Fedifensor

Re: Respecing Might based on Test Server notes

Re: The Ten Things I Love About 6e and the Ten Things I hate about 6e Which is why one option listed in my previous post was a recommended minimum cost by campaign type...

Re: The Ten Things I Love About 6e and the Ten Things I hate about 6e One thing that I felt should have been in 6E is a recommended minimum cost for powers. I don't know if you'd do this by power, by campaign type, or something else, but minimum costs really help stop advantage stacking. If you have to spend a minimum of 10 points on a power (before advantages), then adding a +1 advantage guarantees a minimum cost of 20 points. A more radical solution would have been adding a frontloaded base cost, but that would have been more complicated and broken the tradition of 5 pts = 1 DC. Balabanto, my suggestion would be to institute a minimum cost for powers in your game, before any advantages are added. That way you won't have people buying 5 points of a movement power and stacking on lots of MegaScale. Hope that helps!

I thought it would be useful to have a place where we could post links to interesting threads on the official boards for Champions Online. First up, a post from HeroSteve, and the various replies (including mine). Munitions -- Useful Stuff Outside The Framework http://forums.champions-online.com/showthread.php?t=74226

Re: The Ten Things I Love About 6e and the Ten Things I hate about 6e You know, I've been whipping up Champions characters by hand since the mid-80's (and still do work by hand when I'm away from the computer). However, electronic tools are vastly better, because without them character creation takes far too long in HERO. I work full-time and have a child...it's not like college when I had countless hours to write up characters. Plus, there's a difference between using tools in a toolkit, and having to create new tools. Armor Piercing is a core advantage - redoing the advantage cost is basically redesigning one of the tools in the toolkit. While it's not hard to work around that one thing (and personally, I don't think AP at +1/4th is out of line), it adds up if you start changing the core rules. How many tools would you redesign in a toolkit before you just dump the thing and buy something else? Attack Versus Alternate Defense. Radar is actually pretty common on my powersuit villains. It doesn't have to be my babysitter, but the system should have some safeguards. Advantage Stacking is one way to take advantage of Barrier. Mind Scan is another, as was already mentioned. I'm not saying Barrier is broken...but at the same time there's a lot of hostility directed at Balabanto, and not all of it is justified. He does have some valid concerns. Nice to see we have one area of agreement.

Re: The Ten Things I Love About 6e and the Ten Things I hate about 6e Okay. I'm a bit late to the party, and I see valid arguments on both sides, but there are a few things I wanted to address...particularly the first thing I quoted below. HERO may be advertised as a toolkit, but I really don't like the pat answer of "if it doesn't work for you, change it". HERO character creation is pretty complex compared to other game systems, and one of the few things that keeps it from being too much work is HERO Designer. Start changing the system in major ways, and you're back to pulling out the calculator and doing things by hand (or spending hours trying to customize the program). The core components should be balanced and not require tinkering. First, Flash is an unusual attack. Everyone has PD and ED - few people have Flash Defense. Second, PD and ED are two defenses. Flash Defense versus Sight, Hearing, Smell/Taste, Touch, Radar...well, that's a lot more than two, for an attack that is rare compared to physical and energy attacks. I'm a big believer in the concept that the defense should be cheaper than the attack, to prevent a drift into a gunslinger style of playing where only two things matter - who goes first, and how accurate they are. If a character is built to take advantage of this, there are ways to build powers where the cost to attack through the barrier is minimal due to advantage stacking. Now, going back to the OP...

Re: List Your CO Nemeses! Shootist's first nemesis is The Wild Hunt, a humanoid stag wearing medieval armor and carrying a large sword. His minions are super-strong Beastmen. My one mistake is choosing "Mastermind" for his personality, when "Savage" would have fit better.

