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Sketchpad

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  1. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to Doc Democracy in Templates/Packages and Complications   
    That is why both the GM and players need to be on the same page, and there needs to be trust between them.
     
    Sounds like Sketchpad's group are on that page, the players trust him to use the complications to tell a better story and not to screw them over.  It might not work in my group, or yours, but there is no BadWrongFun here.  If players see their character gets more love through having more complications, the player gets a fraction more spotlight, then there is no need for a point balancing exercise.
  2. Haha
    Sketchpad reacted to Doc Democracy in Templates/Packages and Complications   
    How did you know my wife had a corgi??
     

  3. Thanks
    Sketchpad reacted to Doc Democracy in Templates/Packages and Complications   
    Sounds to me that @Sketchpad is saying that taking the template complications drives story and the player gets a bit extra GM-love/spotlight time, which is decent recompense for the complications.
     
    If complications at a table are seenas story hooks rather than "disadvantages" then I can see it working.
  4. Haha
    Sketchpad got a reaction from Doc Democracy in Templates/Packages and Complications   
    Hence the quote in the first post of this topic.  I'm looking for info from folks that don't use that guideline.
     
     
    Possibly. Templates exist for a reason. I see them as guidelines for a making a character in a campaign setting, but there are exceptions especially when presented with a solid concept. If someone made a shapeshifter and took everything but the Complications in order to make a Skrull Infiltrator, I would question why and expect a great concept in return. Just because they didn't want the Complications? Then why play a Skrull Infiltrator in the first place? There's a difference between Bill Changer Of Shapes and our alien spy. Did they have a great idea that they're hunted by the Skrull Empire after having a fling with the Queen? Okay... I'm intrigued, tell me more. I may swap out Complications that are "Template Oriented" with different ones, and still not count them toward the Matching Complications, as it's now a Skrull Expatriate kind of character now. 
     
     
    Except that Complications don't reduce anything. They exist only in a "Complication Zone" that have zero effect on points a character may have to use. Hence why I don't see an issue with extra Complications, as they do nothing than provide a character and campaign more flavor. That said, I do miss the old Package Deal days, as I used a ton back in the day. And don't get me started on Hunteds. Some day I'll have to tell everyone about the character that had 6 Hunteds with a 14- modifier... that was a crazy game! But we did what we did to gain points back then.
  5. Thanks
    Sketchpad reacted to Bunch in Champions playtest document   
    Finally got setup here.  Here's the document I found in a Champions Boxed set.  I picked the box up at Half Priced Books in Redmond WA. No names in the box to indicate who might have owned it prior to me except a hand written character named Voyager/Star Dancer.
     
     
     
     
    Binder1.pdf
  6. Like
    Sketchpad got a reaction from DentArthurDent in AOE Strength   
    Isn't this basically the Speed Zone abilities as seen in The Ultimate Speedster (p. 251) for 5th ed? 
  7. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to mattingly in AOE Strength   
    I was considering AOE Selective Radius and AOE 1 Hex. If I go the Autofire route, I'll add in Concentrated Sprayfire.
     
     
     
    Ah! Good call. I looked through the Time Powers section, which wasn't quite what I was after.
     
     
     
  8. Thanks
    Sketchpad got a reaction from Prof.Dogg in What are HDC files?   
    You should be able to load them via Prefab>Load Prefab. They'll appear on the appropriate tab with the Prefab subtab.
  9. Like
    Sketchpad got a reaction from Grailknight in AOE Strength   
    Isn't this basically the Speed Zone abilities as seen in The Ultimate Speedster (p. 251) for 5th ed? 
  10. Like
    Sketchpad got a reaction from Tom Cowan in AOE Strength   
    Isn't this basically the Speed Zone abilities as seen in The Ultimate Speedster (p. 251) for 5th ed? 
  11. Like
    Sketchpad got a reaction from Jason Reid in AOE Strength   
    Isn't this basically the Speed Zone abilities as seen in The Ultimate Speedster (p. 251) for 5th ed? 
  12. Like
    Sketchpad got a reaction from Ninja-Bear in Do you use characters from various editions?   
    I used to in the pre-5th days. My 3rd and 4th ed campaigns almost exclusively used villains from the various supplements for more than a decade. 5th ed started changing that as I began using more and more of my own NPCs. Nowadays I pretty much use my own only... with some inspired by the old characters, and some that have been used in other systems for the past 30+ years.
  13. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to HeroGM in Pulp Decoder Card   
    I sat down earlier today and redid this a little bit.
     

