Fedifensor

Re: Champions BYOB - Character Review

Inertia

Roger Barrett, Defense Lawyer

VAL CHA Cost Roll Notes

15 STR 5 12- HTH Damage 3d6 END [1]

18 DEX 16 13-

18 CON 8 13-

13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12-

10 EGO 0 11-

20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6

8 OCV 25

8 DCV 25

3 OMCV 0

3 DMCV 0

5 SPD 30 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

9 PD 7 9/23 PD (0/14 rPD)

9 ED 7 9/21 ED (0/12 rED)

12 REC 8

50 END 6

12 BODY 2

42 STUN 11

Movement Cost Meters Notes

RUNNING 0 12m/24m END [1]

SWIMMING 0 4m/8m END [1]

LEAPING 0 4m 4m forward, 2m upward

FLIGHT 27m/1728m

Characteristics Total: 163

Cost Powers

65 Velocity Alteration: Multipower, 65-point reserve

4f 1) Rock Toss: Blast 8 1/2d6, Armor Piercing (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (64 Active Points); OIF - Objects of Opportunity (-1/2) - END=2

4f 2) Penny Toss: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6-1, Armor Piercing (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (60 Active Points); OIF - Objects of Opportunity (-1/2) - END=2

4f 3) Ball Toss: Blast 10d6+1, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (65 Active Points); OIF - Objects of Opportunity (-1/2) - END=2

4f 4) Object Accelleration: Telekinesis (42 STR) (63 Active Points); Instant (-1/2) - END=6

5f 5) Momentum Shift: Teleportation 1m, No Relative Velocity, Position Shift, Ranged (+1/2), Usable As Attack (x32 maximum weight per inanimate target; Not versus Kinetic Energy powers, Clinging, or Teleport with No Relative Velocity; +2 1/2) (64 Active Points); Must Pass Through Intervening Space (-1/4) - END=6

4f 6) Escape Velocity: Flight 7m, x64 Noncombat, Noncombat Acceleration/Deceleration (+1) (64 Active Points); OIF - Objects of Opportunity (-1/2) - END=6

46 Velocity Absorption: Resistant Protection (14 PD/12 ED), Hardened (+1/4), Impenetrable (+1/4) (58 Active Points); Nonpersistent (-1/4) - END=0

4 Kinetic Negation: Hardened (+1/4), Impenetrable (+1/4) (4 Active Points) applied to PD

4 Energy Negation: Hardened (+1/4), Impenetrable (+1/4) (4 Active Points) applied to ED

6 Velocity Negation: Knockback Resistance -8m (8 Active Points); Nonpersistent (-1/4) - END=0

25 Object Riding: Flight 20m, Position Shift, Usable as Running (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (37 Active Points); OIF - Objects of Opportunity (-1/2) - END=1

Powers Total: 175

Cost Skills

12 +1 Overall

6 +2 to offset Range modifiers with all attacks

3 Power: Velocity Control 13-

3 Acting 13-

3 Breakfall 13-

3 Bureaucratics 13-

3 Charm 13-

1 Criminology 8-

3 Conversation 13-

3 Deduction 12-

3 Interrogation 13-

3 Oratory 13-

3 Persuasion 13-

3 Streetwise 13-

3 KS: Superhero/Supervillain Law 12-

3 PS: Lawyer 13-

1 TF: Skateboarding

Skills Total: 59

Cost Perks

1 Fringe Benefit: License to practice law

2 Money: Well Off

Perks Total: 3

Value Complications

10 Psychological Complication: Bends the rules, but doesn't break them (Common; Moderate)

10 Psychological Complication: Never throws a case (due to professional ethics) (Common; Moderate)

10 Psychological Complication: Wants to be the hero his father could have been (Common; Moderate)

15 Social Complication: Secret Identity Frequently, Major

5 Social Complication: Keeping his dad's secret Infrequently, Minor

5 Negative Reputation: "Say, isn't that hero's powers just like...?", Infrequently

5 Dependent NPC: Client Infrequently (As powerful as the PC; Unaware of character's adventuring career/Secret ID)

15 Hunted: The Dealer Infrequently (As Pow; NCI; Harshly Punish)

Complications Points: 75

Base Points: 400

Experience: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

Total Character Cost: 400

Background:

Simon said, "So, you're a public defender specializing in Prime cases, even though your father is a serial killer who was killing guys just like the ones you're going to defend. Oh, and you have the same powers, and you're thinking about becoming a superhero."

"Well, sure. If you put it that way, it sounds bad."

"Bad? You have no idea of how bad this is, Roger. Do you realize the huge conflict of interest if you're assigned a client who you put in jail? I know you'd never tank a case, but it's an instant get out of jail free card for them if you're found out."

Roger frowned. "Look, I've thought about this. I can cite a conflict of interest without having to state my reasons, and I can count on a sympathetic court clerk to juggle the cases so it shouldn't be an issue. As long as I wasn't directly involved in capturing them, even if I was at the scene, there's no conflict. Besides, even if something goes wrong and I have to defend someone I helped put in jail, they'll get the best possible defense I can give them. As for being found out...if that happens, I have much bigger problems. Dad will get arrested for murder, and I'll be arrested as an accessory after the fact. It doesn't matter that I was underage when I found out about his past...I'm still helping him evade the law."

Simon sighed. "You forgot one other person who gets arrested - me. I'm in this up to my neck. If they audit the records of your 'sympathetic court clerk', they're going to be suspicious."

Roger shook his head. "No. If I take the fall, I'm doing it alone. There's no reason for the court to know you're involved. At best, they'll think I convinced you to change my assignments because we're friends. Heck, if we hadn't nearly gone over that cliff..."

"...which was my fault, for drinking and driving. Yeah, I know. You negated the car's kinetic energy just in time, and the truth came out. I owe you, especially since I talked you into letting me drive. If you want to do this, I'm not going to blow the whistle, and I'll cover for you as best as I can. But sooner or later, you're going to have to make a choice. Your law career, or your superhero career. I can tell you this - the Thebes justice system pays a lot more than superheroing. Tell me again why you're doing this?"

