Black Rose

Re: Regulating Power Skill I think that's to discourage excessive mucking about with the Power skill. Considering we (the HERO-using public) can simply loosen things up as we wish, making it a bit restrictive doesn't really hurt anything. Though I must say that IMO, the ability of the Power skill is pretty weak at the moment. I completely recommend that players put a small pool of points aside - 5 or so - to add any nifty new abilities to their main trick's Multipower. Oh, I also recommend Multipowers, but I think you figured that out already. I think you'd wanna throw some kind of penalties on these rolls. Forex.... 40 STR TK into a 12D6 EB? Same basic SFX and stuff? -4 perhaps? 12d6 EB (firebolt) into a +60" Leap? -6 or so, since you're doing something that's pretty different from the originating power; though some kind of fiery damage SE would make a lot of sense, and reduce the penality. Force Field into a Force Field UBO? -1 or 2, this is the kind of tweak that makes the most sense, in terms of using the Power skill; minor shifts that don't alter the concept of the power in any real fashion. Now saying "this will cost x5 END" and getting a bonus makes a lot of sense. You might even have a list of limitations that could be used, and how much they would be worth in terms of bonuses; maybe something about the difference between the Active Points and the Real Points, I dunno. Then again, most GMs I know would wing it pretty much all the way.

Re: Regulating Power Skill

Re: A New Look at My Boxing Framework No ST adding to this, overall this one seems fine. With the lim you have on it, this could add to any Martial Maneuver. I'd say, make it Limited Power Only For Non-Damaging Martial Maneuvers (-1/2) , and it merely becomes a very efficient way to do all the Exert maneuvers. Another one to which STR won't add. You can only add 10 STR to this for damage, IIRC. Not so bad, really. All reasonable to me. Since you wouldn't be do more than double your STR, these are all fine IMC. Now for superheroic games, things would be different. I really like this on, BTW. So long as you don't expect the to "magically" transform your STR into new and different powers without paying for it. If you upped the Reserve value, and made all the slots Add Modifiers To Base Characteristics, I'd watch it at first, but I don't think I would be too bad. Is this one of your "sneak it past the GM" creations, Court Fool?

Re: Tentative 2006 Schedule For my own purchasing choices (like you all care or something ). Note that I liberally "borrow" from Zornwil (thanx man). remaining 2005 (at that writing): Hudson City - not too likely. I have the main book, and that's what I need for the mo'. Valdorian Age (Both of these are already out) - likewise, not very likely. I prefer higher-end Fantasy. I might pick it up later to "fill the straight". Villainy Amok - not for a while. I can come up with ideas on my own, usually, and there are other books to buy! Hidden Lands - maybe later. Books full of places I won't be sending characters any time soon doesn't grab me. UNTIL SuperPowers Database 2 - oh hell yeah! Love the first one, and the fact that there will be an update for those of us who choose not to buy the revised first book is just one of the things I love about DoJ. Very cool Steve. Dark Champions: The Animated Series - Yup yup yup. As far as Champions goes, this is more the setting type I prefer - little less gritty than DC, but not four-color by any stretch. HERO System Equipment Guide - eventually. I'm not a big toy fan. Predators - not for a while. I'll pick it up before I buy Hudson City, though. Teen Champions - oh yeah. Right there with the DC:TAS. Love it love it! HERO System Combat Guide - I'm definitely going to give this the once-over in the FLGS. I don't know enough to make a purchase decision at this time. Pulp HERO - eventually. I do like the Pulp concept, but there are other books to buy with my limited fundage. Champions Worldwide - eventually. Not a priority, though. Everyman - sooner or later. I really liked NU, and am more than a little peeved I can't find my old copy. This is something useful for the line. Masterminds and Madmen - eventually. I do like new character writeups, if only for ideas to steal. Heck, DEMON was full of those, and I don't even run a supers setting. Ultimate Metamorph - eventually. More to fill out the Ultimate section on the shelf than due to a vital need. Amazing HEROTales - Softcover Fiction book with Pulp Stories - maybe. I'd like to see it first. Asian Beastiary - ABSOLUTELY!!!!! If there was nothing else I could buy this year, this would be it. Gods, I wish I had it right now. Ultimate Speedster - certainly. Definite idea-mining opportunities here. I'm more of a martial arts gamer, and quick-moving is the name of the game. Worlds of Empire - sooner or later, but it's near the bottom of the list. And as for 2006.... Nobles, Knights, and Necromancers - I wanna see it first, but I probably will. I'm a total slut for the Fantasy HERO line. Ultimate Mentalist - yup yup yup. Gotta have the nifty magic and mentalism in my games. Stronghold - not for a long while. It's not something I will be needing anytime soon. If it came up as part of a bundle pack, or a reduced price sale, possibly. Golden Age Champions - sooner or later. I like my 4th Ed copy; it's a fun setting. Psychic Wars - probably. Good for idea-mining The Celtic Beastiary - eventually. Depends on what I think of Tuala Morn. Thrilling Places - see Pulp HERO above. Not a priority. Tuala Morn - probably, eventually. I like the higher-powered Fantasy settings, and Celtic is fun. Pulp Resource Book - see Pulp HERO above. Not a priority. Ultimate Skill - This is the one book I MUST have in '06. As unkind as it is to say about many other fine books, they can all go burn, so long as I get TUSk Villians, Vandals and Vermin - eventually. Horror HERO - oh yeah. I'm gonna get this sooner or later, even sooner if Hite writes it. Champions Universe Update - maybe, maybe not. Not a priority Danger Zones - also not a priority. The Underworld Sourcebook - again, not a priority Possible Leatherbound Special Edition - maybe. I was silly enough to shell out for Sidekick and FREd 2, wasn't I? Looking back at this list, I seem pretty low on the buying for the next 20 months. I'll probably buy more than I say here, though.

