prestidigitator

Ooh. I kind of like this one. I don't think you are quite thinking about this the right way. You are not creating a power which will be used to attack the PCs (are you?). That is why the Transform seems so cheesy. I think what you are trying to do is create an obstacle or challenge the PCs have to overcome. One way you can view it is: you are the GM. This is part of the story. You don't have to define this in terms of any specific Power(s). You can just decide what the PCs need to do. If you still wish to define it in terms of Power(s), I would still approach it from the vantage point of how the PCs are to perform the rescue. It sounds like this can't be accomplished through damage, so I would not use a Power which can normally be overcome using damage (like Entangle). The Extradimensional Movement was a good idea for this reason. You could also define it as an Entagle or Force Wall which just has defenses so high the PCs could never hope to damage it, then give it some kind of Limitation, such as Destroyed by Strong Alchohol, or whatever your specific way of letting out the victim is. Of your options, I think Transform works best because there is always some specific way you can undo it (which is really what you are going for). In this case, think about making it All or Nothing. That should force you to buy it powerful enough to be realistic (you could instead limit it in some other way, like Extra Time).

Re: Devils Advocacy I think ship weapons should only be automatically considered Area of Effect attacks when you deal with small targets, such as normal characters. For dealing with other ships, attacks should be bought with the Area of Effect Advantage in order to actually work that way, and most things like lasers, projectiles (even large ones), and maybe even some missiles, should not be bought this way.

I don't believe ships should have negative DCV vs. other ships the same size (see the rules under Growth). It doesn't make much sense to use the reduced DCV, especially if you scale up hexes to mean something significant for spaceships. Now, if a character is firing at a ship taking off from the surface, the negative DCV (maybe adjusted for speed) makes sense: the darn thing is big! I think the DCV bonus for the ship works. That could easily represent a "deflection shield" Special Effect (which might work against directed weapons, but not against Area of Effects, such as big explosions). By the way, there is a mechanic for missed shots, at least for Area of Effects. You miss by one hex for each point by which the attack roll failed, to a maximum of half the distance between you and the target, in a random direction. I don't think this is very good for Special Effects such as bows or guns unless there are other targets in the way, so I often use it (along with OCV 0 attack rolls) to see if you hit another target when firing into a melee, and not much else.

I think a Linked Summon for a Computer brain to control the (possibly Triggered) power might work. I would say just buy the Computer, but you would need a different one for each spell, right? (I don't think you could both divide the points for the Computer by 5, and divide that by 5 for the Summon--only the second should be done.)

I am not sure if this is along the same line you are thinking of, but an power which is truely usable by anyone, and in fact does not really belong to one character (except that (s)he is the one who originally purchased it--and hasn't lost it yet) can buy the Independant Limitation (on top of Focus, if applicable). This may not be very appropriate for most things in a superheroic campaign, but I use it, for example, in heroic fantasy when a wizard wants to create a magical item. It is a hefty Limitation (-2), and thus makes creating something permenant and capable of being lost a lot cheaper than buying a whole power.

It's not so much "chicken and the egg" as you might think. D&D came before Hero, true. Third Edition D&D did not. I played 1st and 2nd edition D&D, and their abilities and skill (proficiency) system had very little resemblance to 3rd edition's. Many systems have borrowed from Hero, often with direct acknowledgment (e.g. GURPS). It is obvious that TSR (WoC) made a drastic change to their skills for 3rd ed., and it seems to me to match Hero's system very, very closely (right down to the traslation of old theiving and ranger abilities, and the names of several skills: Sleight of Hand, which is used exactly as it is in Hero?). For that matter, most Feats look just like Skill Levels.... That is exactly why d20 is not generic. Everything which does not come from Powers (and maybe Skill Levels) is represented, in some form, by just about every system out there. The thing about Hero is that you can create anything that doesn't fit into the rest, using the Powers. Also, Characteristics, Skills, Powers, etc., are all integrated together in a fashion which makes them behave quite similarly. By the time you have constructed something in d20 that can do all that, you will pretty much have the Hero system again (so you use a different shaped die: see other people's suggestions about using a d20 instead of 3d6).

