Mister E

Just a quick reminder that GenghisCon, where I'm a guest, is coming up in just a few weeks -- and early registration for games is already open! You can find out more here:  GenghisCon 42

Physical Manifestation does exactly what you describe, and it is a small limitation because the physical manifestation can be targeted after you've made it. That's how I would model this type of effect, and it is how I've done it in the past. Physical Manifestation is a lim custom made exactly for this sort of ability.
 
However, it could just be the SFX for a HKA.
 
 

There is always an issue with creating something that has a continued existence.  Are we talking superheroes, where such a thing is likely to be incidental and relegated to SFX, or heroic where these items would have definite value to others?
 
Doc

The canonical way to do this is with a Transform (Negative Space Wedgie into Swords). However, unless the character is routinely making swords for distribution, I'd treat the leftover swords as a special effect.

Object Creation has a long list of things it can't do, including not being able to make something that can work as a weapon. 
 
 

I don’t normally answer “how to” questions, but for once I’ll make an exception. Here’s how I’d do it:
 
1. Buy an Entangle with Takes No Damage From Attacks (+1).
 
2. Apply addtional Power Modifiers that allow the Entangle to work against CON rather than STR.
 
That second step is a little tricky, though. One option is to adapt the Based On CON (-1) Limitation, which ordinarily only applies to Mental Powers, to this ability.
 
But here’s another option. I swear to 3d6 random gods of your choice that somewhere in one of the 6E books we published rules for using alternate Characteristics for things like this (and various other powers), but damned if I can find them right now, and I don’t have time to keep looking. So, what I’ve appended below are optional rules for escaping Entangles using alternate Characteristics that we published in Digital Hero #5. I’ll consider putting these in APG3 (unless, of course, someone points me to where the “using alternate Characteristics” rules are already in print).
Here ya go:

Entangles Affecting Characteristics Other Than STR
Under the standard rules, a character breaks out of an Entangle using STR. 6E1 217 provides rules for creating Entangles that require EGO to break out of instead of STR. It’s possible to extend the reasoning behind “Mental Paralysis” Entangles to create Entangles affecting other Characteristics.
 
Doing this requires a Power Modifier, Works Against [CHAR], Not STR. This Modifier may be an Advantage or a Limitation, depending on whether, in the campaign, the average character is likely to have the affected Primary Characteristic at a lower or higher level than STR. If it’s likely to be higher, Works Against [CHAR], Not STR is probably a Limitation; if it’s likely to be lower, it’s probably an Advantage. This takes into account not only Characteristic cost (expensive Characteristics are likely to be lower than STR), but the nature of the campaign and types of characters in it (in a psionics campaign, EGOs are usually higher than STRs). The value of the Modifier depends on the average relative level of the two Characteristics, as indicated by the accompanying table.
[[BOX TEXT]]
WORKS AGAINST [CHAR] SUGGESTED VALUES
Affected Characteristic Is,
On The Average...        Suggested Value
Much higher than STR        -½ or more
Slightly higher than STR        -¼
Equal to STR            -0
Slightly lower than STR        +¼
Much lower than STR        +½ or more
[[END BOX]]
 
Here are some guesstimates of these values for “average” HERO System campaigns, with descriptions of possible special effects. The number in front of the slash represents the value in Heroic campaigns, the number after the slash the value in Superheroic games. Many of the suggested special effects require the Takes No Damage From Attacks Advantage.
 
Works Against DEX, Not STR (-0 / +¼):  This might represent energy bonds that can’t be broken, only wiggled out of, coils that stretch so much they’re unbreakable but which the character can squeeze out of, and so forth.
 
Works Against CON, Not STR (-0 / +¼):  This might represent paralytic attacks such as some venoms and nerve strikes — it’s not the strength of the character’s muscles or will that governs how long he’s paralyzed, but his hardiness and fitness.
 
Works Against INT, Not STR (-0 / +½):  This might represent psychic attacks that put the victim in a “mental maze” he has to “escape” from before he can act, or a puzzle so absorbing a character can’t do anything but try to figure it out until he somehow forces himself to look away from it.
 
Works Against EGO, Not STR (+¼ / +¼):  This represents “Mental Paralysis,” as discussed on 6E1 217.
 
