phydaux

"Mental Paralysis (Entangle that goes against EGO, not STR)"
 
My gaming group calls that one "The I Win Button."  We don't disallow it, but anyone who uses it buys beer & pizza for the whole table next session.

400 points for 6th Ed, but be sure to put a 12 DC/60AP cap on powers, make sure every knows they are expected to spend AT LEAST 60 points in Skills NOT INCLUDING COMBAT SKILL LEVELS,  and be sure players are aware of your campaign's CV norms.
 
Also make sure they know they are each expected to have several NPC Contacts.

400 points for 6th Ed, but be sure to put a 12 DC/60AP cap on powers, make sure every knows they are expected to spend AT LEAST 60 points in Skills NOT INCLUDING COMBAT SKILL LEVELS,  and be sure players are aware of your campaign's CV norms.
 
Also make sure they know they are each expected to have several NPC Contacts.

"Mental Paralysis (Entangle that goes against EGO, not STR)"
 
My gaming group calls that one "The I Win Button."  We don't disallow it, but anyone who uses it buys beer & pizza for the whole table next session.

" I was already quite sceptic about VPPs"
 
I only allow VERY experienced Hero System players to use a VPP.  NOT "very experienced RPG players".  I insist the player be a very experienced Hero System player and GM before I will allow then to play a character with a VPP.  And even then I insist they show up with a "Spell Book" of various powers pre-built on paper so that they aren't flipping pages or just winging it at the table. slowing the game down.
 
VPPs are awesome in the right hands.  But you don't give a machine gun to a chimp.

Nearly all my PCs have Flash Defense and either Low Light, UV or IR.
 
Most PCs also get Extending Breathing.
 
And yes, HIDO / OIHID.  Haven't used a Focus since they became breakable back in whatever edition that was.

Shadowhunter - He would compile two lists - One of people close to the hero Bright Star, and one of people close to the person Starling Brighton (cracking teammates secret identities is kind of a hobby of his).  He would interview them regarding her actions and behavior in the days and weeks leading up to the cocoon event.  He would seek out and run down any possible clue on what might have been a triggering circumstance, and where she might have gone.  
 
Mystica - "Gemstone, it is Cosmic, not Mystic, da?  So why you bother Mystica with cosmic nonsense?  You have cosmic nonsense business, you go find cosmic nonsense hero to do it."
 
Quasar - Quasar would reach out to his various Primus and UNTIL contacts - "Gentlemen, we need a plan.  Star Bright, in her new form, left the planet in quite a big hurry.  We don't know where she went, but one thing is for sure - We need to be ready for anything when she comes back!"

Don't know how close it comes to Hellboy.  At one point Bubba is sent to investigate the outbreak of a succubus at a nursing home, resulting in much wrinkled & saggy hilarity.   

I've been watching a lot of the old Sean Connery Bond movies, and reminiscing over my many sessions of playing Top Secret back in the day.  And now I've got a huge jones to play some classic Cold War espionage.
 
Turns out the old TSR Top Secret modules are available on eBay for reasonable prices.
 
I'm thinking 75 + 50 for point levels, but shouldn't some disadds come "standard" as part of the setting?  The other side is trying to hunt you down and kill you.  Your own side is watching your every move and probably doesn't fully trust you.  What do you guys see as dissads appropriate to the setting of classic '60s/'70s Cold War espionage?  
 
Also, do I play it straight like Connery/Craig Bond, campy like Moore/Brosnan Bond, or over the top like season 1-3 Archer?

Quasar - Coordinate with PRIMUS and state & local police (all paid-for Contacts) to find this love terrorist.
 
Mystica - "Again and again you come - 'Mystica, we need tracking spell' 'Mystica, we need disenchantment spell.'  You no need spells.  You need keep better track of dangerous mystical artifacts!  Today, love arrows.  Tomorrow, what then? When demon eats face, how you ask Mystica for help?  You no have face to ask for help with!  Bozhe Moi!  What you do before Mystica?  You can not tie shoes!"
 
Shadowhunter - "Sure, I'll help hunt the perp.  Who knows?  Maybe somebody will shoot Mystica with one of those love arrows.  And I'll be right there.  I always said the thing she needs to get the stick out of her butt was a good, long, hard...  Oh crap, she's looking right at me.  She's reading my mind right now, I KNOW she is.  Awe HELL...  The last guy who pissed her off, by the time she was done there wasn't enough left to soak up with a Sham-WOW.  Screw it.  I'm going to the park and beating up muggers."