The "question" is really just a way to find out where to locate your Clairsentience, I should think. It may just be a Special Effect: one of the ways you can specify your placement. Alternately, you could buy a (probably expensive) Enhanced Sense (along with possibly some Knowledge Skills) to allow you to find the thing you are interested in location-wise. Maybe "Detect Person/Place/Thing I am Thinking About, Ranged, Descriminatory, lots of Telescopic," although this seems a little cheesy.

I would never say give cost breaks for a stereotypical character design. I say give breaks for consistant and/or imaginative character designs (particularly the latter). Give breaks for things that fit well the concept of the character, for a concept which is creative and fits well with the genre. This is exactly why I say allow powers in Frameworks based upon their concept and Special Effects (and don't jump to taking this as "fire powers," or "magic powers," or "mutant powers" necessarily), rather than whether they are or are not Special, and how much End they cost. This is very true, although I do often think about points as a "reality check" (if that makes any sense ). Also, I often like to construct an NPC in the same way I would a PC. Not necessarily point-wise, but in terms of the way the powers work and are constructed. In tends to give some consistency. I don't base whether powers are close enough to fit in an EC on what Powers they are mechanically generated out of. That is rediculous. Base it on where the powers come from, how they are used, what their Special Effects are, and, well, just generally whether or not they "fit well together." Batman is a super-scientist, with tons of little gadgets he creates himself for various purposes. Based on his background, and his Perks, etc., that is a pretty consitent and well-suited set of things to put in an EC (unless, as I have already said, it is a MP or VPP). True. Stereotypical characters can be fun. Both types can be terribly piecemeal, or very well-fitted. It really depends on the imagination of the player; how he describes the character, his/her powers, the background, etc. If your entire description and Special Effects consisted of "shooting rays from eyes, telekinetic wall, and wings," then I would never allow you to put these powers in a Framework. I might also have difficulty with "ice, ice-wall, and ice-trail," without further description/background/justification.

I think Dr. Anomaly has it right with considering the average defenses of the PCs. Look at the Active Points in your power as well (including Str for HKAs). It may be above any Active Points you have for your PCs, but is it way above? Is it way above the highest Active Point attack your PCs themselves have taken? Also, consider not using killing attacks (especially Penetrating ones) at all. They often don't fit in a superhero genre (even for the villains, with some exceptions). Even swords are often Hand Attacks in a superhero game. If you make it a normal attack with the same Active Points, chances are the PCs will take far less Body, and a bit more Stun (average Stun for normal DCs is higher, while average Body is less--not to mention the applicability of normal PD and ED). Another option is to take that power which could be completely devestating to one PC, and make it more interesting. For example, keep the same Active Points, but make it an Area of Effect, or split it into an attack Linked to an Entangle or Flash. Or what if the power is Limited in such a way that it will be very hard for the villain to hit the PCs, but if he does, watch out. Of course, all of this depends on the intended role of the villain, as well. Are the PCs intended to fight him directly? Is he someone they should avoid at all costs, while trying to still meet their objectives? Must they defeat him, but in an indirect fashion? Maybe by catching him on their terms, or without direct combat. Depending on your players, this kind of thing might have to be frighteningly obvious, as players are often very ready to just storm up and attack anything that moves. (I guess this is more the Dr. Destroyer type baddie.)

Hmm. It still sounds like it is a Focus. Keep in mind that Focus can mean different things. It can mean you have to be using the Focus the whole time the power is in effect, or it can only be necessary while you are activating the power (like a wizard's spell components that are used up when the spell is cast). I don't see why it can't also be a Focus which is not needed to activate the power, but which is needed any time you actually want to use the power on anyone. It would not be expendable, because you never really use it up. It could be Universal, so others can actually use the power (at least temporarily) without requiring Usable by Others. If you have a problem with these Special Effects, make the rune itself a Transform which creates the sword, and the sword is the Focus for your HKA.

