Lord Liaden

In the particular example of Star HERO , I disagree; I find it to be the punchiest of all the "X HERO" titles to date, and felt that way with the first edition of it as well. And the current edition has that magnificent cover to draw in the casual game browser. OTOH, I did find Fantasy Hero to be a bit wishy-washy when it was first used, but back then it was the first grafting of a genre name onto the Hero franchise, so at least it had the benefit of novelty at the start. But then came Star Hero, followed by Ninja Hero and Horror Hero, and it did start to feel repetitive. Of course, I completely understand the rationale of reinforcing the concept that the HERO System can be tailored for any genre. But I miss the days when Champions was joined on the shelves by Justice, Incorporated and Danger International. Now those were titles with pizzazz! Even if they didn't indicate immediately what the book was about, at least they moved me to want to find out. Ah well, at least we can still look forward to Dark Champions. But I dread the coming of Pulp HERO.

You know, I really feel conflicted when someone puts a notice like this up on the boards. On the one hand, it's great when someone out of the goodness of his heart lets us know when these items are available; yet it also just about kills anyone's chances of quietly slipping in under the radar and sneaking the product out at a reasonable price.

S.D., perhaps you're not aware that one of the GM's options is to allow Flight to enhance a character's strength to lift or push. Each 2" of combat movement can count as +1 STR for this purpose, although it can't also be used for Movement at the same time. (5E p. 238)

Welcome back, comrade! Regarding your concerns, my understanding is that the HERO System Resource Kit (you can read more about that via the "Our Products" link to the left of this page) contains a 48-page booklet with a summary of the Character Creation rules. I haven't picked up that product, so perhaps someone who has could speak to how useful it is as a guideline to character creation? You might also get some use out of the "HERO System Genre by Genre" PDF which you can download; it contains guidelines for playing most of the major genres, including game conventions and the type of characters that are appropriate, plus two sample characters for each genre. You can reach that by clicking on the "Free Stuff" link up at the top, then going to "HERO System Documents". Hope that helps.

I'm glad that worked out for you, Space Cadet! Sentry Box is a professionally-run operation with a huge stock to choose from. I have five online used-game retailers that I've dealt with who carry substantial quantities of HERO stuff, as well as many other game products. Between them, I can find almost any rare or OOP item I might want. Whenever I see someone asking for a hard to find game here on the boards, I quickly cycle through all of them to see if it's there. If anyone's interested, here are the other dealers I use: http://www.titangames.com http://www.nobleknight.com http://www.cyberdungeon.com http://www.dragonstrove.com

I would start by asking the character's player whether he can define how having the FF Always On would impair him. If he can't come up with some solid detrimental effects, it's a -0 Lim. Even if it is -0, depending on the SFX of the Force Field, I might let him take a Distinctive Features Disad for having it on all the time.

My reasoning has been that KS, PS and SS tend to have a smaller effect or lesser range of applicability "in game" than skills like Stealth or Disguise; they have virtually no combat-related effects, and are rarely the primary Skill used against an opponent in a Skill vs. Skill contest.

Of my original characters, my personal fave to play was Deadeye. Deadeye was originally Frank Caine, a private investigator with a personality remiscent of those classic film noir P.I.s like Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade: tough, jaded, cynical, but with a rough code of honor. He got involved in investigating a series of ritual killings, which culminated in him stumbling into a scene of a fancy-dressed guy using weird lightshow powers to apparently attack three helpless women. Frank shot the man from behind, killing him instantly. The women showed their gratitude by transforming into demonic monsters and ripping Frank to shreds. Awakening in Limbo, Frank heard voices that claimed to be Higher Powers who informed him that the man he shot was a powerful white sorceror and that the "helpless women" were three succubi responsible for the ritual killings whom the sorceror was trying to banish. They told Frank that his murder of the sorceror had incurred a great karmic debt which he would have to repay through benevolent acts on Earth. They sent Frank back; thing is, they didn't send him back alive. He looked and sounded normal, but to any close examination he was in effect a walking corpse. Deadeye (as he called himself) had classic detective and brawling skills, the power to detect supernatural forces, to strike blows at the souls of his opponents rather than their physical bodies, and the toughness and resilience to physical damage that comes from being, well, dead. His naturally dark sense of humor got even blacker as a result of his new status, which was a lot of fun to play. I remember the first time someone in our PC team cracked a joke, and I as Deadeye said, "Ha! You kill me... Oops." Everyone fell on the floor.