Roger took a deep breath, "My dad wanted to make the world a better place. After mom was crippled by Killzone's wayward blast, he wanted that bastard dead. Less than a month later, the case was dropped on a technicality, and Killzone was back on the streets. Dad got his vengeance...but in the process sacrificed everything he used to believe in. It took him over a decade to realize that what he was doing was wrong, and by then he was on the FBI most wanted list. If they had known his real identity, he could never have settled down...never had a chance to be a father and a husband."

Roger paused, then turned towards Simon with an intensity his friend had never seen before. "The system works when there are people who make it work. I believe that - it's why I took the job when everyone else believed it was a death sentence to work in Center City. I have the skills to defend the innocent, and even the guilty deserve proper representation so their punishment fits. 100 years ago, it was the black man who got sentenced out of proportion to his crime. Now, it's the superpowered being...if their wasn't a prohibition against killing Primes, it would be even worse. At the same time, I'm one of the few people that has the power to stop a rampaging villain. My dad believed the system failed him, and he turned around and failed the system. I'm going to make things better, by putting criminals away, and by making sure there's someone willing to defend them. Any Prime who gets me as their lawyer isn't rolling in the dough - they're more likely to be someone who just took a wrong path...like my dad did. If he could find his way back, so can my clients."

"You're insane. You know that, right?"

Roger smiled. "Actually, you're not insane for putting on a costume. I can cite the relevant case law, if you want."

Simon chuckled. "Nah, just pass me a beer. Non-alcoholic - if I drink and drive again, who knows what else I'll find out about you...?"

"Well, there is one last thing. I've decided to use the name 'Inertia'."

"What happened to the other names?"

"I can't use anything with Velocity in it...it's too close to the name Dad got saddled with by the media. Anything that sounds remotely like 'Terminal Velocity' will get me mobbed by reporters. It's bad enough that my powers are identical to his, but I think it's been long enough that people won't guess I'm related to him. As for the rest...I didn't like Slowdown, Tosser, or Fastball. So, I'm going with Inertia."

"Your choice. I just hope that you get to tell people your name before the media picks one for you."

Personality:

Roger's primary motivation is atoning for the sins of his father. He feels his powers are a gift, and a responsibility. However, he also believes that his pursuit of justice in the courts is just as important. The law is necessary to punish the guilty...and to protect the innocent. It's not perfect...but that's why there are heroes.

Quote:

"Objects in motion tend to stay in motion...unless I'm around."

Powers/Tactics:

Inertia has an extensive ability to control velocity, and his powers have some basis in Einstein's equation. The smaller the mass, the greater the velocity he can impart or remove. His powers even apply versus energy - though the velocity of a laser is the speed of light, the lack of mass allows him to slow and disperse even concentrated laser beams. While he has yet to learn how to control his own velocity directly, he compensates by using objects to carry him around. He currently has a combat disk with tiny wheels on the bottom which was designed by his father, allowing him to either skate along the ground or fly in the air.

In combat, Inertia relies on a variety of small objects to throw at opponents. His favorite is rocks, which can apply a large amount of force to a small area without slicing through a foe. He also carries several rubber balls (acquired from toy dispensers) to subdue foes, and in emergencies uses pennies or dimes propelled at tremendous speeds to slice through nearly anything. Inertia can also adjust a foe's velocity directly, by negating their speed or redirecting it in a different direction. His powers instinctively slow incoming attacks, offering a large measure of protection.

So, not surprisingly, I've waited till the last minute to finish up my two characters for the 6E Champions BYOB (Bring Your Own Brick) game at GenCon. I've played and run a lot of 5E, but my 6E experience is limited to pregens at conventions. Because of this, I could really use some help to make sure the characters I'm bringing are going to be suitable.

The first character is Inertia, a character that got minimal play on Hero Central before the game was shut down. He's a new superhero with control over kinetic energy, whose powers happen to be very similar to a vigilante that was very active about a decade earlier...

The second character is Miracle - my wife's character that has been run in two different 5E campaigns (yes, I ran out of time to come up with my own backup character). She's a police officer who was crippled in the line of duty, who gained the classic FISS powerset (Flight, Invulnerability, Super-Strength) when she was hit by a stray radiation blast from the supervillain Hiroshima. She's different from the standard flying brick in that she has a pool of energy she can use to augment her abilities - a bit like Ultra Boy, except her baseline is already superheroic.

Pictures of each character are below, and the writeups will be in the following posts.

Inertia

Miracle

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

Revelations Part 2 - The Plotline

I'm having trouble finding the original back and forth email chain Zac and I used to form the basic structure of Starfall. However, part stemmed from going to the Book of Revelations, and imagining the wording changed over the years by people trying to apply the words to what happened in this post-apocalyptic world. The result is in the beginning post of this thread.

The game was set in Colorado. We didn't try too hard to keep that hidden, although we tried to be creative with the names:

* Fedrex - A Fed-Ex cargo plane that crashed in the Rocky Mountains.

* Cassrock (or Casrock) - Castle Rock

* The Great Var - Denver

* Lo - Pueblo

* Unirad - The UNIversity of ColoRADo

* Seven Wells - Manitou Springs

* Burning Lands - The area between the Air Force Academy, Fort Carson, and Cheyenne Mountain (prime target for nukes).

* Storm Peak - Pike's Peak

What follows is the unedited email about how the players were going to get from the starting location (Fedrex) to the Star of Heaven...

--------------------

So, we have to get from here:

"The group searches for Cargo to secure citizenship with the village."

...to here:

"The group stops the Star of Heaven from destroying all who attempt to rebuild the ancient tech."

Here are the essential adventures, as I see them:

Search for Cargo

Introduction of the group to the outside world and its hazards. Show what happened to Cassrock. Success gives the party a base of operations in Fedrex, and incentive to go out again to further their status. First tidbits about the Star of Heaven are learned.

Interstate Love Affair

The Gang of 70 threatens Fedrex. As the hardiest of the town, the group is asked to find a way to drive the Gang of 70 off or negotiate a settlement with them. Success may give the group access to vehicles they will need later in the campaign. Last major medieval-level threat, as the party tech level begins to rise after this adventure.