Re: Dresden Files meets Supernatural Okay, I've got a rough draft of the first pregenerated character. I wanted to start with a mundane character, to see how effective he would be compared to a wizard or werewolf. Leonard Harding Val Char Cost Roll Notes 15 STR 5 12- Lift 200.0kg; 3d6 [1] 13 DEX 6 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 15 CON 5 12- 15 BODY 5 13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 13 EGO 3 12- OECV: 3/DECV: 4 18 PRE 8 13- PRE Attack: 3 ½d6 6 PD 4 Total: 9 PD (3 rPD) 4 ED 2 Total: 7 ED (3 rED) 4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 8 REC 4 35 END 3 36 STUN 8 Total Characteristic Cost: 99 Movement: Running: 12m/24m Leaping: 4m/8m Swimming: 4m/8m Cost Powers END 5 Unshakable: +11 PRE (11 Active Points); Only versus Presence attacks (-1) 3 Can't Scare Me: Mental Defense (7 points total) (7 Active Points); Only versus fear-based attacks (-1) 3 I'm Not Afraid: +3 with EGO rolls (6 Active Points); Only versus fear-based attacks (-1) Martial Arts: Dirty Infighting Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 4 Punch +0 +2 5d6 Strike 5 Roundhouse -2 +1 7d6 Strike 4 Eye Gouge -1 -1 Flash 4d6 4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort 1 Weapon Element: Clubs Perks 10 Money: Wealthy 1 Fringe Benefit: Weapon Permit (where appropriate) Talents 6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) 3 Lightning Reflexes (+3 DEX to act first with All Actions) Skills 12 +1 Overall 10 +1 with All Attacks 3 Acting 13- 3 Bribery 13- 3 Bureaucratics 13- 3 Charm 13- 3 Combat Driving 12- 3 Computer Programming 12- 3 Conversation 13- 2 Forgery (Documents) 12- 2 Gambling (Card Games) 12- 3 High Society 13- 3 Oratory 13- 3 Persuasion 13- 3 Streetwise 13- 3 Scholar 1 1) KS: Arcane and Occult Lore (2 Active Points) 11- 2 2) KS: Business and Finance (3 Active Points) 12- 1 3) KS: Civil Law (2 Active Points) 11- 1 4) KS: Criminal Law (2 Active Points) 11- 1 5) KS: The Mystic World (2 Active Points) 11- 2 AK: Colorado 11- 3 PS: Stockbroker 12- 0 TF: Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles 4 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms Total Powers & Skill Cost: 126 Total Cost: 225 175+ Disadvantages 15 Psychological Complication: Unable to feel fear (Common; Strong) 10 Psychological Complication: Loyal to his friends (Common; Moderate) 5 Dependent NPC: Assistant manager of the bar Frequently (Slightly Less Powerful than the PC; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills) 10 Hunted: Mystery Hunted Infrequently (As Pow; Harshly Punish) 5 Hunted: Random bar patron (rowdy, drunk, or looking for trouble) Frequently (Less Pow; Mildly Punish) 5 Negative Reputation: Accused of insider trading, Frequently (Known Only To A Small Group) Total Disadvantage Points: 225 Background/History: Leonard Harding's background was normal in every way - with one important exception. Born to working-class parents in Denver, Leonard's life was shaped by an event that occurred when he was only two years old. An encounter with a supernatural being caused Leonard's mother to die of fright. Leonard survived, but was changed by the experience - he lost the ability to fear. While he can understand threats on an intellectual level, he does not feel a "fight or flight" response when in danger. Leonard's father did the best he could as a single parent, but his long hours at work left him with little time to supervise his son. As a result, Leonard drifted towards gangs and petty crime. His inability to feel fear earned him several beatings when he didn't back down from fights, and it was only the intervention of a kindly economics teacher in high school that turned his life around. Once Leonard realized that he needed to make something of himself, he spent a lot more time studying. With that change in attitude, Leonard aced his SATs, and received a partial scholarship to the University of Colorado. He worked part-time as a bouncer in a biker bar while going to college, eventually earning a Master's Degree in Business Administration. Leonard managed to get a job at a national financial firm, and within a few years became a stockbroker renowned for picking the right stocks. Leonard became very wealthy...until the SEC opened an investigation into his trading practices. Though nothing was ever proven, the stigma from the investigation caused his employer to lay him off the first time one of his stock picks didn't pay off. Now unemployed, Leonard turned his attention to something that had troubled him for his entire life - the mystery of what happened to his mother. For a year, he followed every lead, every rational explaination...and when those efforts failed, he turned his research to the occult, making inquiries in both prestigious social gatherings and dark alleys. He narrowed the possibilities down to roughly a half-dozen different creatures that could be responsible, before realizing that he wouldn't get any further without help. Going back to the same biker bar he used to work at in college, he bought the bar and renovated the place to be much more friendly to those dealing with the mystical arts. The stage was pushed back from the rest of the bar, speakers and lights were placed near the ceiling, and delicate electronic equipment was hidden in areas unaccessible to the customers. Aside from those features, the bar wouldn't look out of place in the 1930s, and even has an old-fashioned cash register. After a few well-placed words among the magical community, the bar is now a popular hangout for many practitioners of the arts and those with ties to the fey. Personality/Motivation: Leonard knows that his encounter with the supernatural at such a young age took something important from him, and he wants it back...or at least wants the satisfaction of killing the creature that killed his mother. His time in the stock market has made him very wealthy, and he is willing to spend extravagent amounts to fund a crusade against supernatural creatures that prey upon humanity. Leonard sometimes has trouble relating to other people because of his inability to feel fear. However, this same trait made him incredibly effective in the business world. It is believed that Leonard's encounter with supernatural fear at such an early age burned out whatever part of the brain (or spirit) is affected by fear. Quote: "Am I supposed to be scared by that?" Equipment: .45 revolver (+0 OCV, +0 RMod, 2d6-1 K, +1 STUNx, 6 shots) 12-gauge shotgun (+0 OCV, +0 RMod, 2 1/2d6 K, +1 STUNx, 5 shots) Baseball Bat (+0 OCV, 5d6 N, Medium length)

