The Souljourner

Re: Entangle that costs end to maintain? Yeah, this is probably one of the options I'll look at. I probably would make it invisible to all attacks. I don't like the idea of both taking damage. I probably wouldn't make it not escapable by teleportation, since I tend to think of it as an area of high gravity rather than an effect on the person themselves. Personal preference, though. Meh. A little too much distance between special effect and game effect for me. I don't like movement draining/supressing powers. It's too easy to cheese people out with them. Since 12 points of suppress/drain stops all mooks from moving... it's kinda too easy. Change environment with negatives to movement modes is probably more appropriately costed.

Re: Entangle that costs end to maintain? AOE TK isn't a terrible idea. I'll twiddle around with it and see what it looks like. -Nate

Re: Entangle that costs end to maintain? Continuous is a cool idea, though makes this already expensive power even more expensive (but makes sense with the special effect...) hmm... I'll have to think on it. -Nate

I want my gravity powered super to have an entangle that he has to maintain by paying endurance. I can't figure out how to make the power, since entangle is a weird power in that it has a continuous effect, but only costs end to activate. Any thoughts? I suppose I could just make a custom disadvantage, like -1/2 costs end every phase... but I was wondering if there was a more established way of doing it? -Nate

Re: Size & DCV: A Big Problem Per Size Category smaller than human: +1 with DCV, Always Applies after modifiers (+1/2) 7 points +1 with all combat, Always Applies after modifiers (+1/2), Only for OCV (-1/2) 8 points. -2 to PER checks to discern 4 points -2 Negative PSL for range -3 points +2" Knockback -4 points Total: 12 points per level. Anyone with more than one level has no inherent reach and must use ranged attacks, stretching, or move into an opponent's hex to attack them. Growth: -1 with DCV, Always Applies after modifiers (+1/2) -7 points -1 with all combat, Always Applies after modifiers (+1/2), Only for OCV (-1/2) -8 points. +2 to PER checks to discern -4 points +2 PSL for range 3 points -2" Knockback 4 points +1" Stretching, Reduced END (+1/2) 7 points Total: -5 points per level

Re: Size & DCV: A Big Problem I'd make "applies after 1/2 or 0 DCV modifiers" a +1/2. That's a sizeable advantage that comes into play fairly often. -Nate

Re: Size & DCV: A Big Problem As an avid D&Der, I have to say that I love the D&D size system. Small characters get a size bonus to OCV and DCV, large characters get a penalty. When fighting against people of the same size, these modifiers cancel each other out. I don't know why this isn't a perfectly acceptable solution for Hero. Have size modifiers applied after any multiplication of DCV or OCV (so 1/2 or 0 OCV, then apply size modifiers). And that works just fine. If relative size doesn't help you hit, how come the wall around my dartboard has a lot more holes in it than the bullseye? I can punch a person dodging around me a lot easier than I can punch a fly buzzing around my head. That fly can pretty easily buzz around my head and land on me no matter how I dodge. What isn't taken into consideration with the D&D size rules is range. Sure, to the halfling, the human is a big wall of flesh twice as big in any direction as himself..... but he's also twice as far away. But I think for simplicity's sake, it's easier to handwave that than try to fix it. As for big creatures having more strength in D&D... sure, but nothing says the same can't be true for Hero. I think there should be size templates in Hero that are independant of other stats. No strength modifier, just "I am 6 inches tall, so I inherently have +4OCV and +4DCV". And give them points values... growth in this case would actually have a negative points value... you might give bigger creatures some stretching because of their longer arms, too. This is something I was just thinking about, and I think it's something that should get put into the rules as a standard thing (not necessarily my solution, just *some* solution, other than the size templates in 5ER). -Nate

Re: Stunt with Option to Buy Please try to keep it civil and stop overanalyzing everyone's statements. This is not English class. We don't need to do do a sentence diagram for everything said. There was a topic in there somewhere, and I think it's a valid one, but the sparring back and forth is not helping anything. About the original question - I think that a multipower is a *perfect* way to model stunts. You pay a few points to do something new with the same power you had before. Let's put a blanket rule on it saying that you can buy a new stunt as an ultra slot in-game, but only if it has an 11- activation roll (-1). The key being that if you want to buy the slot, you have to make the activation first and if you succeed then you can buy the slot (which will still have the limitation). If you fail, something spectacular happens, and you can't try again until next session (or some other time determined by the GM). This not only makes new tricks unreliable, but also cheap. That's an inherent 1/20th cost for new tricks. That's pretty sweet IMO. You can then set up with the GM a time to be able to practice the new trick and buy off the limitation or make it a standard slot (if you want, otherwise you can leave it as is and try it whenever you want at 11-). 60 points "gravity powers" MP 6u 40 Str Telekinesis For 6 points more than just taking telekinesis, you've opened the door to figuring out new tricks in-game. Let's say you're playing this guy and suddenly realize you think you should be able use your gravity powers to fly. So you say you're going to try to use your gravity powers to fly. Call it 20" of flight. That would be a 2 point ultra slot with the 11- activation. 2 XP and you can suddenly fly. Not bad. I might even let someone spend double the XP to make sure the activation is successful *this time*, but the power would still go in with the 11- activation. Then when you're in dire straights, you can spend a little XP and ensure that your new trick works (call it beginner's luck). -Nate