Purification

Introduction of the Order of the Pure. Show the players that while the Purists are trying to subjugate or wipe out Muts and Beasts, they do have a goal of returning the ancient tech to the world. Introduction of gunpowder and pneumatic weapons (salvaged from fallen foes).

Rise of the Bold

Show Boulder and/or Undertown as an area of developing (non-ancient) tech in the wasteland. Area of commerce (increase of available tech for party, place to barter for gunpowder), introduction of the bullet train from Boulder to Pueblo (Lo). First opportunity for party to change their base of operations.

Gazing Upon Heaven

Introduction of the Oracle. Party's first close-up look at the Star of Heaven.

The Gathering Storm

Party travels to Storm Point (Pike's Peak) and meets the resistance, a group of Pures, Muts, and Beasts who have the goal of destroying the Star of Heaven. First open access to ancient tech.

Ancient Wonders of the World

Party learns about the Civilization Capsules, and the danger in activating one before the Star of Heaven is destroyed.

Storming the Gates of Heaven

Finding a way onto the Star of Heaven and shutting it down. Possible alliance with former enemies (the Order of the Pure). Final campaign adventure.

Ending - Or A New Beginning

The remaining civilization capsules are activated. The campaign either ends, or transitions into a new phase at this point (Post-Apocalyptic HERO --> Star HERO). The Order of the Pure may still need to be dealt with, if their Civilization Capsule wasn't destroyed.

In between these adventures, we can insert other adventures as needed, and interweave the elements of the main plot into adventures otherwise unrelated to the main quest.

Here's some of the groups essential to the overall plot:

Gang of 70

A gang of wastelanders (mostly muts) that roam the highway formerly known as I-70. They have traveled a large portion of the highway, scavenging hundreds of signs that have been turned into weapons or body armor. They limit themselves to 70 full members at a time - only a full member can wear weapons or armor with the writing that denotes their status. However, they also have recruits that sometimes travel with full members, hoping to prove their worthiness to fill an empty spot in the gang. The ancient symbol of the gang is the reason for their limited size, for it clearly states "1 to 70" (I-70). If a gang member is killed while acting independently, the Gang of 70 does not hold a grudge. However, if one of the ancient symbols of the gang is stolen, they will pursue the thief to the ends of the earth. This is a known fact, and keeps many from taking such items after defeating a member of the gang.

Order of the Pure (Purists)

The Purists are a collection of Pures that seek to restore civilization to its former heights of glory. They look upon muts and beasts as genetic abnormalities created by the weapons of the Final War. While they see Beasts as irredeemable, some Muts have been accepted into the lowest levels of the Order with the hope of having their mutations purged by ancient tech. Purists use gunpowder and pneumatic weaponry, and higher-ranking Purists have access to a few items of ancient tech. However, they try to keep their outposts from having too many items of ancient tech, for fear of attracting the Star of Heaven.

The Oracle

To Be Written.

Storm Peak

A group of electricity-generating muts and/or beasts have made their home at the top of Pike's Peak. The electromagnetic interference and high iron content make it impossible for the Star of Heaven to spy on their residents. This is one of the centers of the resistance, and where a cache of ancient tech can be found.

Civilization Capsules

The possibility of the Final War was foreseen by a secret branch of the American government. Unknown even to the military, five secret caches were created that contained the knowledge and core materials necessary to rebuild civilization. These include immense databases containing all the knowledge deemed essential to humanity, fully-automated CAD devices, building components, and androids with ancient knowledge. The capsules are in a dormant state, and can only be activated by a set of three handprint pads that must be used simultaneously by people with an untainted genetic code (Pures).

Each cache is buried underground in a separate part of the United States. Three of these caches have been discovered and activated, only to be destroyed by the Star of Heaven. One cache is guarded by the Purists in Pennsylvania and left inactive while they quest to discover a way to neutralize the satellite overhead. The fifth cache remains hidden somewhere in Colorado. The Star of Heaven has learned about the existence of the caches, but does not know where the remaining two are located.

The Star of Heaven

The Star of Heaven is a military satellite in a non-geosynchronous orbit. The orbital path allows the satellite to observe the entire globe over the course of a few days time. While most of the systems are automated, there are a few Pures (with enhanced lifespans) on the satellite who review the data and make decisions on what is and isn't a threat. Stopping the Star of Heaven is the final goal of the

campaign.

--------------------

As you can see, we had way too much planned for a HERO Central game. Going through everything listed above would have taken us months (or even years) in a face to face game. For an online game, it was overkill.

That's the basics of the game. More later...

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

Revelations Part 1: Inspiration

Now that the Starfall campaign has ended, I'm going to finish things out with a few posts about the inspiration for Starfall, the original plotline ideas, and what changed over the course of the game.

It is no secret that Starfall was inspired by Gamma World. However, Gamma World has been published many times over the years, getting progressively more offbeat and wacky, all the way to the current WotC version. I wanted something more serious, with a bit more grounding in reality. Talking with Zac, the two of us came up with an apocalypse occurring roughly a century in our future, with several decades afterwards to give civilization time to completely collapse, and for the people to forget about what existed beforehand.

Though it was never written out in detail, the Pures were (for the most part) the children of the wealthy - those who had self-replicating nanobots or similar tech implanted to grant them resistance to the dangers of the Wasteland. That is why Pures had Regeneration and Power Defense. It is also why they had Tech Access - the wealthy were more likely to have items that would survive the decades since the Great War. The tech was new at the time, and children adapted to it much better then adults. It bonded with their DNA, and was passed down from parent to child - though the tech was slowly degrading through the generations.

Muts didn't have the advantages of Pures, but they were lucky in their own way. The Great War was fought with many tools, including deadly transform viruses combated by counter viruses designed to preserve the populace. In many cases, the attack was more potent than the defense, and billions died. However, when people were saved from the worst effects of radiation and transform viruses by the counter viruses, they became Muts...and some even gained beneficial mutations in the process.

While the transform viruses were designed to be used against humans, many animals were affected as well. Since the counter viruses were designed to bring people back to the human norm, several animals developed near-human intelligence, becoming Beasts.