Re: Dresden Files meets Supernatural (Posted from my G1 phone) The campaign is going to have a base of operations, but the characters will be hunting down bad guys. Take a look at the Roadhouse (the bar that was used for a while in Supernatural) for an example of this. The base of operations will be in Denver or Boulder, but the PCs will operate throughout the state (and possibly adjacent states, like Kansas).

Re: Dresden Files meets Supernatural Supernatural has a mix of moods, often in the same episode. Ghostfacers, for example, had a lot of humor, but there was a serious threat as well. I would also point out that Supernatural has more demon stories than ghost stories. But yes, the enemies will be pretty nasty. Minor foes will be dealt with the same way Jim Butcher deals with them in the Dresden books...off-camera. In Grave Peril, for example, Harry briefly mentions the things he and Michael have dealt with over the past few weeks, but he doesn't go into a lot of detail. There are several elements I want to take from Supernatural. One that is common to both Dresden Files and Supernatural is the "find out what it is" portion of the adventure. The main characters look at the clues and consult their knowledge sources to figure out what they're up against. Harry does this with Bob, Sam and Dean do this with their Dad's journal, Bobby, internet searches, and libraries. It's a lot easier to go up against something more powerful than you if you know enough about it to find a weak spot. Second, the characters are actively going after evil, and they're very good at what they do. I don't like traditional horror, where the protagonists are normal people desperately trying to survive. The PCs will have chosen this lifestyle, and actively go after the bad guys. While they may not be as powerful as the creatures they face, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that they do this and survive week after week. Third, Supernatural is going to be an source of inspiration when it comes to what I throw at the PCs. With four full seasons of source material to dig through, I shouldn't have a problem coming up with plots. There are a lot of ghosts and demons in Supernatural, but there are several other creatures as well. Fourth, Supernatural has a good team dynamic. The two brothers work together to take out evil, and they often get help from others (their Dad, Bobby, Ruby, Castiel, and various hunters). Dresden does this as well, though he tends to treat his allies more like subordinates than full partners. Finally, I'm a fan of the music they draw from in Supernatural, and I may go as far as playing a tune related to the adventure at the beginning of the session. Supernatural does a great job of picking music for the situation.

Re: Dresden Files meets Supernatural Until recently they were producing new Beetles in Mexico (ending in 2003, if Wikipedia is accurate). So there should be a larger supply of parts, and a VW is a cheaper car than a Camaro. Regardless, I was hoping to focus more on the campaign as a whole, rather than just the anti-tech aura (which there have been other threads on in the past).