Energy RKA No Range

Yeah, the print got smaller.  THAT'S what happened.
 
/scarcasm

sigh...  Bubba, you're a straight up SOB.  I didn't even notice until after my post that you have a Seeker avatar.
 
You caught me, Bubba.  You caught me.

This show was highly recommended to me, so I just started watching.  I'm a few episodes in, and I was struck with this thought:
 
"She forgot to buy rPD."
 
Some people don't learn the lesson Seeker taught us all back in 3rd Ed.

This show was highly recommended to me, so I just started watching.  I'm a few episodes in, and I was struck with this thought:
 
"She forgot to buy rPD."
 
Some people don't learn the lesson Seeker taught us all back in 3rd Ed.

But still have to buy things for.
 
 
 
 
"I don't understand why we had to come here."
 
"It's date night."
 
"But why are we at a restaurant?"
 
"We're a couple.  Couples go out to dinner together."
 
"But you don't eat!"
 
"I don't see what that has to do with anything."
 
"Why did you order a dinner if you can't eat?"
 
"Now you're just being mean."
 
"You ordered STEAK and LOBSTER!"
 
 

Thanks.  I tried to throw in a lot of elements.  A female NPC for a PC to try to romance, but a no nonsense one, not a "damsel in distress."  And MCB a$$holes to give them grief.  The "carrot" of the possible high paying contract with the sheriff's department, meaning they have to act professional.  It's astonishing how many players can't run across an authority figure in game without having their character run their mouth.
 
One thing I DIDN'T include that I totally WOULD HAVE if this was a campaign is a competitor hunter squad also going after both the PUFF money and the sheriff's department contract.   Totally throw in another combat encounter - a knock down drag out brawl at the local waffle house between the two groups of hunters.

There are only two combat encounters, so I think it can be run in a four hour block.

I'm working on an outline for a demo adventure to run at Cons and FLAGS. 

The PCs are a group of young, new monster hunters who have just set up shop in Dogpatch, Iowa.  They have been marketing aggressively, getting their name out to all the local police & fire departments as well as the county sheriff's office.  
The adventure is divided into seven encounters.  Only three of these are combat encounters.  The rest are opportunities for the PCs to use their skills, interact with NPCs, and role play.  
 
One key to this adventure is that, while each PC has access to a variety of handguns, rifles, shotguns, and hundreds of rounds of conventional ammo for each, each PC has only twenty rounds of silver .45 ACP handgun ammo, twenty rounds of silver .308 rifle ammo, and ten rounds of silver 12 gauge shotgun ammo.  The adventure starts one day before the full moon. 

ENCOUNTER ONE 
Early in the morning, about 6:00 AM, the PCs get a call from the local sheriff's office - "Come out to the corn field across from the Howard Johnson's out on State Route 75.  There's something we need you to look at."
 
The PCs are met on the side of the highway by Deputy Sheriff James Whitehead.  He leads them into the corn field to a large trampled patch.  In the middle of the patch is a ten year old boy, dead.  He is wearing only pajama bottoms and is barefoot.  His abdomen has been torn open, and large gouges have been taken out of his legs, one bicep, and his buttocks.  Bloody footprints lead away from the trampled patch, through the corn field, and to a two story clapboard house.  
 
The front door to the house is open, and the living room window has been smashed out.  Their are curtains tangle in the bushes under the window, and there is broken glass on the lawn.  On the floor of the living room a middle aged man, dead.  His throat is torn out, and he has many defensive wounds on his arms, legs, and chest, similar to those received when fending off a knife attack.  Next to the body is half of a broken baseball bat.  The other half is on the far side of the living room.  The wood has clear teeth marks on it, as if from a large animal.  There are signs of struggle throughout the house, particularly the kitchen, the master bedroom, and the living room.  There are the shredded remains of a woman's blouse, slacks, and sneakers strune across the house.  A PER check will show that the woman's clothes have no blood on them.
 
Deputy Whitehead briefs the PCs - "The man is Jim Mason.  This farm is his, but he also works part time at the transmission shop downtown.  The boy is his son, Carl.  Jim lives here with his son and his wife, Elvira.  I put in a call to Bobby Menkin, the bartender at The Hole In The Wall, and he says Elvira never showed up for her waitress shift last night.  No phone call or nothing.  He says that just ain't like her."
 
