prestidigitator

Re: Defense Maneuver IV

Re: Is Clinging a perfect substitute for Climbing? I agree that as far as purely physical, equipment-less applications go, Clinging is a perfect substitute. However, I will by no means agree to narrow the scope of the Climbing Skill that far, or even close.

Re: Defense Maneuver IV I think there are more problems in dealing with an attack from behind than just sensing it as well. Coordination comes to mind. Try reacting effectively against something you see in a mirror. Also, our bodies aren't setup for dealing with things behind us very well; there's a pretty big asymmetry there. So while I might give someone with 360-degree vision a bonus (or less of a penalty) in some circumstances--and it certainly would be more difficult to surprise such a character--I don't think they'd be immune to a "from behind" penalty by any means.

Re: GAME RELATED: Anyone know the science behind an orbital nuclear burst?

Re: Is Clinging a perfect substitute for Climbing? Agreed. Also, Climbing is a Skill with a wide range of applications, whereas Clinging simply lets you stick to stuff. For example, a Climbing roll could easily be called for when examining a potential climbing route or belaying a rope to something for someone else to climb up. Clinging isn't going to tell you how secure a cliff side is or how to tie a rope.

Re: GAME RELATED: Anyone know the science behind an orbital nuclear burst?

Re: Defense Maneuver IV Generally I let a target turn with you if they want and if they know you are there and aren't dealing with another attacker at the same time. But that doesn't mean there shouldn't be some kind of bonus from behind when the circumstances do merit it, even if the target isn't completely unaware of the attack or that you are there. I'm considering a simple -2 DCV from behind plus no shield bonus where applicable instead of halving, if you are aware of the attack. The really funny thing is that there is still a strong note under Defense Maneuver that it doesn't, in any way, keep you from being Surprised. So if attacks from behind are wrapped into being Surprised, and Defense Maneuver doesn't keep you from being Surprised, I'm not sure it's worth any good whatsoever against attacks from behind. I view the "surprise maneuver" OCV bonus and someone "being Surprised" as different. The former is a completely unexpected way of performing your attack (an attack the target is expecting in general though), whereas the latter is a completely unexpected attack (as in the target isn't expecting it to come at all, never mind how it is actually executed). Generally you won't get both at once, though if there's an unusually creative ambush or something I might make an exception.

Re: GAME RELATED: Anyone know the science behind an orbital nuclear burst? Well, the 15d6K damage looks like enough to completely destroy the Vehicle to me. That's average damage of 52.5 (call it 55). PD 25 and Body 20 looks like toast. You know, I've been looking, and absolutely nowhere in 6E does it talk about passengers taking damage. I'm going to have to break out my 5ER and see if it was missing there too, but I thought I remembered a discussion about it somewhere. I'd generally assume that if passengers are covered by the vehicle's defenses (unlike on a motorcycle or something where the vehicle's PD/ED takes a Limitation), they don't start taking damage until the vehicle is completely destroyed (0 Body). Just like using a Barrier or object for cover, I'd assume that the Vehicle's ED and leftover Body would subtract from the Body damage, and the leftover is about 55-45=10 Body. Is his own ED Resistant? At terminal velocity, the character is going to take 30d6. An average of 30 Body means he's going to take 10 Body in damage after his own 20 PD. That's not enough to take him to negative Body unless he took damage from the explosion, so it all boils down to whether his personal 20 ED is Resistant or not. Again that is if you are going to go with the full damage. If you go easy on a character who just heroically took (and survived) a nuclear blast and give him even 6 rPD PD of the Vehicle's defense against the fall as it disintegrates around him, or even just find him a soft spot to land, he easily could wind up simply tenderized, broken, and in a coma (from the Stun damage) instead of dead.

Re: GAME RELATED: Anyone know the science behind an orbital nuclear burst? The fall? Hmm. I'd go lenient on a character taking falling damage just after surviving a nuclear blast, myself. Give him part of the suit's PD just for the fall or something. Take the player's pulse to, so to speak. Does he want to continue with the character? Would he be interested in a dramatic change due to a radiation accident? Would he want to roleplay through a tough recovery from such an accident with some possibly interesting complications? Or is he ready to move on completely, and having the character go out in such a "flashy" and impressive act of self-sacrifice is a nice way to move on to a different character?

Re: How does a Megacorp make money? Hmm. Well, pretend there are machines to do everything for you. Power is generated, food is grown/synthesized/harvested/whatever, clothes and furniture and buildings are constructed, health is measured regularly and dealt with proactively and automatically, all the entertainment you could possibly want is at your fingertips, and you can travel anywhere you desire since there is such an abundance of energy. Now, what exactly is money good for anymore? Well, fighting over of course! I'm not saying I've painted a picture of a cyberpunk world, exactly, but it's like the more we have--or the more capability we have--the less real everything becomes, and the more we subjugate and terrorize each other just for the heck of it. And that, I think, is where money and mega-corporations come in. Mega-corporations are more a symbol and a living, breathing, political entity than an actual company. Who can claim to control more assets, subjugate more people, manipulate more political leverage, advertise more effective brainwashing? And money, ultimately now having value only because it's really a means of keeping things from people rather than allowing them to earn those things, a symbol of status rather than ability and effort, kept at an arbitrarily measured and held value by artificial means...used as a meter by which the mega-corporations boast their relative power. That's sort of the vision I have of such a world.

