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Sabelkatten

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Everything posted by Sabelkatten

  1. Quick reply on other's reaction to the character: In a (semi-)realistic heroic game having DF-only one arm but no Phys lim would arguably be an advantage. Enemies would often underestimate the character.
  2. The skill master/combat monster MF was the most obvious thing I was thinking of... ;-) But as noted it's quite easy to spot, and pretty easy to handle for the GM as well. Just require all forms to follow campaign guidelines when it comes to power and any serious player should end up with a reasonable PC (true powergamers will of course still try to break things, but they don't really need MF/Dupl. to do that either!). About the doubling; It's absolutely horrible for Duplication, but for MF it's just that 5 points is to cheap. Extra forms with MF gets progressively less useful (just how many flying blaster forms can you have before you start repeating yourself?), so it's not unreasonable to have the number of forms double. Duplication, OTOH, essentially multiplies your power by the number of duplicates. Sure there are some practical limits, but I can dig up the old test I did with IIRC 1024 duplicates that could waste a whole Enemies book in less than one turn... :-P
  3. Multiform and Duplication are two of my favorite powers. They were completely wrecked in 5th. The best idea is really to just ignore the 5th/6th versions and use the old 4th versions for those two powers. There are some modifiers in the later versions that are a good idea to add, but that's about it. 4th MF/duplication is a bit trickier mathematically, but if you survived high school math it shouldn't be hard to figure out the formulas you need and do it on a simple calculator (or excel). The big difference is that it takes a LOT of work to break the 4th versions of those powers, and attempts are pretty easy to spot. But the GM should be pretty lenient with allowing limitations to keep the costs manageable for PCs who don't try to game the system, otherwise they're going to be quite weak... Quick fixes for 5th/6th are to 1) generally deny any forms with more than campaign limit points (there are some workable concepts for it, actually), 2) have the power cost be paid by all forms, and 3) change the "x2 forms for 5 points" to x2 forms for a +1/2 advantage (Multiform) or +1 duplicate for +1/2 advantage (Duplication). That makes them much harder to abuse.
  4. Re: Most PCs... D&D4 lets you move after attacking. All those opportunity attacks did a pretty good job at controlling that, but then they started adding things that let you ignore OAs... When I started playing HERO we did allow two attacks per phase, and from what I recall it did work pretty well. Of course back then END cost for powers were twice what they are now so most characters couldn't afford double attacking often anyhow!
  5. Re: Foxbat airplane A F-4 with a cloaking device?
  6. Re: Most PCs... Yeah, the Ego attack sounds like it ought to have been a NND/AVLD vs/ flash def, but other than that the only odd thing IMHO is making a super-strong character and not getting any extra strength - it's pretty cheap, so why not? Back to the OP, I love MPs and Multiform, and like VPPs quite a bit. However I also think all those frameworks (MF is really a framework in practice) are underpriced, especially when you start getting creative. I've played a Multiform character with 7 different forms and at least one other framework in each form in several games without much trouble. And before HC crashed I played a character with 2 different Multipowers and a VPP!
  7. Re: How to deal with a multiform pregnancy? I figure the shape-changing is magical? Then it's really "whatever you like". But if you want a quick adventure idea the prospective mother might need some new magic to carry the pregnancy, and have to find a person who knows the spell/can cast the spell/has the components. And of course there's a time limit on the quest... I've had a couple of backstories with magical shifters, and in all cases I've had the unborn child change along with the mother (of course, it wouldn't have been much backstory if the future PC had died!). In the one with a mutant shifter she could use her powers to make the kid change along with herself when she changed.
  8. Re: Outside the Box powers Yeah, it was a bit of a stretch. But it was a simple way to represent what I wanted, and since it was a power pool (once-off) power the GM could require a more complicated/expensive build if I tried to use it again. If I was the GM and a player wanted to use such a power regularly I'd probably require images+invisibility as well. IPE invisibility is a nice way to represent a "you see me but just don't take any notice of me power". As a GM I could see letting such a character actually interact with people who can't, technically, "see" him - they'll just end up wondering "who did I just talk to?".
  9. Re: Outside the Box powers Invisibility, invisible power effects? Used that to represent a "you don't notice me leaving the room" spell. The SFX was that that the character still appeared to be in the same place (doing nothing) until range got to great (or dropping the power, which came first in this case).
  10. Re: Attacks of Opportunity (d20) in Hero Since I'm talking primarly about the "rules" on pages 338-339 (5thEd), the technical rules for adding damage doesn't matter. I have never met a GM who enforced a 75 AP limit in his campaign who allowed a 10D6 HKA (5D6 + 5D6 from 75 STR). In a campaign w/o AP limits melee attacks make more sense if you can put them in a MP with your ranged attacks, but otherwise you've got to have real high STR to make it worth the points.
  11. Re: Attacks of Opportunity (d20) in Hero If you're playing in a campaign that requires everything to be bought by points you usually face an AP limit as well (almost every campaign I've been in enforces one). So no, you don't get to add STR to melee attacks - that would put them over the AP limit. In addition it's often the case that you could use the points spent on the melee attack to make your ranged attack even more powerful, negating the reason to add a melee again again. This is of course only applicable to campaigns where you pay points for all attacks, so Heroic campaigns aren't part of this argument at all.