Yeah. You're going to have difficulty doing a lot of damage with this kind of attack, no matter how you try to work it. You will probably never significanty touch a "brick" with it, for example. I would still do it if it fits your character's concept; it isn't all about how big and bad your attacks are. It's also about creating cool characters with creative ideas, and using them in imaginative ways during play. Maybe all the villains you run into will have defenses that are too big for your attack to harm them, but perhaps you can Move By all the columns holding up the bridge above you, and get your teammates out before it squashes the baddies into the pavement....

Actually, the doubling rule works for superheroic campaigns as well (unless, of course, you are using different House Rules). It is as follows: Str: When you make an attack with your straight Str, it is the base attack. Skill Levels and Martial Arts cannot more than double your base Str DCs. HA: Is really just Str, with a limitation that it is only to do damage. Any attack made with an HA is really just an attack using your Str+HA. Skill Levels and Martial Arts cannot more than double this. HKA: The HKA is the base attack. Str, Skill Levels, and Martial Arts cannot more than double the base DCs from the HKA. Other Powers (EB, RKA, etc.): Str does not normally add to these attacks. Skill Levels can, and it is at least conceivable IMHO that Martial Arts could. In any case, Str, Skill Levels, and Martial Arts cannot more than double the base DCs from the Power. Also, for powers with Advantages, Str merely increases the Active Points of the attack, so if the power has Advantages equalling +1/2, it takes 7.5 points of Str to add a full DC of damage. These rules can be found in various sections of the rulebook, including those on Str, Combat Skill Levels, Attack Powers, the specific Powers, and the sections about combat and damage. They are also clarified by various entries in the Rules FAQs and the Rules Questions discussion board.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo boy! A can o' worms! Ah! Quite right. I missed the part about only OCV. Sorry about that. True. I think Limitations work more on potential than on intent, although I probably would find some difficulty with a player's taking a Limitation for a situation his/her character can and does always (or very often) avoid. That kind of thing is probably worth less of a Limitation, if any.

This was in response to whether an Adjustment Power, such as Drain, obviously had no effect on a target. My question is, what should a character take to make it look like his power is unaffected by an Adjustment Power, even if it really has been affected? Is this a form of Invisible Power Effects?

Re: Re: Hoo boy! A can o' worms! I think your arguements make sense, Hugh, except this one. Spreading an Energy Blast can be used for more than getting a +1 OCV for each -1 DC. You can also hit extra targets: 1 additional hex per -1 DC. You may have to pay End, but you also effectively have the option of making your attack a limited Area of Effect. I definitely don't think it should cost less than a 2 point Combat Skill Level.

Ah. I am sorry; I missed the 2 in addition to the Str. Using Str to add to damage always takes End (unless, of course, the Str itself was bought with Costs No End). In this case, there may be no Advantage or Limitation at all. I guess your application of Requires End to Activate could work. Or it could be a lesser form of Increased End Cost (lesser because there is only the extra cost at startup). The other option would be to use the Advantage Requires End Only to Activate, then apply a Str Min as a Limitation (see the weapons section at the end of the rulebook). I think Restrainable applies more to something which the character is kept from using as long as an opponent keeps him "held" somehow (whether physically or not). I think it could possibly still be a Focus, though maybe worth less of a Limitation. Is the sword completely usable by other characters? Does it become a permenant item? Is this a heroic game? You might actually want to define this power as a Transform (to create a sword). Then the sword would be a sword, like every other sword (although it may remain "magical," depending on your Special Effects). Then you could require a roll equal to twice the Body of the normal item you wish to create (or Body equal to points/10, or the sum of the Body for a "normal" item of its type and points/10 for "extra qualities").

True! I don't think either Characteristics or Skill Levels are underpriced.

