SteveZilla

Re: What fundamental thing would you change about the Hero system? New Gamer: "Gee! In the New Hero System, even the Options have Options!"

Re: What fundamental thing would you change about the Hero system? The problem I see with using this method (which, incidentally, was the way I was first taught -- either due to very bad math skills, or very bad reading comprehension skills) is that if you don't track Active Points as well as Real Points, you can have deceptively cheap powers that are grossly powerful. I've heard from a friend that someone (maybe here on these boards) designed a 1 Real Point Nuke. I've never bothered to find the build, but I honestly believe that it's possible in Hero System.

Re: Defense against Entangle So raise it to x4 Penetrating, and the Active Cost rises only 8 points (45 AP), and the Real Cost goes up just 4 points (22 RP). Who's going to quadruple hardend an entangle?

Re: Defense against Entangle I would have said the same thing, but you beat me to it!

Re: How do I build: Caltrops IMO Caltrops (of the "anti-personnel" kind) are primarily a deterrent & delaying factor to pursuit. Yes, technically they injure the person who steps on them, but the injury is to a non-vital area, and is a very small wound. Its primary benefit is that it's painful to now use that limb -- every step of the way. And you kinda made my point about the optional rules. I want a build that functions equivalently, regardless of the use or not of the optional rules. Doing so gives my GM more latitude. He can have certain effects that could be done with those rules (like Impairing of movment), yet not have to have all of those rules in the game.

Re: How do I build: Caltrops That's an interesting idea, using a Fuel Charge. I'm not familiar with using them that way -- would it be considered legal? Also, wouldn't the Fuel Charge also need to be Recoverable? My character could sweep them up later on. And I'm not sure that Recoverable Charges would work with an Expendable Focus.... The problem I have with the Impairing rules is that it seems to be based upon the limb's action being physicallY impared via damage, as opposed to the target's desire to use the limb being impaired due to pain. To cause an imparement in the Thighs/Legs/Feet of a 10 Body target, one has to do *at least* half that (5 Body). Luckily, the rules say it can be either before or after the hit location adjustment, as Legs are x½ Body for KAs. So to impare Mr. Ten Body's movement we have to do at least 5 Body (after Defenses), which fortunately for Mr. TB's longevity, is halved to 2 Body. But that's still 1/5 of his Body!

Re: How do I build: Caltrops

Re: How do I build: Caltrops Yes, but without some fancy footwork (pun intended ), all those effects are confined to the area of the Change Environment. Leave the area, and your movement is fully resotred. Although.... Caltrops: Change Environment, Multiple Combat Effects (-5" of Running, -2 to DEX Rolls) (23 AP) - Automatically Resetting Trigger(Activates: Anyone Enters the Hex; +3/4), Useable As Attack(Def: Regeneration, Not Using Running/Leaping with Feet, Resistant DEF on Bottom of Feet; +1) (63 Active Points); IAF(-½), Power Removes No More Than Half of Target's Inches Of Running(-¼), Activation Roll 15- (-¼), 1 Recoverable Charge(-1¼), Only Affects Targets Moving On The Ground (-¼), Only Affects Targets Using Unarmored Feet (-¼), Attached Power Ends if Character is Healed Or After 1 Day(-¼), Attached Power Stops Affecting the Area Around The Target(-0) (16 Real Points) I wonder if that would work? It is a little bit more complicated than: Caltrops: Drain Running 3D6 - Delayed Return Rate(1 Day; +1½), Area of Effect(One Hex;+½), Uncontrolled(removeable by spending a Full Phase to sweep them aside; +½) (105 Active Points); IAF(-½), Activation Roll 15- (-¼), 1 Recoverable Charge(-1¼), Only Affects Targets Moving On The Ground (-¼), Only Affects Targets Using Unarmored Feet (-¼), Only "Attacks" Target When Entering the Hex(-¼), Regeneration and Healing Restore Lost Points(-½) (25 Real Points) Remember, this is for a Fantasy Hero game. Because these aren't magical, the character won't have to pay character points for them -- just money. But I will need to figure out the weight. Comments are more than welcome on either of the above builds. I think I used the various Advantages and Limitations correctly to achieve the desired result. If someone thinks otherwise, please speak up (politely, please ).