Weeds were a very unusual case...particularly Venus. I'll discuss her when we get to what changed between the planning stages and after the game started.

Tech level was deliberately lower than Gamma World. While there was a lot of advanced stuff in the game, things like the Black Ray pistol or Bubble Cars were very, very rare. Design philosophy was one of two things - cheap and disposable (which failed quickly) or expensive and durable (and thus capable of remaining functional decades later).

Next: The Plot - including the Star of Heaven!

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

Well, we had a good run, but due to various RL reasons Zac and I have decided to pull the plug on Starfall. Since I don't plan to revisit the campaign on Hero Central at a future date, we will post a wrap-up to this thread sometime next week...which will also include some material of use to anyone who wants to take the base concept and run it as a tabletop game.

Thanks for the interest, sls1969. I'm sorry we weren't able to get you into the game, but there are a lot of other interesting games on Hero Central. I suspect Browncoats (using the Firefly universe) will have an opening now...

Re: Fallout Hero (6E)

You may want to take a look at this thread. In particular, Zac has done a lot of work with his Vault HERO game on Hero Central.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

Silverstone is paused for the moment. NOT on hiatus, but I wouldn't mind adding another player, and I'm going to make a few changes in how I run combats and handle absent players. I hope to post something to move things forward in the next week...I'm awaiting final feedback from the current group of players.

Re: Has anyone converted the world of Fallout to Hero?

So' date=' I am really into the Fallout series, and was wondering if anyone has taken the time to convert it to Hero.[/quote']

Someone's running Vault HERO right now on Hero Central.

Re: Storn Idea to full picture Year 7

Continuing the broken record trend, I'll repeat mine from last year...

Technomancer - A gadgeteer with a twist. While he has designed and created his own suit of power armor, high-tech and sleek, he also has the ability to modify technology by touch. As long as there is some (comic-book) way for the tech to be used in the fashion he wants, it works. For example, a motorcycle (or part of a car) could be transformed into a big gun. You'd see elements of the vehicle in the gun (perhaps the handlebars morph into the trigger, the exhaust pipe into a vent, etc). Perhaps he "revs" up the gun before it fires, and it belches smoke and flame from the exhaust port/vent.

I think the contrast between a high-tech suit and a patchwork motorcycle-gun would be interesting to draw. The downside is that you'd probably have to pay extra for the background, showing the unneeded pieces of whatever item he used as a basis for the new gadget scattered around his feet.

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

Heh I will take that as a no. Oh well' date=' I will satisfy myself just reading. [/quote']

Actually, I replied to you via private message on the 21st.

Game In Progress

The game has now formally started. We're no longer actively seeking applications, though people are still welcome to pitch ideas. We've left a way open for people to join the group - the current PCs have started the quest for Cargo early, so any characters added later would be from the second group to set out from Fedrex.

Those interested in seeing what has happened so far can find the campaign at the following URL:

http://www.herocentral.net/storyBoard.htm?campaignId=939567

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

Question on KS. I currently have KS: Flora and Fauna. Should that be broken apart or would that just apply to 'normal' animals and plants? And if so' date=' what kinds of KS would there be about plants and animals? KS: Weeds, KS: Beasts? I know Zac posted about KS: Cinder so I would guess that each creature can be its own skill but for a more broad class.[/quote']

Flora and Fauna applies to normal and mutated plants, since they are all part of the world. It is your choice on whether to break them apart. The more specific the category, the more you can get with a successful roll. KS: Everything 11- will tell you "It's a rock", even on a roll of 3, while KS: Geology 11- will tell you a LOT of information about that rock with the same roll.

 

So, you could do Flora and Fauna, or Flora, or Fauna, or Mutated Flora and Fauna, or any other variant, and what you'll get with a successful roll will depend on how specific you make the skill. Choose a specific skill, like "Cinders", and you'll get general information without even having to roll.

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

After we finish the prequel and since you have fleshed out more of the knowledges, survival skills and changed rule about NCM, will we be allowed to tweak the characters? I don't have anything major in mind.

In a nutshell:

Add limitations always direct and limited body parts to stretching -2pts (arms only, I think this better represents the gigantic arms)

Delete Eidetic memory - 5pts

AK: HiWest 13- +3pts

Survival: Wastelands +2pts (this and and the AK above represent the nomad nature)

+5 STR +5pts (giant with giant STR)

-3 REC -6pts (giants tire easy and take a while to recover)

-1 PD -1pt (just reducing to amount it is currently from boost in increased STR)

AK: Wasteplains 11- -1pt (makes all the specific AK the same since he spent about equal time in each)

+2 vs Range Mods with Atlatl +5pts (they are ranged hunters)

Everyone has an opportunity to make final tweaks before the main adventure starts. If you have any changes (including spending XP from the prequel), now's the time.

I'm concerned about the 25 STR. Unlike Venus, you use weapons and a 25 STR would give you an 8d6N attack with the greatclub. I am willing to sign off on a 23 STR, which is slightly lower damage but leaves the figured characteristics the same. Give it a few adventures at 23, and I'll take another look at allowing a 25. I just want time for a full appraisal...and a chance to see what happens when the dice roller isn't plotting against you.

At a first glance, I don't see a problem with anything else on your list. Feel free to make the adjustments.

Normal Characteristic Maxima

Today, I had a talk with Zac about Normal Characteristic Maxima. We've looked at the various character types, and realized that every character, even a Pure, has a way they could increase stats above the normal limit. Pures can get tech enhancements like cyberware or bioware, Beasts may be naturally strong due to the animal stock they come from, Muts may have an above-normal stat as the result of their mutation, etc. We've also had the problem of characters (particularly Pures) having trouble getting a full 75 points of disadvantages.

We've decided to change how Normal Characteristic Maxima works in the campaign. Instead of being mandatory and worth no points, NCM now gives the standard 20 points to characters. However, it is still the default, and those who wish to avoid taking it must acquire special permission. Pures in particular must take the disadvantage unless they have technological enhancements that allow them to bypass the normal levels of human achievement.

