Sketchpad

While I have used photos for specific campaigns, I prefer using illustrations when I have time to work on them. Many of my supervillains are drawn up in some form or another, and have been used in a variety of games.

I was looking at Green Ronin's Mutants & Masterminds Reprint Extravaganza and More! kickstarter, and it got me thinking about Hero. It seems like so many books are OOP, and it'd be nice to see them back on the shelves, and I thought this might be a great way of bringing them back. Or even looking at revising them slightly...

I would define Hammer and Power Broker's operations as organizations. Heck, Hammer had ties to the Maggia, and both had corporations that had their own minions. The Viper bit was humor, LL. Honestly, Viper's credibility is based solely on the campaign you're running. I agree on what you're saying about the agents bit, particularly from Scott's perspective. But as far as the mass-production of superhuman villains loyal to a cause, it depends on how your campaign runs. Could someone run a game where these 20 supervillains actually work loyally to Viper? Sure. Can they also run them as being former experiments on the loose? Of course. It all depends on how you define things.

Viper has credibility?! It's pretty "comic-booky" to have an agency create a bunch of bad guys (and some good guys) irresponsibly. Look at Captain America back in the '80s, or anyone who's been hurt in Gotham. In many ways it depends on how you view Viper, and if you're using other agencies in the world. I mean, Hydra and AIM both have created messes in the Marvel Universe, right? Why have normal agents? Because many of the powered beings they're making just don't work in the long run. Sure, maybe a small percentile does, but most would have their own motivations, be it survival, greed, or ULTIMATE POWER!!! Great examples include villains created by Justin Hammer, Power Broker, and many, many others.

On the subject of Viper creating and using villains, I always used the created villains as former experiments gone awry. Sure Viper made them, but now they're loose on the city/world, hunted by the authorities, Viper, and your heroes. Some have chosen to go back to the organization that made them, while others rage against their former masters and battle them as much as they do heroes.

The few games that I've ran, I've used Fate Dice, since Icons is partially built from the Fate System as well as the old MSH.

I'm a little surprised that the HC options aren't available at DTRPG. I know a handful of other companies that offer HC and SC books.

Not sure if it qualifies, but I really enjoyed Alternity back in the '90s and would've loved to see where it could've gone. The Dark*Matter setting especially shines out so much that they made it for d20 Modern. The original creators tried to bring it back a few years back, but it just wasn't the same. I also really dig Mutant Year Zero from Free League. While not quite Gamma World, I dig some of the ideas, and love the cards for it.

Typically, I make a trade language an Everyman Skill, and allow players to take a complication when they don't want to have it. Otherwise, it's a table with variations on language.

This brings up an interesting game dilemma. Say you're running Galactus as a "Force of Nature" kind of character. No stats really, as he shouldn't be able to be beaten up easily. However, during a game, a player comes to you with an idea akin to the Dr. Strange solution. How to run that as part of the puzzle since it worked in the comics? What do you tell the player?

Shield Ranged Punch/Whip Spider-Walk (both on ground and walls) Propeller-like Swimming or Flight Enhanced Strength (extra tension from strands) Rolling Ball of Hair Slingshot Gliding Hairline Slice Deflection/Extra DCV

I wonder if making the morph effect using Multiform would be easier? You could have the hero mode, which could be built with all the cool moves and such, and the normal mode which would have the focus.

Yeah, I don't think it's because of a declining market, to be honest. With three dedicated game stores and a comic shop in town, there's enough RPG stuff floating around. The latter of those shops was the last to carry any Hero products (back in the 4th ed days), with the other three just not knowing what the system is. I work in marketing in my Secret ID (15pts) and I just don't see the game marketed in ways that would attract new people. Back in the day, having products like game magazines helped with ad space and such. These days, there are less and less such products, and advertising has moved to a digital format: videos, social media ads, floating ads on websites, and "influencer" endorsement. I've gone over what I believe the game needs in a few other threads, so I won't repeat them here. But the game needs something. And it needs to have a reason to be on the shelf at stores to gain new blood. I agree to an extent. The "browse and talk" method still exists in the stores I've gone to, and something I often engage in when at a new brick-n-mortar store.

I'm not far from DD here. I've always been a big HERO fan, particularly Champions, but the game needs... something. I've gone over what I think it needs in at least three or four threads, so I'm not going to go into that. But the big thing that it needs is some publicity and some kind of "It Factor" that makes people want to carry it in stores. I remember back in the day when Champions was in almost every game and comic shop that I went to. Now, shops that remember it think it's dead, and new stores have no idea what it is (and are less likely to run demos based on that). These days, I mainly play some Mutants & Masterminds, AGE, and 2d20... but I always long for running HERO again someday.

There was the DC Adventures book that was powered by Mutants & Masterminds 3e that came out back in 2010 (wow... has it been that long?!). From what I've seen the books sell a bit pricey, but they're pretty decent IMHO. It'd also be a great starting point for conversion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Adventures

Viper's Nest was always a favorite of mine.

I always just made a new Disad/Complication called "Quirk" which are 1 pt each and allowed 5 of them.

Proof that format matters. Nice job, @fdw3773. Excellent news. I hope your friend enjoys their new voyage into Hero.

If you want someone to know everything, what about taking "Universal Knowledge" as a variant from Universal Translator?

This sounds like a Transfer BODY with limitations such as "Can't Reduce Below 0" and "Only against Animal Life." I would specify that the "damage" is transferred to BODY/STUN (which is an advantage), along with a suspended return rate (also an advantage). This could be done as another effect pf Transfer (as above) or even using Healing maybe with the limitation that "Needs to be after a Transfer" or some such. This seems like a Teleport linked to the Transfer. This could be an extended application of the Variable Effect advantage, or even a Multi-Power of various transfers. Just remember that a Multipower is either one at a time, or fluxing point variables that typically are not full power. I'm a little rusty on my 5th ed stuff, so if someone sees something needing correcting, please have at it. Hope this helps.

Welcome back to Hero, x_lm_tc! What kind of campaign are you looking at running?

It's an interesting idea. I might de-power them a bit to bring them into fantasy, unless you're running a pretty epic campaign. Could they fit in? Sure. I'd use them similar to the Nine Princes of Amber or a hidden species that players slow evolve into.

I haven't played 4th ed Champions in a while, but still regard it as the best version of the game. As for using it for a PbP, I say play what you like and are comfortable with.

Buffs to Defenses (like Combat Luck), including a PRE Defense. Tactics powers that allow things like Castling, or Healing.

I hear that, Scott. Digital sculpting is one of those skills I keep looking at, but need to free up some time to work on.