Re: Dropping Mini-Mines

Re: Dresden Files meets Supernatural Actually, it's not that he has more raw power...he was pretty powerful from the beginning. What has changed (according to interviews with Jim Butcher) is that he's more efficient, and smarter about how he uses what he has. Though I will agree that in a HERO system sense, his point total has definitely increased. My example earlier about Harry teamed up with the Alphas, the changelings, and Toot's fae...that was book 4. So there were a lot of supernaturals even early on. As for normals in the Dresden Files that have the points to balance against the supernatural characters, I can name three off the top of my head: Murphy, Marcone, and Hendricks. I would have said Kincaid as well, though recent revelations have taken him off my list. Sounds pretty cool. The characters seem a bit more focused on the supernatural world than the mundane one, which is a difference from the Dresden Files. Even many of Harry's supernatural allies are grounded in the real world (the Alphas, the changelings, Michael, and even Thomas). I expect most of the characters will have supernatural capabilities, but I want to keep them grounded in the mundane world as much as possible.

Okay, I know this would be considered sacrilege on the official Champions Online boards, but I decided to respec out of mini-mines tonight. Yes, they did good damage, with the potential for more (I only had them at Rank 1, and didn't have Wall of Fire). However, the big problem is that they didn't work like mines. I could go into a group of bad guys and drop the mines, doing lots of damage but draining my energy in the process. Or, I could drop them in advance of combat, regenerate some energy, start the fight, and...where did my mines go? They don't really last long enough to use as a setup move, which makes them more of a point-blank nuke than a mine. Instead, I switched to Force Shield, picked up the Force Sheath advantage, and put Accelerated Metabolism on Two-Gun Mojo. Instead of dropping mini-mines at the beginning of a fight, I drop a few sonic arrows (with the AoE advantage), turtle for a few seconds with Force Shield, and the next thing I know I'm at max energy and ready to hammer foes with my big attacks. So, did I miss something about mini-mines? Or is it just a difference in playstyle? I can always pick them up later, though Lead Tempest and Orbital Cannon sound more interesting to me right now.

Re: Dresden Files meets Supernatural I'm not 100% sure that's the case. A lot of Dresden's allies are supernatural. One of the earlier books had Dresden teamed up with all of the Alphas, two changelings, and an army of tiny fey led by Toot-Toot for the finale. In other books, you have Thomas, Michael (faith can do amazing things in the Dresdenverse), Elaine, Susan (after her change)...the list goes on and on. However, I agree that you do need a mundane to keep the other characters grounded. The mundanes also tend to be the most saavy with tech and mundane skills (Murphy, Butters, etc).

So, the title of my post pretty much sums things up. I'm fiddling with ideas for an Urban Fantasy Hero game to run as a one-shot (potentially as a convention scenario) with the option of turning it into a home campaign if I find enough interested people. After playing a game of Urban Fantasy Hero in the Dresden Files universe at GenCon, I'm definitely looking at using that world as the setting (though it would be set somewhere in Colorado instead of Chicago). My second inspiration is another similar source - the TV show Supernatural. I don't know if I'll follow the monster of the week formula, but the show has a lot of interesting ideas to mine for plot hooks. The next step is to come up with some pregenerated characters. So, here's the ideas I have so far (mild spoilers for the Dresden Files books): Wizard - Not exactly a surprise, considering the main character of the Dresden Files. What is different is I was looking at an Electromancer who has drawn the attention of the White Council because his powers don't mess up technology (unless he makes a deliberate effort to do so). This becomes an interesting plot point, and lets me bypass a power that's a bit wonky to writeup in HERO (the always-on AoE technology dispel that breaks technological items). Werewolf - I was looking at one of two options. The first is one of the Alphas from Chicago that has moved to Denver. The second is a wolfwere (a wolf that uses magic to take on human form) like Tera. Or I could use both, with the wolfwere teaching the Alpha how to function in wolf form. Person of Faith - Someone similar to Michael Carpenter, but less combat-capable. However, this individual may have a religious artifact of his (or her) own that helps keep the character alive in encounters with the supernatural. Changeling - A half-mortal, half-fey who has yet to choose which part of their nature to embrace. Mundane - Not sure where to go with this one, but I definitely want someone who relies on combat training and skills rather than magic or faith. I don't want a law enforcement officer, because that invites comparisons with Murphy. I also want this person to be better equipped to handle supernatural occurrences than Murphy was at the start of the novels. One option was to steal an idea from a short story I read a long time ago, that had a character that was unable to feel fear. The character understood danger on an intellectual level, but didn't feel the emotion. Has anyone else looked into the possibility of a Dresden Files game in HERO, or have ideas on how to put such a game together?