Looking at the characters currently in the campaign, the two characters that could justify not taking NCM are Dances With Spirits and Venus. This may change during the game, of course. In particular, a Pure may start with NCM then drop it when the character gets some form of body enhancement. Those who already have more than 55 points of disadvantages who have NCM will be able to drop or adjust disadvantages as needed to get within the 75 point limit.

I will make adjustments to the Character Creation Guidelines to reflect this change, both here and on the Starfall campaign messages board.

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

I dropped the rifle's damage a tiny bit. Given what you said Fed' date=' I had to give this some thought. What I came up with was an Ancient Tech rifle that had been modified to accept Lo's substandard ammunition. I briefly pondered a rifle that accelerated bits of metal and operated with a small nuclear power cell that recharged itself over time but... I wasn't sure how to build the Charges on that, so I said eff it.[/quote']

Fair enough. I envision most ancient tech as having two ways to "recharge". Many of the civilian tech that Pures are taking as their one tech item recharge off of solar, and I feel those items should also recharge off of broadcast power should that become available. Your gun can use ammo manufactured in Lo, and also has the option of using ancient ammo should that become available.

 

I did up his intelligence, but I feel I should note that puts his intelligence based skills at 14-, which I note is kind of the upper limit. Thankfully, right now he has a lot of familiarities, but as I begin to upgrade skills, quite a few will jump up to the 14- level. That isn't as much of a problem with the science skills, since they are as limited as you say they are. For "active" skills, it may be, so I point it out.

Zac and I have talked about this, and we're okay with you having Int-based skills at 14-. Basically, being smart is your 'niche'. Shori is fast and has martial arts, Venus is exceptionally strong...everyone has their area of expertise, and we don't feel that you will overshadow the others.

 

Character sheet looks okay, though you don't seem to have paid the extra 3 points for the INT being over NCM. However, you'll want to look at my next post, as we're making a change that will make it easier for people to get the full 75 points of disadvantages.

 

I have Survival (Mountains) as an Everyman. I swapped out Desert for Wastelands. Good call. And now that I've slept, there is a background! Still uh, missing a description.

I was curious about the Poisoner 8- skill...that's not something taught in Fedrex. Care to expand on that?

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

Sobran, here are my thoughts on the character:

Stats look fine, though a 12 STR will give you 2d6+1 STR damage. We use Increased Damage Differential - there should be a checkbox for it in Hero Designer. You might want to consider another point or two of base PD, since a Pure who has survived in this environment is probably used to his fair share of bruises and cuts.

Given that you're definitely non-optimized in terms of your physical stats, I'd be willing to allow you to emphasize the high Intelligence even further if you want to spend the points. Yes, that means you could go to a 23 (paying 3 extra points due to NCM), which means Marilyn vos Savant would have some competition.

The bolt-action rifle should not have a STR minimum limitation. Now, when you end up trading in the points and it becomes a normal weapon, it will probably have some sort of STR minimum at that point. Until then, you don't have to worry about being unable to fire due to a STR drain (from poisons, diseases, or strange mutant powers).

Taking a -1/2 on the charge recovery will make the charges only recover at the end of an adventure by default. However, circumstances can adjust this. If the rifle is not ancient tech and was made in Lo, you can barter for more ammo from traders you may meet in the Wasteland. You could even acquire the skills and equipment to make new bullets during the course of the game (gunsmithing and an ammo press would be the minimum requirements). On the flip side, if circumstances dictate that the end of the adventure doesn't give you the opportunity to restock your ammo (maybe the path back to Fedrex is cut off due to heavy snows), you're stuck until that opportunity arises.

If the rifle IS ancient tech, good luck trying to get ammo for it - you'd need to have a secret stash of ammo back in Fedrex that you can pull from for new bullets (which is free as part of the charges limitation - you paid points for the rifle). Expect the ammo stash to run out about the time you switch the points paid for the rifle to something else.

Skills are fine - though keep in mind that we are at a Wasteland level of tech. For example, the most comprehensive knowledge of chemistry that you can have at the start of the game is info gained from a beat-up, barely readable copy of a high school textbook, further limited by the fact that you only have basic conversation with the language of the Ancients. As the game progresses and you get more exposure to the lost civilization of the Ancients, what you can find out with a Chemistry roll will increase, even if you never put another point into the skill.

You may want to look at scraping up a few points for one or both of the following Survival specializations - Mountains and Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland. You start in the former environment, and the latter is very useful.

Finally, for the record, Independent is a disallowed limitation for the campaign. I'm not going to hold the threat of losing points forever over someone's head.

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

I have a character concept that I'm eager to explore within this context, but I think I should run it by the GMs before bothering to flesh it out further. This occurred to me when I noticed that the party did not have any Pures (though this has changed with the addition of Shori).

 

The basic idea is a man who has been brought up to believe that Pures are superior. He isn't overtly racist (speciest?); rather his prejudice takes the somewhat more subtle route that Pures are natural leaders. He tends to believe that Muts are either slightly less intelligent or suffer from corrupting influences that bias their decisions, depending on which argument better suits the situation. In the latter case, think of a woman who claims that all men think with their penis.

 

"It's not your fault you were born impure! But perhaps someone thinking clearly should take the lead here..."

I like the concept. I'm not sure how the players will feel about your character, but as long as it's not a violent form of conflict I think it could add some flavor to the group. Feel free to flesh it out and post a formal application. You can start out by buying the bolt-action rifle as your tech item, with the understanding that it will transition from an item bought with points to normal equipment when your character has the incident that places ancient tech into his body.

We currently have one Pure PC, and a second is currently being review. However, I'm not too worried about the exact group composition, since we can adapt the plot as needed to fit the final group.

Aside from your proposal, here's what we're looking at:

Approved: Shori Hanzo (Pure), Dances With Spirits (Beast), Venus (Weed)

Undergoing Review: Trane (Mut), [name pending] (Pure)

NPCs: Salem (Pure), Brother Ghostlight (Mut), Triba (Mut)

Finally, a general warning to anyone who is considering violent inter-party conflict, Psych Lims like Casual Killer, etc. The wasteland can be a rough place, but there is a bit of a sense among the populace that what goes around, comes around. If your character is the sort to put a bullet in a man while he's helpless, don't be surprised if the same happens to your character when the tables are turned. Likewise, Zac and I aren't the sort of GMs to let one lucky roll from a random thug kill a character...but if that character has no redeeming qualities, don't expect us to intervene when the dice are against you.