Except that if the character with the Succor gets Stunned or Knocked Out, all the benefits of Succor turn off for everyone. Of course, you could buy it up to Persistent, at which point Succor would cost 10 pts. per D6, same as for Aid. Also, Succor has no range; if you want a character to continue to have the benefits of the Power when he moves away from the possessor of Succor, you'd have to add the Ranged Advantage. With Aid, you just boost someone once, and he retains the benefits wherever he goes until the points start to fade. Considering all the factors (which GamePhil admirably covered), I consider the new Aid to be reasonably priced, and to balance well with Succor.

POLLS!?! Hermit! You've infected GoO!!

Re: FTL down memory lane That would be Champions Presents #2: "Murder in Stronghold", "MAVRIC" (featuring the crazed super A.I.), and King Cobra's "Coil" organization. Had a little paper insert with a listing of errata in the printed book. (Is that the sound of my joints creaking, or my arteries hardening?)

LightningBolt, I've been thinking a lot about the arguments you've presented, and I believe I understand why this concerns you. However, when you start making distinctions between "trained" vs. "untrained" fighters, you've raised some issues about how you perceive that distinction that perhaps you haven't considered. HERO provides several ways of representing people with formal combat training. One is for the combatant to puchase martial arts maneuvers, which can affect the character's OCV, DCV, and damage. Those enhanced benefits are the result of the character's training: how to stand better, focus their striking power more efficiently, anticipate the angle of an attacker's blow, etc. In the case of a basic Martial Block, you get bonuses to your OCV for the block, and your DCV if the block misses, as part of the maneuver. However, aside from this the Martial Block is not different, as pure mechanics, from a standard Block maneuver which a character can have for free. Now, a combatant's training can also be purchased as Combat Skill Levels. These are also implicitly a result of practice to improve one's fighting skills, can add to OCV and DCV, and (in heroic-level games) can increase damage. In the case of a Block, they can grant a person the same kind of CV benefits as a Martial Block. (You can also represent the benefits of formal training as improved DEX, extra dice of HA, and the like, but I'm sure you get the idea.) Here is the point I suggest you consider: a person without formal training could still attempt to Block an incoming attack. He might get lucky and actually pull it off, but without the benefit of those CV bonuses (from whatever source) he's much more likely to fail, and get thumped for his trouble. The result of a failed attempt to block would likely be the blocking limb, or whatever, taking the full brunt of the blow, which would be the kind of result you seem to be looking for from such a conflict. Training merely reduces the likelihood of that outcome. Mind you, if you want to take massive differences in Strength between combatants into account for the sake of "realism" in blocking, then your half-damage idea would probably be the best approach; as you note, between opponents of comparable defenses and damage ability, it usually wouldn't have much effect. But if you are willing to say that it's possible for a Block maneuver to avoid all damage as a function of skill, IMHO the difference between "skilled" and "unskilled" becomes quantitative rather than qualitative. Hope that made sense.

The plots that cropped up in my own campaigns included: political kdnappings and assassinations; sabotage and larger scale terrorist acts; forcible takeovers of the assets and operations of other organized criminals; organizing and financing revolutionary groups; also more subtle coercion of influential people through threats or blackmail. Sometimes the involvement of VOICE was overt and obvious, intended to cause widespread fear and uncertainty. At other times VOICE would commit an act and leave clues implicating another individual or group, especially one which opposed or threatened them. Remember that VOICE seeks to foment world instability, so would target anyone or anything that acts as a stabilizing influence, either through the power it exerts or its symbolic value. (Including well-respected superheroes!)