Works Against PRE, Not STR (+¼ / +½):  This might simulate the ability to inspire unwavering awe, or a terror attack leaving the victim so frightened he can’t move.
 
Works Against BODY, Not STR (+½ / +½):  This might represent attacks similar to Works Against CON.
 
A character attempting to break out of one of these “exotic Entangles” may use his “Casual” Characteristic, in exactly the same way that Casual STR works against normal Entangles. This costs END at the standard rate of 1 per 10 Active Points used (including the base points the character gets “for free” in the Characteristic). An exotic Entangle functions in all ways as a standard Entangle (it reduces the victim’s DCV to zero, and so forth). Depending on the special effect involved, another character who wants to “attack” the Entangle to free a trapped comrade may actually have to try actions other than attacking (such as slapping the victim’s face, splashing water on him, or shouting out clues and encouragement).
 
 

Good question. I can see some great drama in this situation — can Our Hero get the victims to the hospital before he collapses himself?!?? Tune in next week!
 
In this situation, the character is affected by the Sticky attack one time for each affected victim he comes into contact with. But as always, the GM can adjust this based on common sense, dramatic sense, and special effects if he sees fit. For example, maybe instead of four individual attacks the character takes the base attack, then adds +1 DC for each affected victim that he touches. GMs are smart, they can figure out all kinds of fun possibilities.

They're in Teen Champions.

It should be OK to reproduce one here as an example:
 
THE GEEK
“Most likely to suffer Carpal Tunnel Syndrome before eighteen.”
Fashion Statement: Pants that are too short, plaid button-down shirts that he wears tucked in, glasses, bad hair
Report Card: Good
Dating: No
Career Outlook (best case): Computer company mogul, any high paying job that avoids social interaction
Career Outlook (worst case): High school math teacher
Likes: Computers and computer games, math and science, fiction (especially genre fiction)
Dislikes: Gym class, Jocks, the Sun and sunlight in general
Sub-Cliques: Band geeks, Drama geeks, math geeks, comic book geeks, gaming geeks
Description: Geeks come in many shapes and sizes, but the defining feature of the Geek is that he obsessively loves something no one else likes (outside of the other geeks, that is). It could be math, band, or drama. It could be television shows, movies, science fiction, comic books, or roleplaying games. It could even be stamp collecting, or some combination of all these things. But whatever it is, most of his fellow students can’t even figure out why he likes it, or at least why he likes it so much. Th is obsession, though, is almost all the Geek thinks about, and in the eyes of his fellow students that not only makes him very strange, but also someone not very interesting to talk to. Add to that the fact the Geek is typically not very physically intimidating and totally unaware of style and fashion, and he often finds himself on the lowest rung of the social pecking order. Of course, as a consolation the Geek tends to do well for himself post-graduation, so he always has the future to look forward to.

GEEK PACKAGE DEAL
Abilities
Cost Ability
4 +4 INT
-2 -2 PRE
6 6 points’ worth of trivia Skills (examples include: KS: Silver Age Comics, KS: Seventies Television Shows, KS: Hammer And AIP Horror Movies, Language: Elvish, Language: Klingon)
9 9 points worth of useful geek Skills: Acting (for drama geeks), Computer Programming, Inventor, PS: Instrument (for band geeks), any Science Skill
1 Membership: Clique
Total Cost Of Package Abilities: 18
 
Disadvantages
Value Disadvantage
5 Distinctive Feature: Clique (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable)
10 Hunted: Clique character belongs to 11- (As Pow, NCI, Watching)
Total Value Of Package Disadvantages: 15

The usual response for an absolute effect in HERO has been to take the largest such power in the campaign, build a defence that would effectively stop that and then, as GM fiat, describe it as Immunity to Mental Paralysis (encompassing EVERY power that might be so described).  It might be expensive but such an all-encompassing power probably should be.

Take Multiform into a form that is an Automaton, and Accidental Change to switch when subject to a Mental Entangle.
The Automaton form should be nearly identical to base form, such that no one can tell there was a change. Also has a Physical Limitation to still be subject to most forms of mental power (except of course Entangle.) Include Programs that let the Automaton be behaviorally identical to base form. And an Accidental Change back when changing back won't mean being subject to a Mental Entangle.
 