Re: Characters from Phineas and Ferb

Isn't the main difficulty figuring out the size of the Variable Power Pools?

Phineas and Ferb are junior mad scientists with a lot of resources. Given the ease in which they avoid getting caught (despite their sister's best efforts), they also have a lot of Luck.

Dr. Doofenshmirtz has his own company (Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated) and has a ton of mad scientist devices. Too bad he has so many dice of Unluck.

Isabella is the leader of the Fireside Girls, which gives her both followers and her own VPP (the Fireside Girls manual even had instructions on how to make a time machine (though she originally thought Phineas wanted a "tie machine").

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

Guidelines and Character Balancing

(crossposted from the Starfall campaign messages thread)

Here are the guidelines listed in the 5E book for a Heroic-level game:

Character Level: Standard Hero

Points: 75 Base / 75 Disads (no more than 25 points of disads in a category), Total = 150

Char: 10 -20 (Normal Char Max applies)

SPD: 2 - 4

CV: 3 - 7

DCV: 3-8

Active Point: 15-50 (limited to 30 Active Points in Starfall). Powers marked with a Stop Sign or Exclamation are off limits (as per p. 87 in Hero 5E).

Skill Points: 30-75, martial arts and combat levels do not count toward this skill point total

Skill Roll: 8-13 (14+ requires approval)

Def / rDef: 10/5, the max armor level should be around Chainmail (6).

Speaking as someone who has been playing some form of the HERO system since the 80's, character balancing is as much of an art as it is a science. The 5E guidelines are a starting point, but certainly not a hard and fast rule. For example, I could create a character with a 20 DEX, 4 SPD, a 2d6 Ranged Killing Attack, 10/10 PD/ED, with 6/6 of the PD/ED resistant, and 1 combat level with DCV. It falls within all the guidelines listed below...but the character is at the maximum for every guideline related to combat, and would be unbalanced compared to the other characters. The guidelines are a starting point, not hard and fast rules. If someone comes in with a 2 1/2 d6 killing attack, that would violate the limits...but if they only have a 2 SPD, they're going to need to be above the limits to match the damage output of the average character (who attacks 50% more often). Likewise, a character with a 4 SPD is going to be under tigher limits, because they have a third more actions than the average character.

Let's take a look at one of the approved characters - Venus. She has a 25 STR - over the limits listed above. However, she does not use weapons, and her STR-only attack is 5d6, less than the 6 DC maximum for attacks in the campaign...and she has no ranged attacks whatsoever. While she has 4/4 resistant defenses, her total defenses are only 6. Her Speed is average - in fact, all of the characters approved so far have a flat 3 SPD. Finally, she has a 5 CV (from her 14 DEX) and no combat levels whatsoever. Despite being above the listed limits in one area, I'm not worried about her overshadowing the other characters. In fact, I'm worried that she'll be underpowered in situations where the enemies have ranged attacks.

If you're concerned about whether your character is within the guidelines, the best thing to do is take a look at the characters which have already been accepted for the campaign. If your proposed character is significantly more effective than the approved characters, it is unlikely that the application will be approved. Right now, Shori is the most combat-capable character in the group, so she's a good starting point for the maximum that we will allow.

Now, I'm a bit less of a stickler for maximum skill levels than the guidelines would indicate. If you have a good concept that focuses on you being an expert in a field, I don't mind a 14- skill level...perhaps even a 15- if it is in a narrow field.

The last thing I wanted to touch on is Disadvantages. One reason we were considering 6E is that it's easier to meet the quota of complications in 6E than disadvantages in 5E. Pures have this problem more than Muts or Beasts, as they generally don't have Physical Limitations or the pre-allocated Distinctive Features. Still, I'm not ready to raise base points and lower disadvantage points. Instead, we ask that your character get at least 60 of the 75 points of disadvantages. If you can't find anything else to take, turn in the character as is and we will allocate 15 points of "mystery" disadvantages that will show up later.

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

We wouldn't want you to play a character you're not happy with. The character is in the final stage of review, so if you change your mind in the future you should be approved quickly. Sorry it didn't work out.

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

Okay, time to give feedback on Arc:

Name: Now that the theme has changed from electrical to more of a mental focus, do you still want to use the name Arc, or something else?

Background: I'd like to see the info posted on this thread and the info in the Background tab of Hero Designer combined into a single, unified form.

Characteristics: These are good. You could get away with buying up your base PD and/or ED a point or two, given your background in hard physical labor and your training against Cinders (did Dad hold your hand near the campfire flame?).

Skills:

• Are you planning to use Sweep a lot? 5 points for Rapid Attack is a big investment for a beginning character, especially when your OCV maxes out at 5 (4 + 1 level with three maneuvers).
  
• What three maneuvers or tight group are you using for your combat skill level?
  
• You have WF: Rifles. When did you get a chance to use a rifle?
  
• You have 4 other WF with specific groups that work to be the same cost as buying Common Melee Weapons and Common Missile Weapons. You may want to go that route, especially with Dad's training.
  
• AK: Fedrex will be useful, but a lot of adventures will take place elsewhere. You may want to lower it slightly to begin with, and buy it up with XP. Not a requirement, just a suggestion if you need points to round out other aspects of the character.
  
• Minor nitpick - PS: Brickcraft? Should be either Bricklayer or Mason
  
• You have a total of 9 points spent on skill levels - 3 with a combat level and 2 3-point levels with a set number of skills. You've also bought up a few skills. Given your working "every dirty job in Fedrex", I could see you converting some of these different investments into a single Overall Level. For example, drop the 3-point combat level, one of the 3-point skill levels, drop the skill rolls of AK: Fedrex, PS: Brickcraft (Bricklayer), KS: Architecture, and drop your STUN by 1 point. That gives you the 10 points for the Overall Level, and you end up with a bit more flexibility while still maxing out at the same rolls for skills.