     
    1-8-9-8-9-13-8-1 14-7 4-1-18-17-5 25-7-11-1
    7-23-26-3-14-18-17-8.
  14. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to ArmlessTigerMan in About Gestalt: The Hero Within   
    You probably don't want to have PCs that have all their abilities purchased with this limitation; they'd essentially be useless outside of their region.  I would probably allow few powers bought this way to represent that a given character would be more formidable on his home turf.
     
    For example, if I were building Daredevil as the regional defender of Hell's Kitchen, I would buy most of his abilities without the limitation.  And then buy some ocv/dcv, levels with perception, or danger sense that only worked in that region to represent that he is in-tune with that environment.  That way if the adventure happens outside of his region the character can still participate.
     
    Of course villains and NPCs can be built to serve the needs of the story.
  15. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to Duke Bushido in Transform Question   
    Thank you!
     
    Every time this subject comes up, I point that out as a problem-- even after a single recovery, an opponent can slap them right back to sleep (which is hilarious, by the way) any time they start to stir.
     
    And when you are asleep, you really have nothing to do but take recoveries, right?  So when do you wake up?  Positive STUN?  "Post Twelve, adventurers!  Wakey, wakey!  Hands off Snakey!"
     
    Or do we concoct some sort of delayed autofire or Trigger to keep them out for a bit?  And there is still the damage problem:  "well, I just took a nap, so I am ludicrously low on hit points for the next xouole od hours..."
     
    I tried EGO drain a couple of times, but similar issues: everyone wakes up as more or less zombies, vulnerable to any command (which is also hilarious, but not in the visceral slap-them-back-to-sleep kind of way that "drain damage-soaking characteristics" produces.
     
    Eventually, I settled on Sleep spells as very specific Mind Control spells, with modifiers to the breakout rolls and possible ligering effects (groggy for two phases; 1/2 CV, -2 to PER, -2 to Dec Rolls- whatever) as appropriate to the individual spell (basic Sleep spells usually last for a specific brief period and upon waking, the victim is very much aware that he was affectes by a sleep spell, etc-  lots of imperfections in the spell make it affordable and provides some utility without making it a walk-through-the-snoring-army" kind of thing.  In all cases, taking any damage will immediately break the spell (I learned that one after running with a brand new player to a newish group: our dedicated sorcerer came from a deeply murder-hobo group that had fizzled out after their GM moved and no one else wanted to run.  (Which I totally get!  If I knew ahead of time that I had to spend hours a week building something that my players would burn to the ground, i'd be hard-pressed to volunteer for the position myself.)
     
     
     
     
  16. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to Cloppy Clip in Dark Champions Question   
    I'm away from my books at the moment, but do Resource points work the same way as equipment meaning you'd be limited to the sorts of things anybody could reasonably buy in a setting? Because, if so, it might help to think about how you envision the setting, marcusxbaer. If it makes sense to you that a given thing from Gadgets and Gear would be available for anybody with the right access to buy then it would be valid for your Resource points. This way you can adapt the rules to different settings as needs be.
     
    Hope I've understood the question correctly, and apologies if not!
  17. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to MrAgdesh in Horror Hero - Shock & Stress   
    I ran Delta Green in 1999-2002 but under Hero. The way I did it was to treat SAN loss like a Mental Transformation. When you reached Transformation pips equal to (IIRC) 2xEGO you gained a 10pt Psychological Disadvantage (that you of course received no points back for). This then scaled up to a 20pt psychological at 4xEGO, and “0 SAN” at 6xEGO. 
    If you gained too many transform points at one time (at least 5pts I think?) you also got temporary effects - fight or flight type reactions/emotional shutdown.  
    You needed therapy to remove the transformation points - they would not heal with time - and therapy gradually reduced less and less the more you used it. 
  18. Haha
    Sketchpad reacted to Christopher R Taylor in Horror Hero - Shock & Stress   
    I have checked and checked the rules for the sanity clause, but I don't believe he exists.
  19. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to wcw43921 in Cool Vehicles for your Games   
    Second Chance TV Series
     
