prestidigitator

Re: Armour Piercing in Champions 6e

It's comic book physics, guys. It doesn't have to make sense.

Re: Armour Piercing in Champions 6e

Entangles are for the most part ordinary objects' date=' except for the double cost to Drain and Aid them in 6E.[/quote']

There's no double cost. Normal Body, PD, and ED effectively cost 2 points for purposes of Adjusting them too; they are considered defensive powers. That should be true of characters, Entangles, Barriers, and even, "normal objects." Draining Body is draining Body, and Steve's answer only confirms that from my perspective.

Re: Questions about the HERO system.

Well, to be honest the system does use a few d3s, though they are cleverly referred to as "half d6s" instead.

You can use dice during character creation if you really want to, though it'll require some interesting prep. work (creating tables for whatever kind of game and power level you are going to use, probably with pre-built powers to select from) and probably some fix-up work at the end to balance points (unless the GM is okay with having PCs start at different point totals).

Re: How to build: "Mental Block"

My inclination would be a limited Shapeshift vs. the Mental Sense Group. With the proper Limitations it could be pretty cheap. I don't agree that such a power would keep the character himself from remembering his own secret ID. If you Shapeshift into a tree, you can still be aware and shift back in most cases. Shapeshift changes how you appear to the Sense Groups of others; it doesn't hamper you in any major way unless it's built to do so (though minor SFX-related complications can always crop up here and there). You could certainly build some sort of Side Effect (or perhaps just a Complication) that keeps the character from remembering who he really is though; might go well with an Accidental Change....

I'd probably even allow such a Shapeshift to keep a mentalist from finding the character with Mind Scan while he's in his secret ID (unless he knows to look for the mind that actually looks like the secret ID instead of the superhero). However, a thorough search through memories using a deep level of Telepathy will probably give enough clues to allow a mentalist to piece together who the secret ID is. No defense is absolute.

Re: 1d6x2 attack

Would you let me do that with say....Aid? Like' date=' say, 10d6 Aid to Speed (Roll 1d6 and Multiply by 10)?*[/quote']

Probably not. I never said there was no difference. I said I'd let the GM make the call, and be okay with rolling in the usual way if the answer were, "No," (rather than trying to build it anyway). 1d6x2 might be reasonable and 1d6x5 probably is not, but it might also depend on the context; it's going to matter less for a NND attack than for a normal attack where defenses apply. If you really, really wanted to roll 1d6 instead of Nd6, I'd probably require +2(N-1) dice of Standard Effect and give it a small limitation (maybe -1/2) because it's not always going to have full effect. Maybe I'd even allow the full -1 limitation that reflects closely the average it's going to give, since the Active Points are going to pile up quickly enough to be a deterrent, but I'd have to think some more about it before making that call.

 

The main point was that trying to control what dice we roll for a given power level is very much a meta-gaming consideration, and isn't the best way to use the system as it was designed.

Re: 1d6x2 attack

Hmm. How do I build a power for which I roll 1d10 for damage? To me it's not really a desirable or reasonable thing to do with the system; it's meta-gaming rather than using the system to build the in-game effect that you want. I'd ask the GM if he'd be okay with my rolling 1d6 and doubling it for a 2d6 attack, then I'd simply go with the answer (either roll 1d6 and double it or roll the usual 2d6).

Re: Infrared Perception (Hearing Group)

Garfield says your probabilities are off anyway. There's at least a 30% chance that YOU will wind up in the box with your left foot coming out a hole above your right shoulder.

Re: SusAn

Ah. I see. Well, why not just Multiform into a Computer that has no body at all and can't really be, "killed," then? I've never really liked characters using Multiform to change into things that just happen to have character sheets but are not characters. If you really want a character that doesn't bleed, the correct way to do it is with an Automaton Power. The correct way to have a character that is immune to poison is with Life Support. Maybe a huge Side Effect: Catatonic would be suitable if things like Concentration: 0 DCV throughout don't seem to be sufficient. If you really want to be nearly invulnerable, perhaps a form of EDM or Damage Reduction or even Desolidification would be appropriate.

Re: SusAn

Hmm. I've always thought of it as near complete Life Support (longevity and eat/drink, possibly with others like breathing and diseases depending on the type of game) with things like Extra Time, Concentration: 0 DCV throughout, and at least a little bit of No Conscious Control depending on how much can go wrong before you're supposed to wake up. If you do it as a 0-point Multiform, you're going to be awfully easy to break/poison/bleed or whatever you were thinking of (I didn't quite follow the reasoning and whether you actually wanted such vulnerabilities to be present, but with the Multiform you can bet they are going to be).

Re: Deflection Vs Area of Effect

It used to be (in 5E) that things like grenades could be Missile Deflected base on their having the SFX of being carried in a deflectable package until detonation. Such attacks didn't (usually) apply a Limitation allowing them to be deflected. A lot of the builds you see may be carry-overs of that. Of course, I still don't see it as a bad approach to take in terms of SFX interaction. In fact, with the right Deflection (or general power if Block might apply) SFX, I think it would be reasonable to allow certain AoE's that aren't grenades to be Deflected also, weighing in common sense as always (perhaps comparing areas, spreading, range, etc.). I do think it's best that AoE powers that can be generally and consistently Blocked/Deflected take the Limitation, but I am also a firm believer in allowing context to weigh in.

Re: GM chart / screen referance?