Re: Crafting

Re: Crafting The Controlled Kinetic Questionite Armor Panel was at maximum on the slider - it's a Primary item and I wanted the best possible bonuses. I don't remember the exact setting for the Amalgamated Ballistic Reflector, but it was lower both because I was short on crafting materials and because it didn't make a difference in the DEX or REC bonuses (it only affected PD and ED).

Re: Stats Discussion I was going to reply here, but this seems better suited to a discussion in the Crafting thread (click here).

Re: Crafting Replying to a post from another thread: Get your crafting skill (Arms, Science, or Mysticism) in the 201-300 range (which requires that your character be level 21+) Buy blueprints for items that accept crafting enhancements in your speciality (mine is Ordinance). You'll recognize them because they won't have stat bonuses (besides Physical Defense and Energy Defense). Buy blueprints for Enhancements (on the far right table) that will be used to enhance the base item. Go to the crafting table, choose Development, then choose a base item for crafting (the ones that can be customized are in italics) Choose enhancements from the list. Primary items can accept two enhancements (minor and major) while secondary items can only accept one enhancement. Using the example of the item I created above, Kinetic gave DEX and REC bonuses, while Controlled gave an EGO bonus. (Optional) Use quality slider to increase the power of the item (higher stats) at the cost of a significantly larger expenditure of components. Once you've made your selections, hit the Create button to create the item.

Re: Stats Discussion Well, I finally figured out that increasing REC has a direct effect (roughly 1:1) on your Equilibrium, and increasing END has a direct effect on your maximum energy. I was beginning to regret not selecting either as a Superstat, but now that I can make custom equipment I have my Equilibrium at 70+, which is enough to use Mini Mines without having to be in combat using my energy builder power. In short, the game changes in the 20's, when you can pretty much pick and choose the stat bonuses on your items. Item bonuses can really compensate for your weaker stats.

Re: Crafting I reached 300 Arms skill and crafted my second customized item yesterday: Controlled Kinetic Questionite Armor Panel Arms, Primary Defense, Bound, Level 23 Made from highly durable Questionite, this advanced armor component is nigh indestructible. Majorly improves Dexterity and Recovery. Improves Ego. +17 Dexterity +9 Ego +17 Recovery +11 Physical Defense +11 Energy Defense I'm pretty pleased. It's better than anything I've been able to pick up so far. For reference, here's my first customized item: Amalgamated Ballistic Reflector Arms, Secondary Defense, Bound, Level 21 A carefully constructed device designed to maintain ballistic projectiles in a curving path around the wearer which leads the projectiles back at their point of origins. Increases Dexterity and Recovery. +5 Dexterity +5 Recovery +2.6 Physical Defense +2.6 Energy Defense Aside from the descriptions being a bit generic, the crafting system is pretty cool. I can actually get the bonuses I need for my character. As I continue leveling towards 30, I'll have access to more items. By 30th level, I should have a full set of customized items. One question for those reading - is this a good item to keep? Hypothalmic Heart Arms, Primary Utility, Bound, Level 13 Won't make you as invulnerable as Grond, but tricks part of your brain into thinking you are. +0.5 Energy Regeneration +100% Root resistance +100% Hold resistance +100% Confuse resistance +2.3 Physical Defense +2.3 Energy Defense +2 Offense

Hello, everyone. I wanted to let people know that my character Shootist is at 294 Arms skill now, and can now create custom items usable by people level 21+. So, if you're having trouble getting the item bonuses you need, let me know and I'll see what I can do. I'm happy to craft at no charge, though the amount I can craft is limited by components (which I get through breaking down Arms items of level 21+, or finding boxes of Arms in the wild). I'll edit this post in the future to list the types of things I can craft. In the meantime...any other crafters out there?

