Vondy

1d6 Major Transformation (Planet to Space Dust), Cumulative, Delayed Effect (5 Hours), OAF, Bulky (Planet Buster Sattelite Array), 0 End. You could make it megascale if you so desired. The characters have five hours to stop the array from punching into the earths core and blowing it to bits!

And a Harely Davidson Fat Boy!

A tricked out "Bond" style Aston Martin DB7!

I think this is a very astute observation - the characters in the book should have something to do with one another (though I recommend against a white wolf style meta-plot) -there should be enough interrelation to create a sense of verisimilitude.

I think transforms have to be built with some mode of dispel, which has to be approved by the GM at design time (not always a period of time, though that could work). I don't have my FRED in the office so I can't say for certain. An oddball route would be a summon where you summon the object in question (paying the points as base cost) with limitations that define the powers behavior. I don't know whether I like this idea or not (I'm brainstorming), but I'm throwing it out there as a cheap way to produce temporary equipment (summoned item replaces extant item for duration). Armor and Force Field UAO works, but limits the effects to "hardening matter." What if you wanted to produce some other effect? It seems like transform is the most true to definition and flexible option. If not the cheapness. A VPP is a good way of handling matter manipulation, but some GMs are anti VPP, and players who aren't pros at running them can slow play.

My game is probably "low-power" by most people's standards: Most of the seasoned characters weigh in between 500-800 points, but their DCs only run from 13-16DCs. The average is 10-12DCs, and the high end of the scale is 20DC. So where do all the points go, I hear you cry. The seasoned characters tend to have broad power-sets within their particular SFX (or have upgraded to power pools) and a goodly list of skills (and a modest advantage in combat skill levels). I also tend to allow players who are true to concept to be "the pro from dover" in their narrow area of expertise. I've also found power levels are relative. If you have 20DC and comprable defenses, and regularly fight people who have the same, its not really different from having 10DC and comprable defenses, and regularly fighting people with the same. The only question is how dangerous are conventional weapons to the PCs at lower levels. I've applied a fixed stun multiplier, so the answer is: not very.

How 'bout I tell you how to read my questions? The questions weren't for me. I own several San Angelo products, and as I said before, I liked them. The questions were for you. I want you to succeed, and as such, I was presenting questions that the consumer will need answered if you want them to purchase your product as opposed to, or in addition to, the other products that are competing for their dollar. I think San Angelo is cool, but I still don't see how the consumer would automatically assume that, and I don't see how it is notably distinct from other four color city setting (namely MC). The source material is well done, but if you don't have a clearly defined niche, or a clear-cut edge in quality (superior layout, artwork, writing) then you don't have a must buy item. And to be frank, DOJs quality is high enough that you must claim a niche for yourself that is distinct from other published products. In essence you should read my questions as: how are you going to position and market your product as unique? The answers you gave were, to be frank, dissmissive, and didn't take the consumer very seriously. In essence, I asked why I, the consumer, should give you my money, and you assumed a tone of smug flippancy. Its not a sales technique many people respond well to. I recommend a different marketing approach. Like actually answering the consumers questions in earnest. Especially when they are trying to help. Asking them "are you sure you read it?" is insulting, and turns people off.

A logical and reasonable approach to my way of thinking. Of course, logic and reason aren't popular in some circles, but it works for me.

Seattle burned to the ground in the opening decade of the 20th century (hence we have "underground seattle")

First: I liked the San Angelo stuff that was produced previously Second: Please take what follows not as criticism, but as questions you probably need to answer? 1) why should I, the consumer, by San Angelo materials when Hero already has a setting for regular supers, and is planning Hudson City and Vibora Bay settings as well? 2) what makes SA unique by comparison? what does it bring to the table that I can't get from the other three setting books? what is its niche? 3) will SA be built to current Champions power specifications, or will it be offering a higher or lower powered setting? Will you include notes for using it as such? 4) design and layout wise: will you have consistent style and quality artwork (could be black and white, but is it professional quality)? 5) what sort of mood will SA present for play? mood is often overlooked, but is a remarkably important subtext. Is it going to be a four color clone of MC, or is their going to be something that sets it apart? 6) what sort of products will you produce for the city? just neighborhood books? or, villian books as well? or, adventure books? 7) will SA be in the Hero Universe (since DOJ seems friendly to it), or will it be stand-alone? By that same token, will you be making suggestions for how to fit the city into other campaigns? As you can see, my main questions are: 1) what sets SA apart from MC, HC, VB? and 2) why do I need it?

Normal Person Junk Doctrine: I don't charge characters for normal junk ordinary people typically have, or can easily purchase - nor do I require a write up of said objects. The exceptions to this rule are two-fold: 1) if the item is beyond the characters financial bracket, or 2) it falls into the category of "weapons and armor" So things like ordinary cars, flashlights, rain-coats, condos, cel-phones, and personal computers don't generally cost points in my games because they are: 1) generally available to the common man, and 2) advance non-essential plot functions, and 3) don't impact play in an overt way that would require an expenditure of points Player: How many points does a flashlight cost? GM: Did you take any sort of finance oriented limitations? Player: No. GM: Its free. Player: Free? GM: Yeah, do you want a mid-size sedan, too? Player: Sure... uh... GM: And a common household Personal Computer? Player: What's the catch? GM: No catch. Would you like a condo to put the computer in? Player: No, really, what's the catch? GM: No, really. No catch. You can have a mobile phone too, if you want. Player: Can my phone be an encrypted sattelite phone? GM: now you see - that will cost you points...

