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Lord Liaden

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Everything posted by Lord Liaden

  1. Re: What concepts have you used for a 'Superman'? Some time ago ChuckG posted a writeup from his campaign for IMO one of the most interesting Superman-surrogates I've seen, both in his character sheet and especially his background history - a history which incorporates the official Hero Universe timeline, BTW. I didn't want to take away Chuck's prerogatives, but since he hasn't shown up here yet he hopefully won't mind if I just link to that post and its followups: Horus-Re
  2. Re: What concepts have you used for a 'Superman'? Thanks. It does seem like it would be a ready fit. Mind you, I still have hope for the eventual return of Vanguard.
  3. Re: What concepts have you used for a 'Superman'? Deja-vu all over again : http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36397
  4. Re: What concepts have you used for a 'Superman'? In an older Champions campaign for 4E HERO, I used "Captain Atlas," the child of a human woman and a cosmic being who had fallen in love with her. (I borrowed the name from Golden Age Champions, and the origin from that of Captain Australia in HERO System Almanac I.) Captain Atlas was one of a pair of twins; their mother was killed shortly after they were born, and the twins were adopted. The geneticist master villain Malachite kidnapped the girl a few years later - she would eventually become Viperia (4E version). Since Viperia had/has most of the classic Superman powerset, I gave Captain Atlas roughly the same powers. Having bought the current VIPER: Coils Of The Serpent, it hasn't escaped my notice that Viperia is now the daughter of Nama, but that Nama is also supposed to have another unspecified child out there somewhere...
  5. Re: Cyberpunk 2020 in HERO Sadly, I cannot. I couldn't unzip the attached files either - apparently they've become corrupted. And I didn't save the originals. Hopefully some kind soul who did successfully download them will see this and supply you.
  6. Re: Nets as Weapons We had a similar topic come up a while back, and several different parameters for nets were discussed and statted out: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22846
  7. Re: Vidar, Norse God & Fenris-Killer Hey, Fen, aren't you in a bit of a "conflict of interest" position here?
  8. Re: I know this probably sounds psycotic, and it probably will be. You might want to make sure that these abilities Usable Simultaneously are also all bought Persistant (even though the Characteristics and Powers you mention are already Persistant.) Otherwise if one character with those abilities is Knocked Out, the Usable Simultaneously Powers that it possesses shut off and all the other characters in the group will lose the benefit of them.
  9. Re: How to have long combats Keep in mind that in heroic fiction (contemporary or legendary), those full-day combats are pretty much "handwaved" already. They're never described in detail throughout the full course; it's just related that the opponents continued to exchange blows hour after hour, demonstrating their heroic endurance and strength of will, until you get to the climax of the fight. Just skip to the high points. Several minutes' worth of sore strokes should cover them.
  10. Re: Vidar, Norse God & Fenris-Killer Not much more in his article from the Encyclopedia Mythica, other than that it reinforces my memory of him being called the "god of silence." Perhaps he actually has powers that reinforce silence around him, such as Darkness, Invisibility or Flash to the Hearing Sense Group. He's also called the God of Vengeance, so maybe he could have a Detect for certain types of criminals (murderers at least), and possibly some extra abilities that only work vs such enemies. If he has that special supershoe, IMHO you just have to give him the foot-stamping shockwave schtick that Gorgon of the Inhumans does. The visuals demand it.
  11. Re: Senses Targetting and Nontargetting These will be "unofficial" answers, of course. If you want an official ruling from rules grand poobah Steve Long, you can post your questions on the Fifth Edition Rules Questions forums. You can certainly buy Targetting for the entire Hearing Sense Group, covering any Enhanced Senses defined as hearing based. See "Enhanced Senses" in the 5ER rulebook. Having nontargetting Sight would probably be defined as a Physical Limitation for the character, the amount it would be worth based on how often and to what degree you expected it to disadvantage the character. It would be less of a Limitation if the character had another Targetting Sense. The basis of the cost of Flash vs any Nontargetting Sense is based on it being Nontargetting for most people. It would still affect a person with a Targetting Sense based on hearing normally. Flash vs Sight would affect a hypothetical "Nontargetting Sight" normally.