Lucius Alexander
 
Multiform to palindromedary

Bonus!  He's missing some hit locations! 
 

 

Yes.
 
I played in a game where we could only advance if we succeeded.
 
Call Of Chthulu.

The issue is that, over the course of the campaign, the PCs are attacked in every combat, and the NPCs are attacked in only a few.
 
So 3 does max damage means 1 in 216 rolls inflicts max damage.  The PC will be attacked more than 216 times in a campaign.  NPCs will not, and they are easily replaced if one gets killed off with a lucky roll.

name ref: Ed "Killer Shrike" Hastings
 
url: http://www.killershrike.com/FantasyHERO/FantasyHERO.aspx

I included a section on Critical Hits in my "Lethality Guidelines" 
 
http://www.killershrike.com/fantasyHero/HighFantasyHERO/shrikeLethalityOptions_Unofficial.aspx
 
CRITICAL HITS Some other games have a concept of "critical hits"; strikes that randomly do more damage than normal. The HERO System tends to shy away from "random" and lacks such an option natively. However different variations of critical hits have been suggested at or described as possible options in some supplements over the years, and some play groups have versions that they use. Described below is my version of "critical hits", which I call the "Rule of Three", that I've used successfully for years. I also describe a Critical Hit concept based on a "lucky die" mechanic, and a mechanic based on degree of success. NOTE: You should probably only implement one kind of Critical Hit rules in a given campaign; two or more can get severely out of hand. RULE OF THREE If a character (PC or NPC) rolls a natural three on a 3d6 roll under type of check then they have the option of either taking "max effect" or an "epiphany". MAX EFFECT If the three was made for an Attack Roll max effect is the maximum possible damage or effect with that attack (treat all effect dice as having rolled 6's). If the three was made for a non attack roll, not only does the character win any opposed roll (even if the opponent made their roll by more) or succeed at their task, but they do so in a stylish looked-cool-doing-it fashion which is also justification for gaining a "Display of Power" bonus to a Presense Attack made sometime within the next few actions against anyone that observed them. EPIPHANY The character has a flash of insight regarding the skill or ability that they rolled a three for and their competency with that ability is expanded. The character gains +2 character points to allocate towards a bonus with that skill or attack. For attacks this translates into a +1 OCV Combat Skill Level with that attack. If a skill this translates into either a +1 or +2 with that skill depending on whether the skill is on the 3/2 or 2/1 costing model. If the three was rolled for a familiarity, the familiarity becomes a full skill instead. This can not be used to upgrade existing levels; for example a character could not opt to bump an All Combat level to an Overall Level with the 2 free points gained in this fashion -- the 2 pts must be spent specifically for the task they were gained from. However, levels gained in this fashion can themselves be upgraded later with experience. For example a 2 pt +1 OCV level with a specific kind of pistol could be upgraded to a 3 pt "Pistols" tight group level later on. LUCKY DAMAGE DICE Some other games have the idea of a "lucky die" which is rerolled and cumulatively added if its max value comes up. In other words, if the lucky die is a d6, then if it rolls a 6 it is rerolled and the result adds to the original 6; if another 6 comes up it is rolled and added in again and so forth until it stops rolling 6's. The HERO System already grants more damage to a 6 when doing Normal damage in the form of +1 BODY inflicted but Killing damage gets no such consideration. In the interests of increasing lethality you as the GM can decide to up the ante further by implementing a "Lucky Damage Dice" House Rule for Killing damage. You can specify that this rule applies to all Killing damage dice, which is a powerful / dangerous kind of critical hit that will occur often and can result in one-hit kills vs. even protected targets, or you can specify that only one die (represented by a physically different die) is "lucky" which is much less extreme. DOVETAIL WITH LUCK POWER Alternately, you can converge this with the Luck Power and allow characters to buy Luck dice defined as "Lucky Damage Dice" instead of the normal function of Luck dice, and a character can roll as many Lucky Damage Dice on a given attack as they have purchased up to the limit of the attack (a character with 3d6 Lucky Damage Dice using a 2d6 Killing Attack would only roll 2 dice but both would be "lucky"; if they later picked up a weapon that does 4d6 Killing they would roll 4d6 and 3 dice would be "lucky"). CRITICAL SKILL / DEGREE OF SUCCESS Some games feature a mechanic whereby more skilled attackers inflict more damage due to their increased skill. The HERO System allows this to some extent if Hit Locations are being used since a more skilled attacker can overcome to hit penalties for choicer hit locations, but using Called Shots can result in a total miss which can seem very odd in practice. An alternative to relying on Called Shots (and even Hit Locations in general) is a mechanic whereby characters that hit by more than they needed inflict more damage. The base mechanic is +1 Damage Class per 1 point a character made their Attack Roll by; thus in a 3 OCV vs 3 DCV scenario, an Attack Roll of 10 is made by 1, which grants the attacker +1 Damage Class. This is easy to remember and scales evenly, but doesn't overly reward characters that make truly impressive to hit differentials. BASIC EXTRA DAMAGE SEQUENCE Hit by: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Extra DC: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 This can be scaled up or down by the GM to suit their campaign by varying the ratio of extra success to extra damage; for instance a GM could set the ratio at +1 Damage Class per 2 points a character makes their Attack Roll by. LESS EXTREME EXTRA DAMAGE SEQUENCE Hit by: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Extra DC: 0 0 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 A GM could also make hitting by a little not make much differenct but hitting by a lot being extremely lethal by basing the to hit vs DC ratio on a Fibonacci sequence instead as displayed in the following table. Basically using this kind of progression hitting by 5 or less is not much different than the basic progression (and is in fact more moderate overall), but an Attack Roll that hits by 6 is more comparatively deadly, and anything that hits by 7 or more is almost absolutely fatal. FIBONACCI EXTRA DAMAGE SEQUENCE Hit by: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Extra DC: 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 Any other progression of this sort is equally valid based on the GM's preferences, of course. The following displays the same concept on an exponential progression which is easier to remember and more consistent with HERO System doubling rules but would result in excessively higher damage if on the same scale as the Fibonacci sequence; thus this chart is based on a progression of hitting by 2 more than needed per step. EXPONENTIAL EXTRA DAMAGE SEQUENCE Hit by: 0 2 4 8 10 Extra DC: 0 1 2 4 8 And so on; it's just a numbers game. Any approach that is easy to remember and apply at the table that rewards hitting with a margin of succes at a rate acceptable to the GM and players is equally valid for that group.