Yes, VOICE will not be in the new CU, but that doesn't mean we who enjoyed them can't exchange ideas on how to use them in our own campaigns. Your take on VOICE is certainly interesting, making it function more like PSI; I could see the villain group travelling around the world, committing acts to destabilize particular regions. My own concept played up both the "voice" motif and the Oriental criminal style: VOICE had four divisions: the Tongue (combat/assassins), the Lips (spies and informants), the Throat (scientists and suppliers), and the Jaws (supervillains). The agents were broken up into eight member cells called choirs (for the eight notes in a musical scale), led by a choregus. (Supervillains are all at least equal to a choregus in rank.) The choirs controlled associates who were not members of VOICE, as do the Chinese Triads. All choirs in a region are coordinated by a virtuoso, while each division is headed by a maestro. There are also special units in certain divisions: a squad of elite assassins in the Tongue, called the Silencers (equivalent to low-level supers), and Whisper, psionically-gifted spies who are a part of the Lips. Members are inducted in an elaborate ritual, including branding a skull mark at the base of the neck. Most members don't know that the branding implants a microchip in the recipient, which allows the choregus to establish a mind link with all the "chorists" in his cell (a "silent voice"). This is generally believed to be a mystical effect, rather than technology. The communication skulls given to each choir also allow a choregus to communcate mentally with his higher ups, and to track down members who try to leave or defect (Mind Scan). There's more, but I don't want to hijack the thread completely. I also don't want to spoil VOICE of Doom for people who might want to run it.

I once used a fairly blatant rip-off of Thor for a game which travelled to South America. The PCs encountered an avatar of the Inca storm god "Thunder", who wielded an enchanted club and a sling which hurled "ball lightning". The character used essentially the same origin (and same picture) as the villain Maul in Enemies for Hire - archaeologist finds enchanted club in a cave in the Peruvian Andes - except that Thunder was of heroic bent. I've recently redefined the character as a villain, and incorporated him into a group called The Ravagers who work for pay for Latin American organized criminals, dictators, revolutionaries and the like. They're also blatant anti-Avengers, each one patterned after one of the classic Avengers but using names and motifs drawn from their region. The roster includes: Andes, brick with growth powers; Golden Man, powered-armor wearer; Killer Bee, with shrinking and insect powers; Atlatl, who uses that traditional Aztec spear-thrower with gimmicked projectiles; and the Cartel Commando, trained soldier with enhanced physical abilities gained from a refined derivative of cocaine.

I hate feats too! It's a real pain having to keep buying new shoes. (Sorry, my good taste waxes and wanes periodically.)

Re: Re: Champs campaign hoover vacuum is at it again. Aaron Allston actually has a conversion of these characters to HERO 4E on his website as a free download. The module was originally slated to have stats for both GURPS and HERO, but the latter was cut due to space limitations. Because this adventure was adapted from Aaron's own Strike Force campaign, the file also includes notes on how these characters and events originally fit into that campaign; if you have an interest in the Strike Force world, it's worth checking out for that reason alone. You can get to Aaron Allston's Home Page by clicking on "Hero Links" at the top of this page, then going to "Other Links".

Re: About VOICE.... On that point I would have to respectfully differ with you. The feel of the two organizations is very different IMO. VIPER is very much the high-tech, world conquering terrorist group a la HYDRA, essentially a private army. VOICE is more like an Oriental criminal secret society, a Triad with better R & D. They're more lethal in their M.O. than most comic-book groups, and their motivation is unique: not to conquer the world, but to keep it destabilized so that VOICE's corner of it remains secure. Although, come to think of it, wouldn't Lung Hung make a helluva Supreme Serpent? "Welcome to the lair of the dragon, from which there is no returning."

I'm not sure which is the more reprehensible: that Hermit keeps posting these polls, or that we keep voting in 'em.