  12. The Return Of Vanguard Since my last post, I've had a scenario for this on my mind, as well as possible plot seeds that could be derived from it. I don't think I'll be able to rest until I write it down. Note that while what I'm about to describe is in no way canon, and may violate what Hero Games will eventually publish about Vanguard, it does draw on background info about the CU including "GM's Vault" data, so anyone who doesn't want spoilers may want to stop reading: Jeffrey Sinclair, the man who became Vanguard, got his powers from an "alien artifact." To keep the parallel with Superman, let's say that the artifact wrought an innate change in him, rather than being a Focus-like item that empowers him. What I propose is that Sinclair encountered some of the equipment that the Progenitors left behind from their experiments creating the Empyreans, at the site of the Empyreans' first home near Athens. Accidentally activating it, Sinclair gained powers rivalling those of the first generation of Empyreans. Flash forward three decades to the Battle of Detroit. Vanguard is said to have sacrificed himself delivering explosive charges to destroy the asteroids that Dr. Destroyer was trying to bring crashing to Earth. For this kind of mission Vanguard likely went alone, so there would have been no firsthand witnesses to his fate. The richest source of asteroids nearest Earth would be the belt between Mars and Jupiter; but Champions Universe revealed that there are leftover Progenitor devices in the asteroid belt. I suggest that one of these was among Destroyer's asteroids; detecting Vanguard as the result of Progenitor experiments, it teleported him to a Progenitor facility for analysis just before the explosive detonated. There Vanguard was trapped for some time while the Progenitors themselves, or their automated devices, probed and tested him. Eventually Vanguard was released, but discovered that he had been transported to the other side of the galaxy. The first aliens he met had never even heard of Earth. Vanguard attempted to return home, a journey spanning more than a decade. Along the way he encountered many alien races and cosmic beings, often acting to protect the helpless as he had on Earth. By the time Vanguard finally returns to this world in 2006 his exploits have brought him renown across half the Milky Way. Many revere him as a hero and champion; others count him as a hated enemy and plot their revenge. And the name "Earth" has become more widely known, and sparked interest in several quarters... Of course, this scenario would explain the return of the real Vanguard. A Game Master might instead choose to use this as the cover story for someone masquerading as Vanguard. Perhaps an alien or supervillain has adopted Vanguard's guise in an attempt to infiltrate and subvert the world's superheroes. Maybe this Vanguard is a clone created by someone like Teleios for the same purpose, with or without his conscious knowledge. (It could have taken Teleios this many years to master Vanguard's unique genetic structure.) Or perhaps some new superhero has taken on the name and appearance of Vanguard, out of genuine respect and desire to honor him, or to capitalize on Vanguard's reputation. OTOH this could indeed be the actual Vanguard, only with his personality changed by his experiences or the forces he was exposed to on his journey. Vanguard might start to act irrationally, even become dangerous, forcing PC heroes to try to stop him. And if they can stop him, will it be possible to find a cure and restore his heroic persona?
  13. Re: I know this probably sounds psycotic, and it probably will be. First, keep in mind that the Followers are separate characters which are officially under GM control regarding what actions they'll take on your behalf. For example, the GM could legitimately rule that extreme disregard for your "implants" welfare, as in combat, would lead them to turn against you. As they're all separate characters with their own stats, you might want to give them the same DEX and SPD as their host body so that they can all act on the same Phase if desired. They should probably all have Teamwork Skill to coordinate their actions effectively. For practical and conceptual reasons a group Mind Link would also make sense. Give some consideration to the EGO and possible Mental Defense of all the characters in this communal group. An opposing mentalist might be able to turn one or more parts against the others.
  14. Re: Today’s neophyte question; Clips & Charges If 20 suited your concept better than 32. That's all there is to it, really. There are lots of quantity-based Advantages and Limitations that could probably be broken down into, for example, "more than +1/4 but less than +1/2" if the system made such fine distinctions. Sometimes you just want something that "feels" right even if, from a mechanical standpoint, it makes no difference. There's no Skill or Perception Roll benefit to having an Intelligence of 19 instead of 18, but perhaps you simply want your character to be than much "smarter."
  15. Re: Brain Fart. (CU) As I'd mentioned on an earlier thread, Darren Watts did post more information on Vanguard that, IMO, strongly implies that he was the CU's analog to Superman both in power and in the respect in which he was held: I'm really hoping that the Champions Universe update book this year will include a scenario for his return - I believe that an official, active Superman homage in the present-day CU would be welcomed by many Champs fans. And let's face it: a mightily-powerful superhero, aliens responsible for his powers, a super tractor beam, space rocks of unknown composition, a multi-megaton explosion... if you can't extract a comic-book rationale for Vanguard's survival out of all that, you're just not trying.
  16. Re: Giant Robot RPG (carry over post to SH from DC) Thank you, TH. That clears things up nicely. Essentially you want to your HERO mecha game to feel more like the ones you've liked in the past, but with the benefits of the HERO System. Which is understandable and reasonable. I believe that when you get Robot Warriors and go over Chris's notes, you'll find that Size Class and Ground Movement deal with some of your concerns about vehicle Speed and movement rates, as well as some issues about combat between mechs of different sizes. Lots of us use rule variants to adjust damage capability in various circumstances - I use a bunch myself - but I'm going to hold off suggesting any more until you've had a chance to digest all the relevant data, and are ready to ask for help with particular issues.