Re: A New Look at Martial Arts On a one-to-one basis, yeah, the Martial Manuevers are more restricted than a comparable build with Powers and CSLs. But they are intended for Heroic use primarily (Superheroics can do straight builds), so I think they work out okay costwise. It's when you've got over 20 points worth (or more than four different maneuver types) that the redundancy kicks in; if you ever buy a "duplicate" maneuver (two strikes, or blocks, or dodges), you're losing out. Why on earth would I buy Martial Dodge and Flying Dodge, when I can buy Flying Dodge and +1 DCV with works with every maneuver I have? Better yet, I can buy Running and Leaping to make my Half Moves equal to Full Moves, and never buy a "Flying" maneuver at all. NTM, any velocity-based maneuver get a boost as well. The same thing goes with the HA portion of Martial Strike; not the DCV bonus, but then 3-point CSLs could normally apply to multiple maneuvers and add to OCV or damage instead, so equivalent CSLs used to buy a Martial Strike would have to be Limited too. EDIT: Yes, I know you normally cannot put Limitations on CSLs that are under the 5-point level. I understand that changing this rule could make CSLs way too cheap. Perhaps an exemption could be made when building a maneuver like this, so that the CSLs are prevented from being used with any other maneuver. Some other balancing factors, such as placing an AP cap on such a maneuver, could potentially make Martial Arts pretty consistent with the rest of the system. See my post above for my fix for this. And as far as OCV/DCV penalties go, make them Custom Adders (if you're using HD) onto whichever CV is positive. They come out a little more expensive, but we're talking one or two points here. I really have to work up something like what Hierax has done, just so we could compare them side-by-side. I think mine will be more pricy on the AP end, but I think I've come up with some more "complete builds".

Re: A New Look at Martial Arts

Re: Favorite Abuse

Re: Regulating Power Skill Do you have USPD? There are a couple of explained uses for the Power Skill. Essentially, and I truly hope this does not violate IP (I'm gonna keep it imprecise anyway), while you can use it to "pull new powers out of your butt", they are only a small fraction of your Active Points; if you want or need more points to pull off the effect, you take some serious penalties. Personally, I wouldn't let your players raise Power above some arbitrary point - say stat roll - without having serious experience in using the powers in question. This is easy when the PCs are "beginning heroes", but if they are playing canny veterans, I'd let them have a bit more play.

Re: A New Look at Martial Arts Well, to use a simple example, Martial Strike is a +0 OCV, +2 DCV, STR +2d6 Strike. To replicate in skill level and power terms: +2 DCV with Strike (6 pts), +2d6 HA (7 pts). Total of 13 pts, costs 4 pts as a martial maneuver. Martial Dodge is +2 DCV (10 pts), costs 4. The reason they are costed so cheaply is there is an assumption that you will be buying a number of them; at least 10 points worth, and more likely 20+. If you imagine it as a multipower, it works out better. Personally, I prefer to simply consider it a Multipower, and throw a +0 Ad/Disad "Martial Art Maneuvers" onto it. They will act as martial art maneuvers in all ways, so you can't Martial Dodge and Offensive Strike to get some bennies out of it. If you go the path of Multipower, however, you have to be sure to NOT LET THE PLAYERS MAKE THEIR OWN MANEUVERS. At all. Ever. At least, not without your extreme oversight. It's too easy to get carried away with things. Some of the more esoteric maneuvers I've translated (Reversal or Escaping Throw, forex) can cost nearly 50 points, no biggie, really, but Martial Dodge costs 10 points. If you start making all your abilities match the reserve size, it can get ugly fast.

