Lord Liaden

Toonol, you are right that sometimes a stacking of Advantages onto a Power can get ridiculous, so your approach could be considered valid in such a case. OTOH, there are cases when the cost of subsequent Advantages is factored into the size of an Advantage. Let's take Armor Piercing for example. A 15 Damage Class attack is the same Active Points as a 10 DC attack with Armor Piercing. AP can be neutralized by Hardening the appropriate Defense, which would probably cost less to the defender than buying enough Defense to blunt the base 15 DC attack. But any subsequent Advantages added to the AP attack will be less expensive than if they were added to the higher Base Point Power, which balances out their utility. Changing the way Advantages are calculated would be most appropriate on a case-by-case basis, which would probably be more work than it's worth for most people. It's more efficient in the long run to keep one standardized method and allow the GM to rule on what is or isn't abusive as it comes up. FWIW, what you're describing was the way in which Reduced END Cost was calculated before the 4th Edition of the HERO System: you added up the cost of all the other Advantages, then applied the RE Cost modifier to that total. Obviously, that approach didn't last.

Do you mean, change the special effect of the defense, or that of an incoming attack? Would you mind giving a little more detail of the effect you want?

Star HERO expands science-fictionally on FREd in ways almost too numerous to mention: guidelines for many types of sub-genre (military, exploration, cyberpunk, post-apoc, and more), for building aliens, using technology, generating alien worlds, dealing with the environment of space and alien worlds, archetypal character templates, plus sample equipment and starships. The quality and completeness of the book are, frankly, exceptional. The samples of tech are not extremely numerous, but more can be found in various supplements: more starships in The Ultimate Vehicle now available, and many more to come in The Vehicle Compendium scheduled for early next year. And in May, Hero Games is scheduled to release a sci-fi gadget compendium, The Spacer's Toolkit There's a very complete (and from most reports, excellent) campaign setting recently released, called Terran Empire. It covers several centuries in the history of Earth's interstellar empire, through periods both enlightened and despotic, so that you can choose an era that best suits what you want to play. It also describes the other major alien civilizations in the galaxy during this period. You can read more on these and other HERO products by clicking on the "Our Products" link at the left of this page.

Thanks for the correction, Derek.

When I hear the term "sinister", there are certain implications that come to my mind. One is active malevolence. A sinister villain doesn't just want to get rich or achieve power; he has an active desire to commit evil acts, to torment, abase or corrupt others. Another is subtlety. The sinister villain won't stop at bashing heroes who get in his way; he'll kidnap them (or better yet, their DNPCs) to torture or brainwash them. He'll work indirectly against his enemies at first, through minions or allies; not just via direct attacks, but through blackmailing them or damaging their public images, or hurting those that the heroes care about. A third implication is one of ominous menace. A sinister villain is not loud and flashy in his style, but darker, more restrained and brooding. Think Dr. Doom or Darkseid. Let's take your Demon King for example. The name alone sounds like a natural for "ominous menace", and you already have minions working for him (who would probably benefit from a "demon" motif to their uniforms, powers or origins). The Demon King sends his enemies etc. through the portal in his body. So, what happens to someone who passes through the portal? The answer could go a long way to adding a sinister element to the character. It would be a little bland if people just disappeared through it and never returned. Perhaps people in the other dimension are driven mad - it would definitely be sinister to have the Demon King expose an enemy to those effects, then dump the now-insane victim on his friends' doorstep. Perhaps the rift breaks the will of those who pass through it, turning them into slaves of the Demon King, which could be how he acquires new minions. Or the dimension may warp the bodies of those who enter, turning them into monsters; these could be obedient to the Demon King, or (the more sinister choice) may retain their normal minds and full awareness of what they've become. Of course, the rift may work both ways, allowing the Demon King to "pull" something horrific out of his chest - that should be worth a couple of extra dice to Presence Attacks.

Yep, it's the name that gets to me. The pulp era produced some wonderful fiction, and Justice Inc was an exceptional game book. It's just that Pulp HERO sounds incredibly bland to me; makes me think of some guy working in a lumber mill, which may be a great job but not one I personally would seek to roleplay. I readily acknowledge that this is a matter of personal taste. As the above examples point out, there are plenty of "generic" names for books that sell well, so this may very well be smart marketting strategy on DoJ's part. And as I said, I think Star HERO is actually a pretty snappy name. For my part, I just like game names that have style and impact in and of themselves, without necessarily tying in to a game line. And Hero Games already has a really good one in JI that I would hate to see disappear.

Al, one of the pages of the FAQ here on the website, "Working with the HERO System", answers quite a few basic questions about how to create certain types of characters with particular abilities, or create various common powers or artifacts you find in books and comics. It uses the "reasoning from effects" approach to designing these things that's basic to HERO: think of what you want the result to do and how you want it to look, then choose the Skills, Powers, Modifiers etc. that best fits what you want. The examples may or may not be obvious to you, but they would probably be useful to any new players you plan to "break in" to the system. Here's the link to the page: http://www.herogames.com/SupportFAQs/workingherosystem.htm

As far as I can find it in the book, the prohibition on certain Powers (excepting GM's permission) applies to any Framework, not just EC; but that prohibition only applies to Special Powers and Talents (FREd p. 203). Now, as described on p.86, Special Powers indeed do not cost END to use, which was probably a factor in excluding them. However, Aid is an Adjustment Power, so by my reading should still be allowed in a Framework even though it no longer costs END.

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".