If you use the Heroic rather than Superheroic combat options, there are lots of critical hit type effects.
 
Shoot someone in the head and they get real dead.
 
Called shots, where you target a particular hit location, allow for a "roll real low" effect.

It's been a long time since I've used these rules, so my memory of them is very dim.

I think the question should be, if there were to be critical hits in your game, what would you want them to do in game terms.
 
sometimes the best thing is not to kill your opponent and, if you roll a critical hit it should benefit you rather than deliver a result (like a killing blow) which might be contrary to what you wanted to achieve.
 
I like a critical hit giving a bonus to your next action.  So, you might roll a critical in one action meaning that you get a +5, +8 or +10 (depending on your game) to your next related action.  This is the time to try that thing you would never do, like do a head shot, or shoot a gun out of your opponents hand, or any number of things that have large OCV penalties associated with them.
 
Doc

I tend to wing it.
 
You rolled a 3? I'll likely say something like "Okay, you bypass armor" or "Okay, you do damage and also knock them down."
 
You rolls an 18? I might say you roll damage against yourself or an ally.
 
But it's based on the situation in play, not a formal "this roll means this result" or "roll on this table now" thing.
 
Lucius Alexander
 
The palindromedary wonders how Lucius Alexander wings it so much without wings

I like Doc's idea.
 
Many "do more damage" critical hit models for Hero use a "roll less than half of the number needed to hit" approach, so if you hit on 11-, you get a critical hit on 5-.  Most commonly, that means either maximum damage or double damage.
 
Some use critical hits only on a 3 - 1 chance in 216, so rarely occurs. 
 
However, as assault notes, the system has a lot of existing potential for critical hits which are not connected to the to hit roll.  3 - 5 is 4.63% likely (as close as we get to 1 in 20).
 