    "It follows the life of Jimmy Pritchard, a 75-year-old former King County, Washington sheriff who was morally corrupt and later disgraced and forced to retire. After he is killed in a robbery at his son's home, Pritchard is brought back to life in the improved body of a younger man by billionaire tech-genius twins Mary and Otto Goodwin. However, despite having a new life and a chance to relive his life and find a new purpose, the temptations that led to his career being tarnished continue to haunt him."
     
    This could be a character in Champions or Dark Champions.  He even had his own "Batmobile"--a 1971 Buick Riviera "Boattail."  
     

     
    An excellent machine for any Seventies-era PI or rogue cop.
  20. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to Grailknight in Well rounded in 6e   
    Remember that the OP wants to simulate a popular Shonen anime. Low powered supers are the floor here. Most of the characters can be well rounded versions of themselves at 250-300 points but if they all want to be close to the main characters then they will need more. He could start them at 200 and then give experience at a higher rate than is normal in Hero also. 
     
     
  21. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to Gauntlet in New Talent for Fantasy Hero - Armor Mastery   
    Created two new (and related) talents for Fantasy Here which would work for both 5th Edition and 6th Edition, and I am checking to see what others think of it. The following are the talents:
     
    Armor Mastery I
    Armor (4 PD/4 ED) (12 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Must be Aware of Attack (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2), Only Half as Much as Worn Armor (-1/2), Not verse Critical Hit (-1/4), Not verse AE (-1/4))
    3 Points
     
    Armor Mastery II
    Hardened (+1/4) for up to 36 Active Points of Worn Armor (9 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Must be Aware of Attack (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2), Not verse Critical Hit (-1/4), Not verse AE (-1/4)
    3 Points
     
    This talent is for characters who are masters at wearing armor, shifting in such ways where attacks hit the best defended portions of the armor. Each can only be purchased once of course, and Armor Mastery I must be purchased before Armor Mastery II. Attached is a Prefab file for it. Please let me know what you think.
     
    Armor Mastery.hdp
  22. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to Lord Liaden in Horror Hero - Shock & Stress   
    Yes, it did have Sanity rules. They're the Shock and Stress rules that Sketchpad started the thread to ask about.
  23. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to steriaca in Horror Hero - Shock & Stress   
    I believe the suplilment Horror Hero for 4ed had Sanity rules. It also was the first place to see Spirit rules.
  24. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to Khymeria in Horror Hero - Shock & Stress   
    Obviously without posting from a soon to be released book here I can't show you my work, but you nailed it. Two different powers to give to a monster or situation or scene. One is a Transform and the other is a Drain, which makes you more and more susceptible over time as you slowly lose your willpower and mind. It's why I love the Hero System, the answer is probably there. The only thing I changed was shifting "Turning Undead" from PRE (as it is represented in Fantasy Hero) to EGO, but that is a different topic altogether and for setting reasons.
  25. Like
    Sketchpad reacted to Doc Democracy in Horror Hero - Shock & Stress   
    I think the first thing I would want to understand would be the purpose of the sanity and shock stuff and, given that the system is chock full of tools, I would be looking to the existing kit before adding anything new.
     
    For instance, in Cthulhu the big thing is that you slowly go mad, you accumulate strange tics and phobias until you cannot function.
     
    Now that sounds to me like picking up complications in-game.  We have mechanics to do that.  We might call it Transform and Pow Def in the toolkit, but it would be trivial to label things Horror and Resilience.
     
    In HERO the options are great, you can add physical complication, psychological ones, dependencies, social complications and reputations and everything us already costed out.
     
    The big difference is that the purpose of the Transform is vague, or random, and you might be counting up potential before applying rather than counting down.
     
    I think that the target for impact would be when Horror exceeded EGO (minus the number of existing complications).  You might have, or build up, a defence to these things but that could be eroded by knowledge of Mythos.
     
    We do often leap to additional systems rather than adapting what we have.
     
    Doc
     
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