Re: How do I build: Caltrops

Re: Defense against Entangle 1 pip RKA - Penetrating(+½), Continuous(+1), Damage Shield(+½), Autofire(20 shots; +2½), Reduced Endurance(Zero END; +1), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1), Only Vs Entangles(-1) 37 Active Points, 18 Real Points (presuming the -1 value is correct). For no apparent reason, entangles (of a non-mental nature) just don't affect the target (while he's awake). Or stop affecting him extremely quickly.

Re: New Player Hates All The Dice

Steve, I was wondering if there is any problem with using Martial Throw against a vehicle? I don't want to conjure up images of a Wascally Wabbit sticking his foot out in front of a speeding car, and the car goes tumbling end over end. Though in a Toon game, that might be okay... I was thinking along the lines of either using it against someone who bought their battlesuit as a vehicle instead of a focus/oihid, or between two large robotic vehicles slugging it out (like might be seen in anime). I am not fully conversant with the vehicle rules -- would the damage from a Martial Throw be calculated/applied differently than what might be expected? Thanks for your time!

Re: New Player Hates All The Dice Actually, that isn't blasphemous now. In 5re, p 104, doing a partial standard effect on a power is given as a GM's option.

Re: New Player Hates All The Dice I didn't say anything about a specific number. I picked the "top" of the bell curve in both examples. 'Top' being (possibly poorly) defined as that part of the curve where the lower dice method produces greater individual odds for those results. Outside of my selected range, the lower dice method had lesser chance for each result. I also thought that was the crux of what PhilFleischmann was saying -- that more dice are more unpredictable (IMUO 'unpredictable' means it is easier/more likely to roll a larger distance from the 'peak' of the bell). Note: IMUO = In My Uneducated Opinion.

I want to build caltrops for a Fantasy Hero game, yet cannot find a write-up for them anywhere. Personally, I am thinking that it's probably just a Drain on Running and Leaping, with appropriate limitations (only vs ground targets, only targets using legs & feet, etc.). I would think that the damage & pain they cause can be just the F/X of the Drain. If I went with the drain, I would add a limitation (Can be Healed), as a healing effect would get rid of some/all of the "wounds" caused by the caltrops. But if someone has a better idea of what base power(s) to use, I'm all ears! Also, "they" are IMO a recoverable focus, that affects an area, and "attack" anybody entering or moving through the area. But I'm not sure of the combination of advantages to get the "attacks people entering/moving", and having a duration only limited by when they get picked up/swept aside. Takers, anybody? The first 100 I manufacture will be free to you, with only a small fee to cover S/H!

Re: What fundamental thing would you change about the Hero system?

Re: What fundamental thing would you change about the Hero system? So, are you saying that the core rulebook should have the block maneuver incorporate STR vs. STR in some way? Or that it should be an optional rule for the block maneuver that the GM can use or not for his game?

Re: What fundamental thing would you change about the Hero system? That makes for the most granularity possible! And would make for ungodly high rolls for some Supers (not that they can't already be really, really high). I believe a 1:1 ratio is not needed for better granularity, and would also make too great a difference to skill rolls (where IMO the point should be the skill). Also, I've found that using a 2.5 divisor produces unequal "groupings" of roll values. stats of 9-11 produce a +4, but only 12-13 produces +5. Raising it to 3 would get rid of the unequal groups, and keep the emphasis on the skill, IMO.

Re: What fundamental thing would you change about the Hero system?

Re: What fundamental thing would you change about the Hero system?

Re: What fundamental thing would you change about the Hero system?

Re: New Player Hates All The Dice Y'know, seeing the hard numbers is what convinced me. It seems counter-intuitive, but I can't argue with hard math. As an exercise, I added up the chances for rolling somewhere within 4 points of the middle (resuslts 17-25). For the 6D6 method, you have a chance of rolling in there of 71.07%, using the 4D6+7 method, it rose to 80.57%. Using 12D6 vs. 4D6+28 and the same spread (within 4 points of the middle -- results 38-46), the difference is even bigger! 54.87% vs. 80.56% -- an increase of 25.69 percentage points. Or another way to look at it is that one's roll is 46.82% more likely (80.56/54.87) to fall within this range using the lesser dice method. NOTE: I am not professionally schooled in probability and statistics, but I think I can add pretty well.

Re: New Player Hates All The Dice True, it's a bell curve, but it's not nearly as steep a curve as with more dice. The steeper the curve, less likely the results will be towards the extremes, and much more likely to be near to the average. How often does someone roll all 6's on 12 dice?