Talents: I assume the Environmental Movement is for Cinder nests, which is fine.

Powers:

• Akashic Insight: The AP on attacks is going to stay within the 6 DC limit for the time being, even though the rules allow for a HKA with an advantage to be increased with STR (potentially going past the limit). I'm going to reexamine this after the first adventure to see if it's working as intended, and I may give some leeway for two reasons. First, I'm more likely to allow a melee character to slightly jump the normal limits than a character who can stay at range and attack. Second, AP sometimes isn't that great of an advantage, as a 1d6+1 AP HKA is usually less effective than a 2d6 HKA without the advantage.
  
• Object Imprint Reading: Looks good.
  
• Thought Scribe: My co-GM is concerned that you're spending 8 points for something that may not have much of a game effect. I'm fine with it, but I thought I'd pass that along.
  
• Telepathy: The "emotionally stressful / damaging environments" seems rather vague? How about replacing it with Concentration? If you're emotionally stressed or being damaged by the environment, chances are you won't be able to concentrate. Also, this should be the Human class of minds (which includes Muts).

Disadvantages:

• Must Prove Self to Community / Ambitious: Let's shorten this to Must Prove Self or Ambitious, depending on which attribute fits better.
  
• Hatred / Compulsion to Kill Cinders: This isn't a compulsion at Moderate. I'd call it Hatred of Ciinders. At the moderate level, this is a rational hatred...it won't force you to make irrational decisions (though you can still do so if you want).
  
• Distrust / Fear of Anyone Not From Fedrex: Er, I'm not that comfortable with a disadvantage that makes you distrust and/or fear almost everyone you will encounter during the game. Perhaps we could retool this one into something less xenophobic?
  
• Vulnerabilities: The way I treat these is that one is versus damage (STUN taken from mental attacks is x1.5) and the other is versus non-damage effects (increased totals on Mind Control, Mental Illusions, etc). I'd suggest converting these into other disadvantages later on, when you have more experience with the world.
  
• Hunted: I may modify this to some other Hunted. Same points, but it'll be more of a surprise...
  
• Rivalry: This will have to change if we don't find a PC to fit the bill. You could take an NPC rival, which would be someone your age who is also going on the quest for Cargo. However, you'd need to find 5 more points.

Equipment: As your father is a former Cinder hunter, you'd have access to whatever of your father's equipment he's willing to part with. This would include one of his spears, some armor, standard travel gear like waterskins and a bedroll, etc. Make a list, and I'll let you know if I see any problems.

Look over the comments, make some adjustments, and hopefully we'll be close to getting you into the game. Zac is running a small prequel, which is entirely optional but should be fun.

Re: Single Most Powerful Super Hero EVER!!!

Going back to the original post:

Had this as an open discussion amongst more then a few of my players. Some interesting things tend to pop up. So out of boredom at work and idle curiosity, I offer up the same discourse here. here are the Rules.

 

You get to Pick ONE, that would fit your criteria as the most Powerful Super Hero ever.

 

This character has to be from a Published Comic or Graphic Novel as a reoccurring character. Indies allowed.

 

This character can not, be a Force of Nature-esque character. For example. No Beyonder or that Ilk.

 

You can support your Selection, but try not to be overly detailed.

 

Said choice does not have to be currently Alive, or Currently published. Comics come and go so to do the Most Powerful. Should however you make an "Age" specific choice, you have to define the "Age" (Gold, Silver, etc).

There are two different things to consider here. First, what is the definition of powerful? The maximum amount of force that can be unleashed? The 'beatdown' measurement (who the character can defeat)?

Second, where does 'powerful' pass the 'Force of Nature' threshold? Does being a major character in an ongoing comic series automatically insulate you from the Force of Nature tag?

On the first point, if we use the beatdown measurement, I'm going to have to give the nod to Martian Manhunter, simply as the biggest jack-of-all-trades in comics. If you're tough physically, he can beat you mentally. If you're a mental powerhouse, he can attack you in the physical realm while still having enough mental juice to defend against your attacks. If you're tough enough to take down anyone with a blink, he can turn invisible, shift his form, and/or cloak his mind so you won't detect him until it's too late. He wins against my overall pick (listed below) because his defenses are good enough to avoid being one-shot if he's taken by surprise.

If we use the raw power threshold, I have to go back to my youth and pick Phoenix. Her telekinesis worked all the way down to the atomic level, and the only thing holding her back was her conscience (which was slowly being eroded by Mastermind).

On the second point, Martian Manhunter has no problems with the Force of Nature tag. Phoenix might, but she was a major character of the X-Men for many issues, and kept her humanity until she turned into Dark Phoenix.

That said, I'm going to go with a person who has a lot of raw power at his command...but more importantly, uses his power like an aikedo master to defeat vastly more powerful opponents - Dr. Strange. Unlike Dr. Fate (who in his most popular version is more like a Force of Nature, and not human), Dr. Strange is just a human...with a staggering knowledge of magic that allows him to catch virtually anyone off guard with a surprise maneuver. Like the Martian Manhunter, I can't see anyone tagging Dr. Strange with a Force of Nature tag.

Martian Manhunter gets an honorable mention, but loses out for two reasons. First, it's far too easy to get access to fire-based attacks. Second, against a Cosmic-level foe, Martian Manhunter has a lot of good defensive tricks but nothing to get past the level of invulnerability common to such beings. Dr. Strange has a magical solution for every foe, even the Cosmic ones. His one downside is that he has to have his spells running and gear available to avoid being taken down by a surprise attack. Still, "powerful' is a descriptor generally applied to offense, not defense.

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

Ok need a little help with disads

 

Took a Mut Hunted still need 5 pts.

I've read over the revised version, though I'm waiting to have a conversation with Zac before I reply. Should have something for you in the next day or two.

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

What are you guys looking for in a background? Mine was called thin.