Re: 6e Question Power on Conditional Power Modifier Just what I was thinking, except I don't personally think you'd need the Trigger. A Persistent power's default state is on, and I would assume it naturally tries to reach that state again at some point after it is turned off. Either way the difference could probably be wrapped up with the custom deactivation Limitation at no change in value.

Re: GAME RELATED: Anyone know the science behind an orbital nuclear burst? EMP? Pffft! ( ) That would be a pain, but I'd be just as concerned about the fallout. Some kind of cleanup/containment effort could offer some major roleplaying opportunities.

Re: Weapons

Re: Champions Powers book issues... Oh, and note that--ironically due to the Powers' history--you cannot use Deflection and Reflection together; you can only reflect attacks blocked with a normal Block maneuver (not at range).

Re: 5th Edition: Naked Advantage In A Focus ? You could also build the object as the Focus of an Endurance Reserve for a similar kind of effect. (Keep in mind it's GM option whether a power needs to be built with a +1/4 Advantage to be able to draw from either personal End or an End Reserve at the time of use.) Or even a simple boost to normal End and/or Rec through a Focus.

Re: Area Effect in 6e Think of it this way: it is now possible to create a powerful attack (many dice of damage) that covers a small area, with fewer points than if the area were really big. In 5E- the area was based on Active Points and there was really no way to get a rebate for a smaller area (though you could do the reverse and create a really big area for a weak attack if you wanted).

Re: Not Quite Free Equipment Infantry (example only) Training in most common melee (up to 2d6K and 6d6N) and a few (thrown) ranged weapons, medium armor (up to chain), and up to medium shields. Most Common Melee and Thrown Weapons: 52 point Multipower All slots: OIF: weapon of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Weapon (-3/4); Common Melee Weapons plus Thrown Javalins, Spears, Knives, Axes and Darts Only (-1/4) [21 real] 1f.) HKA: 2d6; Reduced End: 0 End (+1/2); Variable Special Effects: weapon-based (+1/4); [52 active; 2 real] 2f.) HA: 6d6; Reduced End: 0 End (+1/2); Variable Special Effects: weapon-based (+1/4); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4) [52 active; 2 real] [25 total] plus Naked Armor Piercing (+1/4) on up to 44 Active Points of HKA; Reduced End: 0 End (+1/2); OIF: weapon of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Weapon (-3/4); Common Melee Weapons plus Thrown Javalins, Spears, Knives, Axes and Darts Only (-1/4) [11 base; 16 active; 6 real] plus Naked Armor Piercing (+1/4) on up to 44 Active Points of HKA; Reduced End: 0 End (+1/2); OIF: weapon of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Weapon (-3/4); Common Melee Weapons plus Thrown Javalins, Spears, Knives, Axes and Darts Only (-1/4) [11 base; 16 active; 6 real] Medium Armor: Resistant Protection: 6 rPD, 6 rED; Variable Special Effects: armor-based (+1/4); OIF: armor of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Armor (-3/4) [22 active; 10 real] Medium Shields: CSLs: +2 with All Combat; Shield-Based Maneuvers Only (-1); OIF: shield of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Shield (-3/4) [20 active; 6 real] Total Infantry Cost: 53 points

Re: Not Quite Free Equipment Archer (example only) This package is for someone who is a trained archer and can pick up any bow, and has had a small amount of training with light bladed weapons (up to a broadsword). It also includes practice fighting in light armor (up to boiled leather), but no training with a shield. Archery and Light Blades: 45 point Multipower All Slots: OIF: weapon of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Weapon (-3/4); Single WF Only (-1/2) [16 real] 1f.) RKA: 2d6; Reduced End: 0 End (+1/2); Bows Only (included above) [45 active; 2 real] 2f.) HKA: 1d6+1; Reduced End: 0 End (+1/2); Blades Only (included above) [30 active; 1 real] [19 real] Light Armor: Resistant Protection: 3 rPD, 3 rED; Variable Special Effects: armor-based (+1/4); OIF: armor of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Armor (-3/4) [11 active; 5 real] Total Archer Cost: 24 points