I was prowling around on Fitz's website, and decided to take a look at his DnD House Rules. Many of them are very HERO influenced, and I thought I would point out his idea for Languages. You can find it here. What do you think of it? Specifically, I'm referring to the +1 for Besic Literacy, +2 for High Literacy. Now, in a setting where literacy is assumed (most modern), you could skip the first level, and simply have +1 for "Highly Literate". As a way of handling skills, it's close enough to the official way of doing it that the explanations by each level only serve to make it easier to understand, without adding any complexity. Thoughts?

Re: Taking Your 11, or Taking Your 3 Actually, if you're going for the "I take my time and do a thorough job, thus getting the equivalant of an 11- roll" effect, you could let people with Familiarities do it as much as they want. Familiarity is 8-; roll 11, and you fail by three, enough that even my Almost Made It rule* wouldn't apply. *Almost Made It rule: if there is a way to "partially fail" at a task, anyone missing a roll by 1 (and only one) is said to have Almost Made It. Effectively, it means you get another chance, normally at a slight penalty, though you might get a bonus to your roll if it makes sense.

Re: Martial Arts as Multipower? Let me preface this by saying "This must be one kick-@$$ game to let you have some of the techniques in this list." I went with creating some 0-point optional maneuvers to fill in the gaps; I'd have to look through the chaos that is my HERO folder to be exact, but I think I had a velocity throw, a couple flashes, and maybe something else (I really can't remember). Maybe this is a sign from the Gaming Gawds to redo them. Um, dude, what's Black Cat's base STR? Cause I can see this getting nasty and red-smeared in a real hurry. Actually, I should ask you what the campaign parameters are, 'cause if the other guys are throwing 16-18 DC attacks around, and Black Cat only has a 20 STR, it's not as bad as I think. Is having Resistant Defense higher than the Body rolled on an attack an NND-worthy defense? It seems to me that having enough rPD to block the Body of an attack is what stops every normal attack, too. Granted, not the Stun rolled, but still. Lemme guess: Black Cat starts combat with his Kiai Shout, and the rest of the party Holds their actions until they see which opponents haven't died from a fricken' heart attack after being nailed by an 18d6 PRE Attack? (Or, for a Silver Age game, which haven't soiled their tights) Geezum Crow, dude, some of the Kings of Edom wield PRE Attacks this nasty. Maybe I've spent too much time in lower-power level settings. Then again, if Black Cat is a serious heavy hitter, much of this makes sense.

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute The relentless insistance on others to ignore past experience and give them one more try would pretty much have to be a Psych Lim. In Akane's case, something like "PsychLim: Thinks she can actually cook (uncommon, total; -15)". The concept is pretty tailor-made for the Disad. As far as the abysmal skill level, I think it would have to be a PhysLim for people like Ryouga and his utter lack of direction sense (he really can't try to overcome his limitation), and a PsychLim for Akane (later in the manga she starts to cook better, actually making a tolerable curry). With Akane, it's really a matter of thinking she's better than she is (if I don't know how to do it, it can't be all that hard) and excessive enthusiasm. Granted, my opinion is colored by reading way too many fanfic, but still. To lob a related concept at you, how would you model Kasumi's blissful "ignore"-ance of anything upsetting? She does see what's happening, but she filters it through her rose-colored glasses and turns homicidal Amazons bent on killing her little sister's fiance and directionally-challenged death threat screaming teenagers into "Ranma, your friend came looking for you, so I served them tea." Also, it seems reality conspires to not push her too hard to see what she doesn't acknowledge.

Re: Partially Limited Multipower Reserve? AFAICT, the only "legal" thing you can do is have each slot limited as you have already said, but the reserve has no partially limited advantages or limitations. If you want it anyway, it will be "illegal" (but entirely appropriate for your game if you choose), figure what the limited advantage or limitation would be worth, in fractions; 0 END (+1/2); OAF (-1) would be a +1/4. I'd just use one of the scalable advantages that doesn't alter anything on the page, like Variable SFX; only goes to +1/2, but still usable, and you can reuse it til you get where you want to be.

Re: Martial Arts as Multipower? Talk to Hierax about his Multi-power Martial Arts. There are still a few maneuver elements that have yet to be quantified in an elegant manner, but by and large it's coming along nicely. Also, check out Markdoc's version of the idea. Note that it has a couple of house rules operating in it (STR costing 2/1 for a start), but it was my first look at the idea. And it has a wonderful design philosophy following the crunchy bits. Just as a side comment. The problems I've found with the Martial Art Multipower are in implementing the following concepts Velocity-based damage; i.e., the +v/5 thing. Needed for Martial Throw and several of the "moving" maneuvers. Disabling and impairing damage as separate from regular MA damage. I used to have a problem with the "Full Move" element, but after reading Mike Surbrook's excellent Ninja Hero, I figured out a nice workaround; inches of movement only to increase Half Moves. Also, Hero Designer allows for a great workaround for minuses to OCV and DCV; throw a Custom Adder in for the negative value. It comes out to a bit less than the "actual value" of the negative skill level, but since we're talking a point or two here at the outside, it's not such a big deal.

