversation. Haven't read it all, but here are my thoughts: Simpler: Yes. Always. Look for the reasoning behind the current mechanics, look for commonality, and where possible make the more general, "meta-rule," that covers more ground with simple, consistent logic. (Example: HKA and RKA merged into just KA, albeit with different options; why not take it a step further and merge HA and Blast with KA?) What is "doing damage" worth in terms of system elements and points? How much better is it to avoid defenses than to clash against them? Build the more general rule and drop the specifics. A picture is worth 1000 words; an idea is worth 1000 individual cases; an equation is worth 1000 data points.... If you can relate damage to velocity generally and then apply it in some manner to both Move Throughs and falling damage, great! Spell it out once and then refer to it anywhere you need to. Generic: Yes. Similar to the simplicity argument, the more ground you can cover with the same mechanics, the better. Where this fails is, of course, making players and GMs do more of the work to bring back the feel of a specific system or setting or genre. Hero covers this very well with source books. The less work you want to do yourself, the more pre-made stuff you can collect. So I do feel the base system could become more generic still, decreasing size and complexity. A big example is Skills: drop the whole list and instead have mechanics for categories of Skills; Skills based on Attributes; Skills with sub-skills; Familiarities and Skill Levels.... Attributes could honestly go this way too (possible merger or meta-mechanics for OCV/OECV, DCV/DECV, PD/ED, maybe even Stun/Body), though there is probably less need. Further Divorce of Mechanics from Special Effects: Pretty good already, obviously. But there are a few things like the physical/energy/mental divide that could still use a little work IMO. Allow for the current way, but don't require or assume it. Simplify (Multiply) Modifiers: In particular, there's a lot of complication around taking certain modifiers together, like Autofire and AoE or AVLD. I've always thought that if we went to multiplicative Advantages and Limitations (where Advantages are >1 and Limitaitons are <1) it would help to solve this problem, by making them influence each others' effect on Active Points/Total Cost naturally rather than essentially being independent. For example, a multiplier of 1.5*1.5=2.25 vs 1+(0.5+0.5)=2.0 shows that if you start stacking up loads of Advantages or Limitations, the cost can start to change dramatically. I think it also makes a little more, "real-world/logical," sense; it's worth this much times more to hit this many times rather than that, or ignore defenses in this way, or.... Emphasize and Empower Skills: While I'm not fond of having the fixed list of Skills as a part of the base system like I said above, I'm very in favor of making Skills useful in all varieties of games. Even in Superheroic games I think they should play a big role. That doesn't mean more point investment, necessarily. Some games might have fewer Skills that are generally more useful, while other games have bunches of Skills with more opportunity for specialization. General rules or guidelines for how Skills are used and what kind of benefit you can get out of them would be good. This could come in the form of loose relations between Skills and Powers, perhaps (e.g. "If you make your Skill roll by a margin of X, that is roughly equivalent to a difference of Y Active Points worth of a Power, or Z worth of Modifiers..."). Another good one is de-coupling Skills from Attributes. Record the level of each Skill (Unskilled, Familiarity, +1, etc.), and then allow that to be combined with any Attribute roll. So you could roll Dexterity+Survival in one circumstance, and Intelligence+Survival in another, and perhaps 11+Survival in another where no Attribute seems appropriate. "Open Source": No idea how practical this is in a business sense for a relatively small competitor, but it's a direction I'd like to see the system go if it can. Make the system itself free and open-source (distribute a free PDF with a permissive redistribution and/or derivative work document license). The more generic the system is (as above), the more valuable source material and genre-specific guidelines are. WotC is doing this more and more. Maybe they can get away with it more because they are big. But in any case when it happens, it is a big boon to the gamer community and serves to increase the player base. It also encourages a lot of creativity and community involvement. Open Source is not just for software anymore!

I use a roll-high method, but it could easily be reflected for the reverse. I do critical hits/success when you either roll a natural 18 or hit by a margin of 3 or more and roll a natural 17. I do critical failure/fumbles if you either roll a natural 3 or fail by a margin of 3 or more and roll a natural 4. This makes either event pretty rare, but I also make the result more extreme: double damage on critical hits (plus checking hit location and using optional rules like disabling and bleeding even when they normally aren't applied in the game) and things like dropping weapons, falling prone, loss of actions, hitting the wrong target, etc. on fumbles.

Re: Do opposed skill rolls work? If I were you'd I'd be less concerned about the case of a tie, and more concerned with the case where the first character fails the roll, meaning the second character automatically wins. I generally use a roll-high method where you roll 3d6 and add a modifier. Normally you try to beat a target number, but in most opposed skill contest you simply try to get the highest number. If there's also the notion of failure in such a contest, then either or both characters might also fail, and the notion of failure can be decoupled from the notion of who beat the other. Whether ties can be ties or must be resolved through a second roll of some sort (either a re-roll or a Complimentary roll of some sort) depends highly on the context. So yeah, I'm not extremely fond of the opposed skill roll rules as written, but I've also never been afraid of ripping things apart where it makes sense, so i don't really care.

Re: A House Rule for Healing - Might this Blow Up in my face? This is a little bit of an aside, but one of the ideas I've been toying with is this: track each wound separately, and NEVER allow Healing to be re-used. If you take 10 points of Body in one hit and can only heal 6 of it with that Healing power, you're just going to have to find someone who has a bigger Healing power or Recover the damage naturally. I think this would strike a nice balance between the kind of healing we want for characters to fix up minor wounds and continue an adventure and the kind of, "realism," we want where characters can take a serious wound and face long-term repercussions from it.

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

Re: "British Only": How much of a Limitation? It's kind of an odd and sketchy definition IMO. Are you going to go by birth certificate, citizenship, residency, accent, current location, or what?