Re: Not Quite Free Equipment Hmm. In small parts I have, but it's the first time I've really put it all together in one cohesive package. Let's see what a complete build or two looks like, to get an idea of what we're looking at. Veteran Arms Master (example only) Belonging to an experienced soldier who has extensive training and is a veteran of many battles and many years of fighting, this proficiency package allows its owner to wield any (fantasy-style) weapon, don any armor, and pick up any shield in the standard 6E tables without penalty. Either been there, done that, or experienced enough to be able to pick up something new and figure it out with a moment of study and a few experimental swings. Weapon Master: 61 point Multipower All slots: OIF: weapon of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Weapon (-3/4) [27 real] 1f.) HKA: 2d6+1; Reduced End: 0 End (+1/2); Variable Special Effects: weapon-based (+1/4) [61 active; 3 real] 2f.) HA: 6d6; Reduced End: 0 End (+1/2); Variable Special Effects: weapon-based (+1/4); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4) [52 active; 2 real] 3f.) RKA: 2d6; Reduced End: 0 End (+1/2); Variable Special Effects: weapon-based (+1/4) [52 active; 2 real] [34 total] plus Naked Armor Piercing (+1/4) on up to 44 Active Points of HKA; Reduced End: 0 End (+1/2); OIF: weapon of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Weapon (-3/4) [11 base; 16 active; 7 real] plus Naked Ranged Based on Strength (+1/4) on up to 44 Active Points of HKA; Reduced End: 0 End (+1/2); OIF: weapon of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Weapon (-3/4) [11 base; 16 active; 7 real] Armor Master: Resistant Protection: 8 rPD, 8 rED; Variable Special Effects: armor-based (+1/4); OIF: armor of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Armor (-3/4) [30 active; 13 real] Shield Master: CSLs: +3 with All Combat [30 active]; Shield-Based Maneuvers Only (-1); OIF: shield of opportunity (-1/2); Subject to Real Shield (-3/4) [30 active; 9 real] Total Arms Master Cost: 70 points (EDIT: I realized by examining the weapons chart that weapons with Armor Piercing and/or Range Based on Str are of limited DCs, so the Naked Advantages didn't need to be bought for the full extent of the HKA power. 44 Active Points is sufficient, the biggest attack with each being 1.5d6 and the only attack with both being a puny 0.5d6.)

Re: Is our approach to ' Combat Levels' fundamentally flawed

Re: How do Hero System players/GM view DnD?

Re: Champions Powers book issues...

Re: Not Quite Free Equipment Okay. That's what I've got so far. Let your scathing criticisms fly.

Shields To be able to use a shield you pick up/buy with proficiency, you must have the appropriate Combat Skill Levels. These are Overall CSLs (10-point) bought with Shield-Based Maneuvers Only (-1) to represent that they can apply to DCV (against all attacks), OCV with Block or shield bashes, or damage with shield bashes. The CSLs are bought with Obvious Inaccessible Focus (-1/2) to represent the usual object-of-opportunity concept. You must have as many CSLs as the shield's base protection provides. You will also apply a Limitation called Subject to Real Shield (-3/4), which is (in spirit) sort of like Variable Limitations, only less under your own control. It represents the fact that you are subject to any and all Limitations on whatever shield you pick up and wield. This includes things like a required hand, Strength Minimum, and whatever partial-coverage restrictions a GM might choose to apply (like possibly not working against attacks from behind your character). If you use a shield you are not proficient with, you many only apply half the CSLs it normally provides (rounded up, of course), and may not apply it in any fashion at all except in Phases where you spend a Half-Phase action specifically bringing the shield to bear. Depending on your game and setting, you may be able to further limit the types of shield you are proficient with, but by default the number of CSLs provided should be enough.

Armor To be able to use armor you pick up/buy with proficiency, you must have the appropriate Defense Power, which usually means Resistant Protection (but in some games might include others like Damage Negation, Damage Reduction, plain PD/ED, etc.). The Defense Power is bought with Variable Special Effects at the +1/4 level (unless you wish to limit yourself to one type of armor, such as leather), and Obvious Inaccessible Focus (-1/2) to represent the usual object-of-opportunity concept. You must have as much Defense as the armor's base protection provides, of all types that the armor provides (e.g. rPD, rED, PD, ED, Damage Negation, etc.). If the armor provides any Advantages (such as Hardened), you must either have the appropriate amount of Variable Advantages on the Defense Power(s), or buy the Advantage in question as a Naked Advantage on the amount of defense the armor provides. You will also apply a Limitation called Subject to Real Armor (-3/4), which is (in spirit) sort of like Variable Limitations, only less under your own control. It represents the fact that you are subject to any and all Limitations on whatever armor you pick up and wield. This includes things like Real Armor, Mass (Encumbrance), etc. If you don armor you are not proficient with, not only do you suffer a -3 DCV while wearing it (the GM may choose to reduce this penalty for armor that is very light, either in terms of weight or protective value or both, or that is very close to the amounts of protection you have purchased), but you may not apply any Combat Skill Levels whatsoever to your DCV (including those provided by a shield, so your best bet for utilizing a shield is to Block with it). Depending on your game and setting, you may be able to further limit the types of armor you are proficient with (e.g. maybe "Only Force-Field Based" in a Sci-Fi campaign?), but by default the type and amount of Defense provided should be enough.