Re: Life Support Power Build The fact that 1d6 drain, standard effect is enough to totally remove many of the life support options. This is especially important since a lot of NNDs use life support as their defense. Hit someone with a 10 point drain life support (standard effect) of their "safe environment: heat" and then hit them with an NND (defense is "safe environment: heat"). Your HIV I wouldn't model as a life support drain. If you're immune to diseases, in general it's because there's something special about your physiology that makes diseases simply not affect you. Lowering your immune system wouldn't affect that, you're just now more susceptible to things you aren't immune to. It would just make you more likely to catch diseases that you could otherwise usually fight off. "Fighting off" generally means "make a CON roll". Thus, make it a CON drain. The other reason why it's a big problem is that life support has such varied special effects that a generic "drain life support" is going to have weird effects on a game. For example, the power armor suit's AC breaks down, and lavaman suddenly gets hot in the desert. -Nate

Re: Life Support Power Build Drain of life support or skills or other similar things would throw up a huge red flag for me. Heck, drains in general are a big red flag for me (really should have the exclamation point on it). Unless there was a REALLY good reason for the drain, I wouldn't allow it. -Nate

Re: Not for DCV? Ahh, I never thought about doing a translation of those levels for DCV, but it makes perfect sense. I'll definitely do that. Yes, the dragon has a breath weapon, but it's an EB AOE with no range, so I think technically it uses hand-to-hand CSLs to hit. But I'll give him the 5 point OCV CSLs and that'll work regardless. -Nate

Re: Power writeup: "I know everyone's number."

I'm constructing a dragon, and want him to have low dex, but a decent OCV (and crappy DCV). What I'd like is for him to have combat skill levels with hand to hand combat, but they can be used for DCV as well as OCV (and for increasing damage... which I think is ok). So... +x CSLs with HTH; Cannot be used for DCV (-?) My gut says -3/4, since adding to OCV or DCV are the two main uses of CSLs, and using two for +1 DC is less important. It's losing not quite half of its effectiveness. On second thought, since it can normally only be one or the other, not both, I think -1/2 is probably more appropriate. Thoughts? Is there a better way to raise just his OCV? Also, just a power I gave him that I found amusing: No Cheese 1 Dex; Inherent (+1/4); 4 Active Points -Nate

Re: Shrinking/Growth question Personally I think inherent shrinking is the way to go, which is unfortunately kinda expensive, but then again, I also think shrinking is way overpriced. -Nate

Re: What bizarre rules issues have you encountered? According to Steve, the Def + Body act as defense against stun, but any Stun over that goes through to the character, even if the entangle isn't destroyed. -Nate

The book isn't very clear about how stun is affected by an entangle (it tends to use the generic word "damage" without any qualifiers). If you're in a 5 def 5 body entangle and get hit by an 8 body, 25 stun attack... the entangle is not destroyed (but loses 3 Body). What happens to the stun? Does the entangled character take 15 stun? -Nate

Re: What bizarre rules issues have you encountered? The full text: This seems to indicate that the Entangled character only takes damage once the entangle is destroyed. The problem is that the text says "damage" but doesn't specify Body damage or Stun damage. Heck, by that reading, you could apply Stun equal to DEF+BODY and destroy it I'll ask Steve. -Nate

Re: Multiform Disads.... Like the others said, it depends on the disadvantage. It is perfectly acceptable to have a disadvantage only on one or the same one on multiple forms, just use common sense. -Nate

Re: Shrinking/Growth question I'm with Hugh.... I might add inherent to the mix, as well, since you shouldn't be able to remove his shrinking ability. I never liked the ruling that you're not supposed to use growth and shrinking for permanent size changes... there's no good way to do either of them with the rules as they stand. Bonus to stealth for being small? Well, sure, but really it should be a negative to everyone else's perception roll... which is what the shrinking power does. -Nate

Re: Fire as an effect? Yeah... for stuff like that, if it's going to be a constant hindrance, Side Effect. I don't consider "starting a fire" to be a big enough benefit to be worth points. Basically, I let it be up to the player. If they want to start a fire, one starts. If they don't, it doesn't. -Nate

Re: Resurrection Healing Limitation

Re: Power writeup: "I know everyone's number."

Re: Power writeup: "I know everyone's number." Mindlink isn't affected by mental defense. That's why it says "willing target". You can call Professor X just as easily as Wolverine (as long as they pick up). -Nate

Re: Mental Defense, Always On Most "beneficial" mental effects wouldn't be affected by Mental Defense. They don't do damage and they don't have an effect roll to compare against the target's ego. So... not being able to lower your mental defense isn't a limitation, and I wouldn't give it any points. Only in very specific campaigns would I consider it to be worth points as a limitation. -Nate

Re: Ranged killing attack + No rage modifer broke? Have him meet a Missile Reflector and see how he likes eating his own 9d6RKA