Of the ones that I'm reasonably sure are not coming back in the 5E CU: V.O.I.C.E., previously updated to 4E, now in the process of getting the 5E upgrade. I greatly expanded on this organization in previous campaigns, and they've long been a favorite; The Protectors, from To Serve and Protect. My favorite NPC hero team. BTW, if you like this group and haven't done so yet, you should check out the recent thread about them for new artwork of several characters by Scott Heine, and updated character writeups by Glenn Sprigg. You can find that here: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=791&highlight=protectors ; Deathstroke. I ignored the comic-relief twist given the group in the original Champions Universe supplement, instead building on the concept of Deathstroke being behind a political movement of "crooks running the country who are honest about being crooks" as suggested in their first adventure module. In my campaign Deathstroke developed into a major anarchist/revolutionary organization. I actually kept the additional characters presented in CU, Scatterbrain and her public-relations father. A publicist would be useful to a group with a political agenda, as would a mentalist member with invisible Mind Control powers; Nuada of the Silver Hand, from Kingdom of Champions. My all-time favorite Champions NPC hero, a powerful figure with a rich and tragic history. Most of the cast from Champions of the North. A very interesting roster of characters IMHO. Others are floating around my mind, but I haven't decided on them yet.

Given the redefined origin and background to VIPER mentioned in the new Champions Universe (which I probably shouldn't give away here), I would frankly be surprised if some incarnation of King Cobra was not a prominent part of the organization, if not chosen to be the current Supreme Serpent. I do agree that two snake-motif organizations are a bit redundant, but IMO the new universe paves the way for a merger of the two concepts, should Steve and Scott choose to go that way. And I miss VOICE, too. They've been fixtures in my campaigns for many years, and I'm in the process of updating them to FREd-ness.

The HERO Bestiary has plenty of stuff that you can use for a Star HERO campaign, including classic sci-fi monsters and aliens, robots, and templates with which to build your own creatures. Just the thing to populate your alien worlds with inimical lifeforms. The book is highly useful for any other genre you care to run. (Want your Dark Champions heroes to have to deal with guard dogs, or poisonous snakes? How about a deathtrap full of hungry army ants - can't kill a swarm with an Uzi!) Steve Long also mentioned a little while ago that the stock of the Bestiary was getting low, and recommended buying it while it was still available. So, based on your stated criteria, I'd recommend getting this book next.

If that is the book(s) you're looking for, and Derek can't find it or you want to order more promptly, this reputable online used game dealer has multiple copies of both Robot Warriors and Robot Gladiators: http://www.sentrybox.com/ . They're in their "Games" catalogue; just follow the links to "Roleplaying", then look under "I" for "Iron Crown". Note that the prices are in Canadian dollars, because this is a Canadian retailer - that's why they look a little steep. You should reduce them by about one-third for American equivalent. They do ship internationally.

Nostalgia aside - Way to spread the word of the One True Game, Mike!

Must-haves Absolutely indispensible? Not a one, really. There's plenty of quality stuff that will greatly enhance your gaming experience in various areas, but as far as using the system, 5th Edition (or FREd as it's commonly nicknamed among the community) has everything in it that you would need. That's especially true if you have experience running campaigns in general and HERO in particular. Now, as far as what you would find particularly useful, that would vary a bit based on what you need and want. For general use books, my first suggestion would be the new HERO Bestiary. Tons of writeups for animals and other creatures for every genre, with optional rules and suggestions for how to use them, and templates to enable you to create the creatures you want. Far superior to the 4E version. Similarly, The Ultimate Vehicle would be a great help if you plan to use vehicles in any way in your campaigns; building options, combat rules, and examples of everything from chariots to starships. The Ultimate Martial Artist greatly expands the options for using martial arts for characters in any heroic or superheroic campaign, and has many pregenerated real-world and historical styles; but if you have the 4E version of that book, the changes are small enough that IMO you can put it lower down on your buy priority list. If you feel that you could use help developing and running a campaign of a certain genre, the three "genre books" published to date, Champions for supers, Star HERO for sci-fi, and Ninja HERO for martial arts, provide tons of GMing advice and system options to define the style and tone of any of the many sub-genres that they cover, as well as providing some ready-made characters, items and other play aids. Again, though, if you're not interested in these genres, or if you feel confident in your ability to run them, they can go farther down the list. If you'd like a pre-generated world to play in or just borrow ideas from, Champions Universe and Terran Empire (for futuristic sci-fi) are excellent, full of great ideas to use in whole or in part. And if you play supers, Conquerors, Killers and Crooks is a huge compendium of villains, solo and in groups, from irritants to world-conquerors. About half the villains are rewrites and updates of old favorites from the 4E days, while the rest are brand new. Hope that helps you.