It depends what genre you want to run. If you aren't absolutely set on running supers right off the bat I would recommend starting with a heroic level modern day game (one or two story arcs) with characters built on 75+75 with normal characteristic maxima and point-free equipment. I say this because: 1) It simplifies initial character design and speeds up system assimilation 2) It provides perspective in terms of power levels when it comes time to build super-heroes (players will have a more reasonable idea of what constitutes "super") 3) You save a million headaches when it comes time to run another heroic level game - because champions players who start out with supers are the absolute worst when it comes to "scaled down" power settings (sniveling whiners!) 4) It provides you, the GM, with an idea about how things work without worrying about the multitude of variables that come from super-powers, magic, and the like. Just my 2 Active Points

Anthem: as the director (and public face) of the Freedom Patrol, a project under the aegis of the national security council that provides meta-human operatives to the nation's defense and intelligence agencies (as well as maintaining a critical incident team for meta-human rampages and the like) would check the mugger to make sure he wasn't in immediate need of medical attention, or worse, and then return the gent who walked away with the gun to the scene so all three of them could have a nice talk with the local police department. Good citizenship can never be overrated. If the gentleman didn't want to return to the scene, well, some people never learn... Midnight: he wouldn't be too upset, but he would remove the illegal firearm from the reverse muggers possession. He doesn't like guns, and there are too many unlicensed ones on the streets these days.... Pinstripe: would execute the downed mugger on the spot, and then tail the other guy to see if he needed to be "judged" as well... Doc Micro: he'd leave a note to the effect of "only small men resort to violence - I hope you learned your lesson" on the mugger and then tail the guy who took the gun to see what he was going to do with it. If he turned out to be scum he'd get "cut down to size". If possible he'd shrink the gun and remove it from circulation....

ugh! Just say no and let him take his risks like everyone else. I'd tell him to spend the same number of points on luck and call it a day.

Is this one of those "would anyone notice" quastions?

Anthem - well, he is the federal government's super-hero team director, but assuming he wasn't: investigate it independently, get solid proof, and file an injunction for a new hearing in federal court based on new evidence (it pays to have a law degree). Nightwing - he'd investigate the matter and go to the media. Pinstripe - cut a blood red swath through the ranks of those involved until he found the correct evidence, and then, if the guy was innocent of any crimes, he'd go to the media. If the guy was guilty of another capitol crime he'd sit on the evidence. Doc Micro - investigate and go to the media.

I would say no. Not any more than any other person might have. Some states have higher standards for justifying lethal force for police officers than civillians, but that's not a universal rule. The only realistic implementation of this would be through their "watched: department" disadvantage (internal affairs reviews every shoot).

You could just assume a fall does maximum damage (it doesn't miss and hits everything). 20DC would be 40 Body. Certain death, even for the hardiest of men!

David: Hello, my name is David and I'm a hand-waver. Hand Wavers Support Group: Hi Dave! David: I've been hand-waving upper end mechanics and declaring plot device caveats for thirteen years now. It all started when I realized hero's mechanics were set on a bell curve, but their supplements, and many gamers, didn't adhere to this rule on a consistent basis.

Anthem - grab the nemesis and fly forward around the world using his 60 points FTL travel to return to the present, executing a backwards superman maneuver. The flight array (flight, supersonic flight, and ftl flight in an MP strikes again). Midnight - goes native and leads the natives in an uprising against the evil one! He wouldn't know a temporal paradox if it came up and kicked him in the backside. Pinstripe - execute bad-guy, recover evil-doer's time machine, return to future, execute all involved in the manufacture of said device. Doc Micro - will cannibalize his gear, build a time machine, and return both to the future.

If your referring to the hero meta-setting where all of their various settings, regardless of genre, exist in the same continuity the answer is not on your life. I don't like the idea, and think certain genres work better without screwball explanations of why superheroes ceased to exist, or why magic works in one setting or another... etc. Of course, there are people who like that sort of thing, but lets just say its not my cup of tea. I run my own champions setting (its been extensively fleshed out over the past 13 years). I will probably run something in the Valdorian Age or Tuala Morn when they come out, after some cosmetic tweaking, but don't intend to connect them to my other genre games. I'm running a Vampire PBEM game with Hero - but its been so invasively tweaked that its not WOD anymore. I don't run space games so its a no-go.

What about having magic be external to the character - requiring a source of mana (end) to cast spells? Sources like magic pools and the like could be end reserves with appropriate recoveries, while sources like the exotic green lotus could be expendable. You could also do a hybrid on this by stating that characters who use their personal endurance pay long term endurance. That way, without mana, they can still throw a few spells (or one biggish one), but they can't do it constantly.

Ressurection for the duplicate is the appropriate solution. I would allow him to buy it as a naked adder with the limitations "extra-time", and "original must reactivate duplication power" How does the duplicate react when it sees its own corpse?

Thats the problem with doing straight conversions to a system built on a bell curve. It creates unmanagable characters with things like 70PD/ED and 80d6 punches that render the system unweildy at best, and unworkable at worst. The difference we have is a philosophical one. I would rather do an abstract conversion and "contrive" a managable defense that keeps the character in a reasonable zone than break the curve. Its Hero's one big weakness - you have to hand wave and declare plot device to make the upper end of the scale work. If contrivance simplifies my life and saves me a headache (and time) I'm all for it. Personally - superman shouldn't have to go past 40 PD/ED to be properly simulated (though most gamers I've met build higher powered versions of published characters than I do). You consider my solution contrived, I consider yours hard to justify from the bell curve perspective. Fortuanately we don't have to be in eachothers games. Thats the beauty of it. Its a matter of preference. Personally, I'd just hand wave it and declare the sun to be a plot device (I'm usually shocked when people come up with write ups for these things anyways - they actually have time?). Life's to short.

Shoot them. Use hydrochloric acid in a stainless steel tub to dispose of the body. /legal disclaimer mode on! This post is humor. If you took its contents seriously he strongly recommends checking yourself into a secure mental health facility. /legal disclaimer mode off!