  12. Re: Attacks of Opportunity (d20) in Hero I'm not looking for an OCV penalty. While realistic, that would be rather boring! No, it's a DCV penalty that would make things interesting. Currently, if I want to stop mister Bad from getting to the Big Red Button my best choice is to make an immobilizing attack (grab, entangle or similar) right away. And if I don't have any such I'm better off just hitting him with a regular attack right away and hope I take him down. The only reason to hold an attack is really if he's really far away and waiting means I might get to make an attack without range mods. If mister Bad is going to attack me, then of course there's no point in waiting at all! But if you make yourself more vulnerable by making an attack or moving any significant distance, then waiting for your opponent becomes a viable tactic. Strike first, or let the enemy make the first move and get a better opportunity? Melee vs. ranged attacks is a different problem. Let's say I make an ordinary character for a campaign with a 60 AP cap. I get a 12D6 EB attack. Now why should I ever bother to spend points on a melee attack even if it would make sense for my character? There's (almost) never a situation where I'll be better off using the melee attack! But if there was things that melee attacks can do that isn't practical with ranged attacks (AoOs, less DCV penalty when attacking, whatever) then "wasting" points on a melee attack is a viable idea.
  13. Re: Attacks of Opportunity (d20) in Hero I've been playing around with the idea of AoO in HERO recently, in part because of the "run past" problem, but mostly because I like making characters with both melee and ranged attacks. Unfortunately I've come to much the same conclusion as most other players - just porting the DnD mechanic to HERO isn't a good idea. But as a wargamer I have to point out that there is a lot to say for a mechanic that does something of the kind. 1) Movement: Yes, holding an action to interrupt someone trying to get past you is great. If you're in a blocking position, doesn't have any ranged attacks, and the enemy really have to get past you. In almost all circumstances attacking ASAP is the best option - it's the action you're planning to take anyway, so there's no point in holding it. 2) Melee and ranged attacks: This applies most to superhero games. The thing is, it's usually pointless to make a character with both melee and ranged attacks, because to be effective your ranged attacks have to be as effective as your melee attacks, and if they are there's no point in spending points on a melee attack at all! If there were restrictions on how you could use ranged attacks in a melee fight and/or advantages to having melee attacks then it becomes a useful choice, rather than a point sink. Realistically almost all types of attacks makes you more vulnerable to counterattacks (that's one reason experienced fighters take it easy). If HERO assigned a DCV penalty to offensive actions (including movement) right from the start holding an action would become a much more useful choice.
  14. Re: Is anything in the system correctly priced? As people have said, it depends on the definition of "correctly"... IMHO any power the requires the GM to go in and tell you how you can buy it is underpriced or at least very badly priced. That means, in no particular order: Duplication Multiform Power pools ECs MPs Aid Duplication is just insane. The base power (single identical duplicate) is just barely tolerable, anything more and it goes from massively to ridiculously underpriced. Multiform is the same way, the cost for have additional forms is way to low. Power pools and MPs really need hard cost guidelines to cut down on their "do anything" utility. ECs should just go. Points for nothing is just wrong. Make it a small limitation or disadvantage for increased vulnerability to adjustment powers. Aid also have so many ways to be missused it's not funny. Buy points in the power in question instead with "useable by others". There are more - like several limitations - that suffers from the same problems, but I can't think of which ones just now. . . . As for overpriced, that is when the only player that buys it is the hard-core roleplayer who doesn't care if he'll ever get any use out of it. 5 and 8-point CSLs in non-NCM games, for example. But IMHO there are very few powers like this. Lots of things are useless in the average campaign, but very usefull in a specific one.
  15. Re: The Weird Power Posting Game. 9" superleap, only straight up (-1), only maximum noncombat move (-1), gestures (both hands) (pull imaginary handle behind head) (-½), incantations (yell "Eject, eject, eject!") (-1/4), AP 9, real cost 2. 1D6 BODY drain, continous (+1), damage shield (+½), 0 END (+½), invisible power effects (+1), only versus attacker's clothing (-2), AP40, real cost 13. Bad enough...?
  16. Or speed with charges, same question. Is speed "used" once per phase or once per turn? That is, if a SPD 4 character buys 4 extra SPD, costs END, does he pay 4 or 32 END per turn using it? If he bought it with charges, does he need 1 or 8 charges to use the extra SPD? Once per phase would be logical (normal constant power), but gets wierd with charges, or if the character is stunned or in some other way prevented to pay the END cost.
  17. If you can't use duplication, what power/construct is there that allows a character to make 2+ independent combat actions during a phase? F.ex. the character that prompted those question, kicking target A while shooting an arrow at target B. /Henrik
  18. If a hydra (or similar monster) built with duplication gets hit by an attack that does knockback, what happens? It seems stupid that the head (or whatever) that is hits flies away from the rest of the creature, but the rules can be read that way... /Henrik
  19. Does not answer these questions: Telepathy is instant, but even after the attack roll is made information might pass between the attacker and the target. So, is telepathy visible to mental awareness when used for communication? And: Mind link: A 0 END cost persistent power, so it might be completely invisible... If not as above. But then is it always visible. or only when it is actually used (like a radio link)? In the first case IPE becomes very attractive! So, is mind link visible always, only when used for communication, or never?
  20. This came up recently: What does a character with mental awareness actually notice? Ego attack: Is there a visible beam (or similar) when used? That is, if both the attacker and target is outside the observer's LOS will he notice the attack? Mind control/Mental illusions/Telepathy/Mind scan: As above. Also, is the power noticeable after the attack roll has been made? Mind control/Mental illusions/Telepathy are instant, but even after the attack roll is made information might pass between the attacker and the target (at least in the case of telepathy). Mind scan is constant, so I assume it would be noticeable throughout. But that would mean you could actually use it as a targetting sense at the +0 contact level! Just fire along the straight line that connects the attacker and target... Mind link: A 0 END cost persistent power, so it might be completely invisible... If not as above. But then is it always visible. or only when it is actually used (like a radio link)? In the first case IPE becomes very attractive!
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