Eventually a white Econovan with "Dogpatch C. M. E." on the side arrives.  Out steps an attractive redheaded woman, early '30s, wearing scrubs and a lab coat.  The lab coat has embroidery that reads "Dr. Rachael Guinevere, Medical Examiner."  She approaches one of the PCs, gestures toward the bodies and says "Are they going to get back up and eat me?"  However the PCs reply, she responds with "I need you to decapitate them."
 
While she displays no hint of fear, surprise, panic, or disgust, she flatly refuses to bag the bodies until the PCs decapitate them.  If the PCs question her behavior she will state "The Coroner's Office Rider on the Unearthly Forces contract requires decapitation by the contractors before the coroner enters the scene."  If they mention that they are not currently contracted then she will say "If you ever GET the contract, it will have a Coroner's Office Rider."  If the PCs refuse to decapitate the bodies then she will roll her eyes, mutter "Amateurs..." and do it herself with a camp axe she keeps in the center console of her van.
 
If the PCs question Deputy Whitehead, he makes it clear that he considers this "contractor business."  He mentions that Dogpatch County doesn't currently have an Unearthly Forces contractor in place, and he understands that it is a highly lucrative contract for whatever company wins it.  Handling this matter well should go a long way toward convincing the sheriff the PCs are the right crew for the job.
 
The PCs investigate the crime scene and make their follow-up plans.  Deputy Whitehead doesn't have any additional information for the PCs, but if asked he will provide the phone number for Bobby Menkin and the address of The Hole In The Wall.  
If the PCs call the phone number for Bobby, they get no answer.  If they call or go to the Hole In The Wall, they are told that it is Bobby's day off and he isn't expected back until tomorrow.

Not read, audio books.  The voice actor does a nice job. They are really a collection of short stories that use the same set of characters.  Decently written. Tongue planted firmly in cheek most of the time.  
 
For example, in one story Bubba gets into a fist fight with Bigfoot.  As you might imagine things don't go well for Bubba.  Just before Bigfoot is about to crack Bubba's head open, Bubba remembers that Bigfoot doesn't wear any pants, and that his shlong is swinging around for the whole world to see.  So Bubba grab's Bigfoot's dick with both hands and PULLS for all he is worth.  
 
Bigfoot drops to his knees in pain next to Bubba, looks at him and yells "WHY would you do such a thing?"  And that's how Bubba found out that Bigfoot can talk.

But still have to buy things for.
 
 
 
 
"I don't understand why we had to come here."
 
"It's date night."
 
"But why are we at a restaurant?"
 
"We're a couple.  Couples go out to dinner together."
 
"But you don't eat!"
 
"I don't see what that has to do with anything."
 
"Why did you order a dinner if you can't eat?"
 
"Now you're just being mean."
 
"You ordered STEAK and LOBSTER!"
 
 

But still have to buy things for.
 
 
 
 
"I don't understand why we had to come here."
 
"It's date night."
 
"But why are we at a restaurant?"
 
"We're a couple.  Couples go out to dinner together."
 
"But you don't eat!"
 
"I don't see what that has to do with anything."
 
"Why did you order a dinner if you can't eat?"
 
"Now you're just being mean."
 
"You ordered STEAK and LOBSTER!"
 
 

But still have to buy things for.
 
 
 
 
"I don't understand why we had to come here."
 
"It's date night."
 
"But why are we at a restaurant?"
 
"We're a couple.  Couples go out to dinner together."
 
"But you don't eat!"
 
"I don't see what that has to do with anything."
 
"Why did you order a dinner if you can't eat?"
 
"Now you're just being mean."
 
"You ordered STEAK and LOBSTER!"
 
 

But still have to buy things for.
 
 
 
 
"I don't understand why we had to come here."
 
"It's date night."
 
"But why are we at a restaurant?"
 
"We're a couple.  Couples go out to dinner together."
 
"But you don't eat!"
 
"I don't see what that has to do with anything."
 
"Why did you order a dinner if you can't eat?"
 
"Now you're just being mean."
 
"You ordered STEAK and LOBSTER!"
 
 

But still have to buy things for.
 
 
 
 
"I don't understand why we had to come here."
 
"It's date night."
 
"But why are we at a restaurant?"
 
"We're a couple.  Couples go out to dinner together."
 
"But you don't eat!"
 
"I don't see what that has to do with anything."
 
"Why did you order a dinner if you can't eat?"
 
"Now you're just being mean."
 
"You ordered STEAK and LOBSTER!"