Re: Victorian Women's Art of Self Defense See, and here I was thinking you'd press it against the guy's torso. Am I the only one here with a at the thought of some villianous cad attempting to have his way with a "poor helpless Young Maiden", only to have his grey matter smeared across the drawing room wall?

Re: Why does the USS Iowa only have a 10 Defense? Complete agreement with the points which preceded this post, and.... Consider that the M1 Abrams is, essentially, a vehicle to move around a big honkin' gun. That's it, really. They don't do anything else. Tank move in, aims, makes baddies go boom. The Mk. XII Starship Laser (which I haven't seen, so I could be wrong) is either the main or secondary gun on a starship. The starship does other stuff, possibly even lots of other stuff; cargo transport, people moving, system monitoring, scientific studies, etc. Plus it can make things go boom.

Re: Background skills When it comes to skill rolls, I tend to follow Markdoc's guidelines, which are pretty close to yours. An 8- is enough to do the job, most of the time, but you might be in trouble if a crisis hits (come on, any kind of penalty on an 8- roll is going to hit you hard). An 11- is someone who is good at their job; not phenomenal, not envelope-pushing, but damn good. This is the guy the boss relies upon to get things done, the one you know can handle it. A 14- is phenomenal, or at least the best most people are likely to meet. Now, all that is for a heroic setting; superheroic settings let you have things like KS: Quantum Physics 18- and still not get scouted by every world-class university, multinational corporation and government on Earth. Frankly, if you've got a skill at this level, you should be getting offers from alien races we don't even know about. A 14- being "encyclopedic" makes a lot of sense to me. Come on, you've got a better than 90% chance to succeed, right off the bat. And that roll is only going to be made during "challenging situations". How often is that? I'd say one time in three, maybe four. So really, you're going to succeed at any tasks involving the skill: 100% of 2/3 = ~66.66%.........................non-challenging situations 90% of 1/3 = 30.25%.........................challenging situations Total Success Rate = 96.95% Of course, the non-challenging/challenging ratios are off the top of my head, but I think they are pretty reasonable. Especially considering the Regency period, it was spoken; not as a living language, granted, but it was the language of educated gentlemen. I'd go for Fluent Conversation, with Literacy if it's not standard. Actually, I'd say you have to pay for the Literacy first, along with the Basic Conversation. There's really no reason to have it much past that.

Re: Teen Champions to critique

Re: Background skills Considering an AK: home territory 8- is included in a character's Everyman Skills, and that would be considered acceptable for Joe "I've lived here all my life" Public, I'd say having AK: Ports of the Indian Ocean at 11- would be more than adequate for knowing most basic stuff. If you have a habit of wanting to know very specific details about a port city (alleys to duck down to lose thugs, which beggar can get you in good with an apothecary who will sell poisons, etc), then you want to be more specific in your skill buying. BTJMO, Black Rose

Re: Name her! Give her Powers! I'm Lazy! Now, I admit I may have been a tad more sexually repressed in my high school years, but that first book (and, by extension, all those which followed, though I didn't read them) unnerved and discomforted me in ways I can't adequately vocalise. And I don't dislike bishi boy yaoi stories. Just Wraeththu. Something about it... kimochi waruui

Re: Name her! Give her Powers! I'm Lazy!

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

Re: Rewrite your PC(s) as Iron Age Villians! You know, if she were set in a mid-Silver Age world, she'd be at least as popular as whatever flag-based super patriot they've got. Come on, not only does she love and protect the Good Ol' US of A, she loves and protects each state just as much! She's gonna get invites to every state anniversary (and everything else governors and state legislatures can dream up). OTOH, if it were tinged with a drop or two of Bronze, she'd be running herself ragged trying to make each one of those events. And just think of the chaos when she gets her butt kicked. You've got the governor of New York on the line inside of ten seconds wanting to know why Speedster powers, No Need To Sleep, and the ability to speak most of the world's languages wasn't good enough to take out Bulldozer. That could be fun.....

Re: Building Power Armor As far as I'm concerned, they were probably the best thing about C:NM. Not having read a kiloton of comics like some, I've probably missed it, but AFAIC, that was original and well worth stealing. It makes so much sense; why pay for all the skills to maintain your suit when you can have some geeks do it for you?