Hmm. I don't know how much you can argue with the FAQ , but here is how I tend to view Dispel: it's job is generally to cencel the effects of powers. It can be used defensively, but it cannot be used on your opponent before (s)he uses his/her power against you, to keep it from happening; it has to be used as the effects are being created. Now characteristics like Body, Stun, and End have set ways they come back: they are recovered. I don't even consider lower values to these stats as an effect (the effect hurt the character, dazzled him/her, or exhausted him/her, but is then gone), although I might consider some exceptions with Adjustment powers. Now Transform, Entangle, and Mental powers I think of as continuing to affect the character. That an Entangle may become a permanent feature of the environment is just Special Effects--while someone is trapped, it is a well-defined power. Likewise, every Transform must define a way that it can be undone; this implies to me that it is a continuing effect--never mind that it is permenant. Otherwise, the only way to undo it would be the opposite Transform. For certain circumstances and Special Effects, I might consider things differently. Particularly where I, as a GM, use a power to define something which I consider to be a real, permenant, non-cancelable change to the setting (this creates water, but after the water is created, it is "no longer magical"). Also, there might be a difference between an Entangle which "creates a psionic bubble around the target," and one which, "causes the ground to re-shape itself around the target." I could easily justify Dispelling the former, but the latter seems different. The way I see it, if a power really cannot be Dispelled, it has the Difficult to Dispel Advantage. This Advantage is cheap, and makes the Dispel very difficult. For low-leveled games, such as heroic fantasy settings involving magic, I might even consider Difficult to Dispel as really Impossible to Dispel. Or maybe the latter is equivalent to a +1/2 (two applications of Difficult to Dispel).

Actually, I believe if you Drain a Characteristic like Body, End, Stun, etc., there is no return rate; it has to be healed normally. Now I have actually taken exception to this for Adjustments which are meant to reduce the maximum characteristic for a time ("permenant" wounds, etc.), but I believe this should be an Advantage, as it is not normally the way it works.

...and one of the fun things for a player is to be rewarded for a job well done. Roleplaying in itself can be great, but what player doesn't want to develop his/her character, both story-wise and with experience? Additionally, you should increase the likelihood that all players will have fun by rewarding things which tend to facilitate this: good roleplaying, fun and innovative ideas, creative and appropriate characters, contribution to storylines, making a good environment for other players by helping them out and not trying to "cheat the system," etc. You claim I missed the point entirely. I don't think so. They are one and the same.