Re: Champions Online Hero Build's Well, my character is still in the Powerhouse, trying to figure out my final build for level 20. My character is the Shootist, a former Texas Ranger who is an expert shot with anything he can get his hands on - bows, guns, throwing knives...you name it. He has some cybernetics as a result of injuries sustained a few years ago, and uses high-tech devices like his "Boundin' Boots" (Jet Boots). Build by championBuilder 0.3.1 Shootist, Level 20 Champion Superstats: Level 5: Super Dexterity Level 13: Super Ego Powers: Level 1: Strafe -- Aversion Level 1: Sonic Arrow -- Rank 2, Deadly Dissonance Level 5: Two-Gun Mojo -- Rank 2 Level 5: Jet Boots Level 8: Lightning Reflexes Level 11: Killer Instinct Level 14: Taser Arrow Level 17: Bountiful Chi Resurgence Level 20: Munitions Bots Talents: Level 1: The Hero Level 6: Impresario Level 9: Accurate Level 12: Amazing Stamina Level 15: Sniper Training Level 18: Martial Training Here's my thoughts about the build. Shootist was a character that I originally designed for City of Heroes. There, he was Southern Shootist, an Archery character. Even then, though, his concept was that he could shoot anything. So, when I saw both archery and munitions in Champions Online, I decided to meld the two. Overall, the build works pretty well. Archery is a bit of a flawed and incomplete powerset with two good powers - Sonic Arrow and Taser Arrow. Both those powers are available from level 5. Munitions has a lot of interesting powers, but there's also a lot of overlap between them (Two-Gun Mojo and Assault Rifle, for example). Between the two sets (with a sprinkling of Martial Arts for defense) I get a pretty flexible build. Here's how each power contributes to the overall whole: Strafe - Not a stellar energy builder, to be honest. But I wanted a more even spread of bow and gun powers to fit the concept, so I took it. It also has the advantage of Aversion, which has a 10% chance per shot to increase my defenses. This advantage doesn't trigger often, but once it does it lasts long enough that it has a good chance of triggering again before it wears off. The chance of getting extra survivability when I'm dealing minimal damage sounded like a good idea. Sonic Arrow - Originally a single-target power, I took it solely because of the advantage Deadly Dissonance, which turns it into an AoE attack doing the same damage as a single-target attack. I normally open a fight with this power against multiple targets. Fully charged, it also has a chance to stun, which is nice. Two-Gun Mojo - This is my bread-and-butter single target attack power. It does enough damage at rank 2 to drop an even level henchman with a full burst, or do half a villain's health. I've tested Close the Gap, but that advantage only adds 15% damage...the same amount I'd get from going to Rank 3. If they ever fix Close the Gap, I'd rather take that than go to Rank 3, because I'm normally at close range when using TGM. If I'm at a longer range, I'm either building energy or using Sonic Arrow. Jet Boots - My favorite movement power in the game. Not as maneuverable as normal flight, but it's the fastest flight power and a very safe way to get from point A to point B. Also used to hover out of melee range while I'm attacking. Lightning Reflexes - Several people complain about this defensive passive, but I think it's great. It works better against villains and master villains, and since I can wipe out henchmen quickly with Sonic Arrow, it has good synergy with my playstyle. I tried Quiver previously, and while it did lower my energy costs, I have much higher survivability with Lightning Reflexes (even compared to Quiver with the Fair Game advantage). Killer Instinct - While this only works with Two-Gun Mojo, it doesn't take up my passive slot and almost always triggers on a full burst, giving back about a third of the energy I use on TGM. Taser Arrow - Used mainly for the stun, though it also does decent damage. The only downside is that a charged arrow uses about as much energy as Sonic Arrow or TGM. Good as an opener on a tough target. Bountiful Chi Resurgence - A small heal-over-time. Not a huge boost, but it helps, can be triggered every 12 seconds, and uses almost no energy. Munitions Bots - These have made a huge difference in what I can solo. Two bots that can draw fire are helpful. Two turrets that can lay down cones of fire that significantly increase your DPS are great. Yes, the pathing can be a bit off sometimes, but they can't hurt and usually help. Edit: Up to level 22. I'm looking at Mini-Mines for level 23, and I'm still deciding on what I want for level 26. Any have other ideas for powers to take?

Re: Redirecting Others' Movement The power I submitted for USPS 2 was a Teleport, Position Shift, No Relative Velocity, only to change the direction of movement. Basically, if you can shift position and adjust velocity, you should be able to redirect a target's movement to any direction you choose.