I think it is important to recall that, over time, critical hits will penalize the players more than the opposition.  The players will have a lot of rolls against them, so they will be the subjects of critical hits as often as they deliver them.  If a critical hit is likely to be lethal, a PC gets a critical and nameless Orc #263 is instantly killed - lots more where he came from.  When the opponent gets a critical and the player needs a new character, they may start to question why they wanted critical hits in the game. 
 
I find that, often,  the less likely the critical is, the more impact it is given.  A 1 in 20 chance of doing some extra damage that will help, but not likely end the battle, is one thing.  One chance in 216 of rolling a 3 and decapitating the opponent?  The players will have more than 216 attack rolls against them over time.  Do we want a random "time for a new PC" event arising every few sessions?
 
If we don't, but we do want criticals, then less devastating, perhaps more frequent, criticals seem like they are in order.
 
Keep in mind that whatever the critical is based on becomes more powerful.  "Half what you need to hit" incents more OCV to land a critical, and more DCV to avoid one.  The tank, easy to hit but hard to hurt, is a much less viable build when "easy to hit" also means also means greater exposure to critical hits.

APG I     Page 57 ATTACKS AGAINST ALTERNATE : CHARACTERISTICS 
 
This page also covers
Alternate Characteristic Entangles: A character attempting to break out of one of these alternate Characteristic Entangles uses the indicated Characteristic in exactly the same way that STR works against normal Entangles. This costs END at the standard rate of 1 per 10 Active Points used (including the base 10 points the character gets “for free” in the Characteristic). (He may also use his Characteristic Casually; see 6E1 131-32)
 
So thats probably what you're looking for.
 
If you have Adobe Acrobat (reader or pro/dc) CTRL+Shift+F and select your folder under browse for location and you can search your entire Hero PDF directory for specific phrasing

Well, you guys certainly get intellectual, even down right thoughtful at times.
 
Meanwhile, I just had to edit a webcomic out of someone's post because it had the F word in it ...repeatedly. And I died a little inside as I rolled my rock back to the top of the hill again.
 
“The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”-Camus
 
Belgium you, Camus!
 
 
 
 

I like the concept of "use an ability in order to increase it" because it helps keep the PC's characters from growing in directions which are both radically different than the original character concept and radically different than anything the character is experiencing during the campaign. If the character has never expressed any interest in computers or vehicles and has been adventuring for months through mystic realms, I'd balk at allowing the character to immediately spend his accumulated earned points on Computer Programming and Starship Operations.
 
But as mentioned earlier in the conversation, I think this should be handled as part of the campaign background rules (hey, be aware that you'll need to use an ability in order to increase it) rather than obsessively trying to keep track of what actions each PC is taking during adventures.
 
 
Exactly. When a player wants to gain or increase a skill or power that she hasn't been using during game time, the player and GM should discuss what kind of downtime activity the character will engage in which will give the desired result.
 
You want to gain Area Knowledge of a nearby city? Bum around in that city for a few weeks. Learning French? Travel abroad or study a language course. Increase your END or running? Exercise or enter a marathon.

It hasn't happened yet, but Steve has continued to write this book in his "copious spare time" for years. He's declared he intends to find one way or another to publish it, and posts to this thread periodically to inform us of his ongoing progress. I get the strong impression this is a passion project for him, like Golden Age Champions was for Darren Watts. So I'm confident we'll at least see an announcement that MH is finished in the not-too-distant future, at which point the money situation will need to be addressed.
 
(You're still on my list for dispensing lottery winnings, Steve.)

Forgive me for not answering this latest question more quickly -- Hurricane Michael knocked out my power for the past 72 hours. On top of that, some wind god who's annoyed with me for some reason pushed a large tree over on my house, so I'm dealing with a lot right now. (If you want to see what that looks like, check my Facebook feed for a bunch of pictures. )
 
Fortunately, LL responded with all the right answers.  I'm still working on Mythic Hero as much as possible, and hope to get back to it full-time later this month once a couple other obligations are off my desk and house repairs are underway. I am currently thick in the middle of researching Celtic Mythology, a subject so broad I've divided it into 3-4 chapters. I have a loooong way to go yet on the chapter, but it's taking shape. I'll keep y'all posted whenever I have something to announce, but in the meantime you are more than welcome to post questions here for me.