First of all, I recommend reading my post under "HERO/d20 house rules and mods?" for giving Hero a "d20 Skin." This essentially uses the Hero system as is, but gives it a comfortably recognizable look and feel for d20 players. I actually came up with the above mentioned skin when I realized how much 3rd edition D&D stole the way characteristics and skills work directly from the Hero system. It also makes conversion (from d20 to Hero--not the other way) very simple. I am currently creating a chart to map skills and feats in d20 directly into Characteristics, Skills (many of the feats are just Skill Levels), Talents, and Powers in Hero. If "class bonus feats" and "monster bonus feats" are included, you can take any character or monster and convert them directly into the Hero system almost as fast as you can read through the character sheets, with the following exceptions: Magic: The conversion actually depends on how you handle magic in D&D (not only are there a lot of options suggested in the system, but most DMs have their own ideas and House Rules anyway). In general, I think Sorcerers look like a Cosmic VPP and an End Reserve (probably with 1 character point per spell known or something), and Wizards look like a VPP with a spellbook Limitation and each spell bought with 1 Charge. Saving Throws: I found saving throws really easy to define as Characteristic-based skills which everyone gets at full proficiency from their Everyman skills (you could even define them for Characteristics like Str or Int), and some rule for increasing them all simultaneously (like Per rolls as described under the Enhanced Senses Power). Then powers can take a hefty Limitation which says targets are Allowed a Saving Throw. I gave the Limitation a whole bunch of options that change its value (in a similar manner to the Requires Skill Roll Limitation), and decided that any Combat Skill Level which could normally apply to the attack can instead be used to decrease the targets' saving throw(s) by -1 (another option added to OCV, DCV, and damage); likewise the target(s) can use appropriate Skill Levels to make their saving throws easier--they are just skills (and fall into a "related group", at that). (Obviously this kind of Limitation could be applied to part of a spell in Hero, which automatically takes care of things like "half damage if saving throw is successful.") Races: There aren't many of them. Just define what benefits each gives directly, and use the mapping of skills, feats, and saving throws to help. Automatic Hits: Many things in d20 are defined as automatically hitting a target (they usually--but not always--allow a saving throw rather than requiring an attack roll). This is a pretty foreign concept in Hero (where even Area of Effect powers allow the Dive for Cover Maneuver). I decided a straight automatic hit was not fair to put into the system, so I instead based an Automatically Hits Advantage on Area of Effect. It doesn't change the number of targets hit, but makes your attack roll automatically succeed unless the target is taking, or aborts to, a defensive action (which includes any appropriate action--including Dodge and Dive for Cover--which the target could normally abort to help avoid the attack). When the target does act defensively, a normal attack roll is required, or allowed in the case of Dive for Cover (opposed attack/Dive for Cover rolls). I know this may not be exactly what you are looking for. It sounds like you want a mapping the other way. I don't advise this, as Hero is an incredibly generic system in which doing just about anything is provided for, whereas d20 is an incredibly limited system, with new features arbitrated in a completely subjective fasion. It is easy to define D&D (or even d20 in general) in terms of the Hero System. Defining Hero in terms of the d20 system is darn near impossible. I believe making Hero look more comfortable to d20 enthusiasts could be a very good introduction. One of my last tasks in creating a mapping will actually be to decide appropriate point totals for characters and monsters of various levels in d20. I will do this by summing up the total points required to "level up" any character by considering the various Hero-mapped features you can gain by leveling up in any class, and taking either the maximum or an average. Obviously a beginning character in d20 has things beyond what the first level in his/her class provides: extra skill points, a feat, etc. These things (plus racial package points and the maximum features from the 1st level of any class) come directly from the Base Points and maximum Disadvantages allowed for starting characters.

This essentially means you change the Characteristic Maxima by exactly the same amounts as the starting Characteristic values--without giving any Disadvantage points for the former. That is reasonable. I tend to give the points, myself. I, too, am pretty stringent about new racial packages, however. I let players come up with new racial packages (usually for races that so far have been NPC, but sometimes new ones altogether), but I definitely comb through them and approve, turn down, or impose constraints.

Re: Re: re: the small slot I agree, and use just about exactly the same House Rules. I think that (except where it makes really good sense) powers not in an EC aren't affected if another power is Drained. However, for powers in an EC, I make it depend on the Special Effects of both the powers in the Framework and the attacking Adjustment power. The EC just introduces the possibility that changes to a power might affect others. No kidding. That's what never made sense to me. It's why I added the 1/2 price for powers less than double the reserve points. True. Sorry about the mistake. I guess it is also kind of weird that adding a slot not only costs points, but changes the cost of the existing slosts.

Spread Areas On a tiny bit of an aside, I wonder if you could gain anything if you spread an Energy Blast which is Area of Effect. Maybe increasing your OCV to hit the target hex (not very useful except for long range)? Maybe extending the Area of Effect one hex in a chosen direction? An interesting thought, perhaps worth some contemplation. Ooh! Maybe spreading an Area of Effect could increase the difficulty of a Dive for Cover to avoid it.

Thank you. I would just hesitate to have that kind of thing be detrimental to a target in physical combat. A mentalist already has enough advantages against someone not geared to psionics. Giving an advantage like making targets more vulnerable just to mental attacks probably wouldn't tip things too harshly; if a target isn't set up to defend against mental attacks, making them a little easier for my 12 ECV mentalist to hit them won't be that huge a deal, and it still allows them to walk up and clock me.