There was another thread about this a little while ago (or, rather, about what people would put on such screens). I think essentially you're going to want to create your own, though you might be able to find others out there. A screen tailored to whatever game you are planning to run can be a very nice thing, and they're pretty easy to put together.

Re: Infrared Perception (Hearing Group)

Convection currents, perhaps, but that'd be about as limited as having to rely on the wind to smell someone's scent, and would be felt a lot more readily than heard audibly. Come up with whatever realistic sounding comic-booky description suits your fancy, but don't expect it to have much basis in reality.

Re: Pluses to OCV only used for blocks?

They are separate maneuvers, BUT I think a reasonable GM could allow any Block, martial or otherwise, to be covered by a 2-point CSL. Possibly not appropriate to all games, though.

Re: Armour Piercing in Champions 6e

While that is an interesting build and I like it' date=' I don't think it accurately portrays the source material. Wolverine has occasionally run into alien substances he cannot cut. Also, there are several characters with energy defenses like force fields that he hasn't been able to injure.[/quote']

Hmm. Perhaps. We could probably find a broader range of SFX to include, maybe even bumping it down from the Rare category for the comic source material. But in any case I think AVAD can still work well for it.

Re: WW 2 soldier Templates

It's also going to depend on the group and the kind of game you are running. Some will tout the abilities and training of soldiers immensely, some will make them look like pretty run-of-the-mill grunts/cannon fodder. So you could go anywhere from slightly above human average physical Characteristics plus a Membership Perk to near super-human skills, Perks describing exact rank and status, and combat abilities to make gods and anime martial artists jealous. I'm not a big fan of making soldiers supermen, but some do.

Re: Armour Piercing in Champions 6e

Hmm...I don't know. AVAD: Defenses Made of Adamantium (Rare; +3/2) is how I would probably build Wolverine's claws myself. It may be incredibly expensive in comparison, but it blows the hell out of Armor Piercing and such, and seems appropriate.

Re: Infrared Perception (Hearing Group)

Aye' date=' rubber science is a wonderful thing.zzzzzzzzzz Sorry, that was the kitten typing.[/quote']

Your kitten likes rubber science?! Dude! Ship me his/her offspring in a couple years!

Re: Pluses to OCV only used for blocks?

*Block...OCV is WAY more important than DCV - you will almost always assign all available levels to OCV anyway and a limitation that does not limit is worth nothing.

Not necessarily. You might be Blocking the big baddie, but still not want to be hit by all of his minions. Also, the DCV can still help if you miss the Block roll. I've allocated CSLs to DCV when Blocking plenty of times.

Re: All Kinds of stuff

Huh. Summon Vehicle with enough Expanded Class Advantage to change the abilities of the Vehicle to reflect the being being possessed. That's kinda funny. It might need some kind of Disguise/Shapeshift to make it not look like a Vehicle too.

Re: easy 5e succor build...?

How about just +N Pool, +M Control with the Focus Limitation? Run it past your GM (if you are a player) of course, but I think many will accept that kind of build.

Re: Can you move backward?

So allowing you to go backwards does add a certain amount of utility that makes the idea of whether or not to penalise such movement in some way at least worth some consideration. If you don't like the idea that it would cost more movement to travel the same distance going backwards' date=' then perhaps we can simply treat backwards movement as non-combat movement for the sake of DCV and OCV modifiers (which seems too harsh to me, I admit).[/quote']

I never claimed the ability to separate facing from heading doesn't have some benefit. However, it certainly doesn't negate Turn Modes or add significant problems to the system. There are some corner cases where you can take advantage of it, but no major overall imbalance. Of course, it does raise the question of how quickly you can change facing. Personally I'd make it by default the same rate you can change heading (for whatever Mode of Movement you are using), and the two are independent (so you could start in reverse and either go around a bend maintaining reverse, or you could be rotating into your turn so you wind up going forward at the end of the maneuver). Of course, depending on the circumstances and complexity of the maneuver a skill roll of some sort (Combat Driving, Piloting, Riding, Dex) might be called for to pull off exactly what you are trying to accomplish in tense/critical situations.

Re: Can you move backward?

Attack powers automatically have a point of origin. This could also be applied to movement powers - if you move backwards' date=' you're legs aren't built for it, so you suffer some movement penalties. We can apply the same default to other movement powers. If you want to move forward, backward or sideways without penalty, you buy the same +1/4 "indirect" advantage that allows an attack power to use any point of origin.[/quote']

Good idea! I'd rep if I could. I like it.

Re: Infrared Perception (Hearing Group)

It's not so much volume' date=' as pitch. If you've ever listened to two different white-noise generators, you may have noticed that they have two different apparent pitches even though white noise technically has no specific pitch. The sound of Brownian motion would (I'm assuming here) have a white-noise sound. A warmer room would have a higher pitch than a cooler room.[/quote']

Yeah, sure. That too. It doesn't have to be realistic in any way; just a flavorful, imaginative, and dramatic rendition.

Re: Can you move backward?

Did 6E do away with all that? If not' date=' than the simple turn around you worry about isn't possible since you would have to keep going forward until you were able to slow to 0 velocity and than start building up speed the other direction.[/quote']

Nope. All of that was retained for 6E so, as you say, I don't think the idea of reverse adds any problems.

Re: Homemade GM Screen essential tables?

Depending on the type of game, the weapon and armor tables might be good too. I'd definitely like to second the Maneuver tables, Hit Location tables, and object (Breaking Things) tables. If you use Encumbrance, Impairing/Disabling, or Bleeding optional rules, their charts might also be handy.