  17. Let me make one thing clear at the outset: overall I love HERO Fifth Edition. I love the clarity, I love the general consistency, I love all the new options. I consider it a step up from Fourth Edition, which I also loved. Notheless, there are a few changes, additions or omissions from earlier parts of the ruleset that just don't feel right to me, or leave me going when I try to understand why they were made. In some cases I've ported rules from earlier editions of HERO which I felt dealt with elements better than the 5E default. I'm not talking about just changing the current rules to work "my way," but actually using rules that were previously official in place of or in addition to ones that are official now. Some recent rules discussions here on the boards have left me curious as to what older rules some of you might have brought into your 5E games, and what you think using them does to improve your HERO gaming experience. If possible I'd prefer to avoid rants against any of the present rules that irk you - constructive input would be more welcome. Let me start with a few of my most notable ones: Regeneration. The official build uses complicated Modifiers to create a very specific effect, yet the end result still violates the rule limiting the maximum that can be Healed based on the number of Healing dice you buy. I've continued to use 4E Regeneration, but also apply the new Adders and Limitations for Healing. Generally more expensive, but the simplicity of it is worth it to me and my players. Shockwaves. The rules for creating Shockwaves from Champions III wonderfully simulate the classic comic-book effect, with all its benefits and restrictions, moreso IMO than creating a separate Power build for it. I've allowed any characters in my supers game to generate a Shockwave with Strength or any Body-damaging Power; however, they need to buy a +1/4 Advantage to their attack in order to do so reliably. Alternatively, they can improvise a rare Shockwave with successful use of the Power Skill. Self-Inflicted Damage. I use a modified version of this rule from 'way back in the original (pre-Fourth Edition) Golden Age of Champions. As it stands in 5E there's no detrimental effect on a normal human trying to punch his way through a brick wall, unless you want to give every wall and other hard object its own Damage Shield. This rule provides a simple, easy to use way to adjudicate hurting yourself when hitting anything with Resistant Defenses (including supertough characters - remember the last scene with the diner bully in Superman II?) So, what elder HERO arcana have you resurrected?
  18. Re: generation / Healing Besides the very complicated Modifiers used to build the new Regeneration, what irks me most about it is that it violates the rule about the maximum amount of a Characteristic that can be Healed based on the number of dice of Healing that you buy. Regeneration does not have a maximum; it eventually restores full Body to a user regardless of how little was bought for it, and there's nothing in the official build that would account for this difference. Why go to all the trouble of modifying something according to the official rules, if the result is an exception to those rules anyway? Practically speaking, I don't see why we couldn't have had Regeneration still be subset of Healing, but just work differently. After all, that's exactly the relationship between Succor and Aid. You probably could modify Aid to function like Succor does, but would it be worth the effort? (In case you're wondering, I've decided to use 4E Regeneration in my games, with the additional Adders and Limitations for 5E Healing. It tends to cost more, but the simplicity is worth it to me and my players.)
  19. Re: Giant Robot RPG (carry over post to SH from DC) Thia, these observations are really intriguing to me. That's not a criticism, just a legitimate curiosity about observations from someone looking at the system with fresh eyes. I know that quite a few HERO gamers are dissatisfied that the vehicle builds "feel like people," but I would have thought that for a game featuring anthropomorphic giant robots, that would be a plus. As for distinctions for weapons on different vehicles that are built with the same system stats, "dramatic sense" is pretty much the main distinction with all HERO builds. The only thing that separates a 2D6 RKA Autofire 10 on a mech from the same thing on any other vehicle is special effects. FWIW I've ignored the prohibition on the "Size +DC vs. smaller vehicles" rule from TUV going in the other direction, i.e. smaller vehicle weapons doing less damage against larger ones, and the results of such conflicts have seemed more reasonable to me, especially when using any of the published prewritten vehicles. I even extend that rule to human-size attackers, as Humans would be Size 0; this has largely eliminated the "sink a trireme with arrows" phenomenon. FWIW2, the Robot Warriors construction and combat rules make mecha significantly different from people, which may be more to your liking. I'd be interested if you'd care to expand on your objections.
  20. Re: Teen Titans (TV) E80, I know you've seen this thread before, but perhaps you just lost track of it. Anyway, it sounds like this is just what you're looking for: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38485
  21. Re: What would Dr. Destroyer *really* do? Looking at the history of Dr. Destroyer's actions, both in his current and past incarnations, a clear pattern emerges. Satellite-based global mind control; wiping out 90% of the human population at once; invading the United States from a mobile artificial island; bombarding the US with asteroids... whatever scheme Destroyer comes up with, it's going to be big, loud, technologically sophisticated, and designed to achieve his ends at a single stroke. The Doctor is capable of great subtlety, guile and patience when setting up a long-term plan, but the climax of the plan will be direct and grandiose, drawing the attention of the whole world to the genius, irresistable power, and sheer magnificent supremacy of Dr. Destroyer.
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