Basic, not thin. Plus, the background in your Hero Designer file has less than what you posted here. So, let's take a look at your background as posted on the boards:

My character idea is a Mut, Mutated Human, who grew up in Fedrex. His father, a one time hunter of the Cinders (mainly because he had Mutation Immunity: Fire/Heat) retired from Cargo hunting after his leg was amputated in a battle by a Soldier, with Cargo built up and after recovery, the character's father bought land inside Fedrex and began his business of making brick. Making brick for housing and construction proved his constant merit to Fedrex, of which a portion always goes to the city. The character's father became bitter and a drunk retelling stories of his exploits when younger and whole.

 

My character is one of a few children that he sired and was put to work. If there is a dirty job any where in Fedrex, if it needs to be scooped, scraped or sanded, my character was sent to work. And punishment was handed out in great heaps if the work did not come up to standards, and it never did. That work was, odd jobs and the like, happened in between harvest of left over straw and plant stalk collection and mixture with mud for brick. Constant punishment and a many hours of labor left little or no time for play or rest. In addition the father would make sure that his boys would learn how to shoot and fight so as to carry on his name in the defense of Redrex.

 

The mother explained that it was just a way to train the boys for the hardships ahead in life, but most still shook thier heads and wondered at other reasons.

Here are my questions for Arc:

Has your brother Trig undertaken the quest for Cargo? If so, did he survive?

You have some potent mutations - far more than most muts. Did they make any difference in how you were treated? Did you ever use them in anger?

Do you have any friends in Fedrex, given your lack of time for socializing? Did you go to the Council and ask to take the quest for Cargo early?

Are you more interested in completing the quest for Cargo, or seeing if there is a better place in the outside world?

What do you intend to do should you survive the quest for Cargo? Settle in Fedrex? Continue to work for your father?

Why do you hate Cinders? They injured your father, a man who apparently treats you like crap because your work is never up to his standards. How would you describe your relationship with your father?

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign

Ok, here is my second draft. Not al language has been tweaked for the Wastelnd, most is for understanding concept.

The unifying concept for the mutations is at its core ergokenesis which manifests itself as mental current (Telpathy) the stored collection of memory as current in Akashic field and discharge of current in th e Electric generation.

Okay, I have time for a quick review while my daughter gets ready for bed...

Background: A bit basic, but there are seeds that can be fleshed out. I'd like to hear more about his personality and motivations.

Characteristics: Fine, perhaps even a bit light. It seems that points which would have been put in stats are instead placed in powers, which I'll discuss below.

Skills: These look good on a first pass.

Powers: This is where we run into problems. I didn't want to give a specific limit on the number of real points in powers because it would restrict concepts, but this character has too many points in powers (62) for a starting character. For reference, the plant character who doesn't use equipment has 35 points of powers, plus another 10 points spend on raising STR above the characteristic maximum. There is also an issue with your use of what I like to call 'variable' powers. You didn't use Power Frameworks, but you did use advantages that mimic the flexibility of a power framework on two powers.

The first is a 3d6 EB with a +1/2 Variable Advantage (+1 advantage on the cost of the EB). I don't see the premise of your powers backing this up (by the rules, you could turn your EB into fire, radiation, or anything else (even magic, if it exists) by taking Variable Special Effects), and I won't be allowing Variable Advantage into the game because there are too many potentials for abuse (yes, even with the 30 AP limit).

Second, you took a naked advantage for Armor Piercing on any HKA or RKA you have access to, up to 30 Active Points. While it may be reasonable at the start of the game, when your STR and limited equipment access keep you to lower-level attacks, it gets problematic later. Get proficiency with a Lo Rifle, and suddenly you can fire a 2d6 AP RKA - a 9 DC attack. I'm also not sure how well the Akashic concept fits with the game world - that would require a discussion between myself and Zac.

Your telepathic powers are more reasonable, though there are still a few issues. Right now, there isn't a 'mutie' class of minds. Pures and Muts fall under the human class of mind, while Beasts are believed to be the Animal class of mind (though there hasn't been a lot of testing in this area). Weeds fall under the Plant class of minds, though again there isn't much testing in this area. It could be that some Beasts and Weeds ARE subject to being affected by Human-class mental powers.

Object Reading requires either Time Modifiers or the Vague and Unclear limitation - you took the former. I would warn you that there will be a LOT of time modifiers to read objects of the ancients, but I have no problems with this power on a first glance. It does open up some cool opportunities for me as a GM, where I can share bits of the world with the group through your use of this power.

Thought Scribe is interesting. I'll need to think about the potential ramifications, but I'm not opposed on a first read. However, I believe the mental imprints will fade over time - you can't create imprints that will last forever, though you could reinforce an existing imprint to renew the time before it fades.

Telepathy seems okay, with the caveat about the Human class of minds. I'm going to have to think about the "not in emotionally stressful / damaging environments" limitation. I see what you're going for, but I'm wondering if there's a better way to do it. Maybe Concentration?

My advice? Ditch the EB, as it doesn't really fit the rest of the character. Redefine the AP advantage as a mental sense of the weaknesses in an object (since you also have object reading), and limiit it to working on up to 20 AP of powers (effectively making a 1d6+1 killing attack into 1d6+1 AP killing, or 6 DC). I may require it be more specific than "any killing attack", but I'll discuss that with Zac first. You could eventually add an EGO Blast with experience, as a facet of your Telepathy. These changes make your mutations all fall under the heightened mind theme, while still giving you an attack power that works against things that have no minds. The changes should save you close to 20 points, which you could put into characteristics, skills, or even a Wasteland martial art.

Disadvantages: You're 5 points over on Psych Lims, though I appreciate having them flesh out the character. I'd drop the compulsion to kill Cinders to moderate for now. You can roleplay it as strong as you want, but I'd prefer not to force an EGO roll when failure means your character suicides into a Cinder nest. I'd also drop your Vulnerabilities to x1.5 instead of x2, or the first mentalist you come across will either drop you or turn your against the party with no chance of escape. I'd like to hear more about the rival, and if you're short on disads after the rewrite I have a few I can suggest to you. You're also missing a Distinctive Feature - the one you currently have should be called Distinctive Feature: Mut, and you should have a second one written like this - Distinctive Features: Mutated Human (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable Only By Technology Or Major Effort), 5 points.

Summary: The character is a good first step, but I would like to see more background, and a second pass made to fix the issues listed above.