ghost-angel

Don't get me wrong, enthusiasm for the game is good. Buying products is good. Just couldn't resist the joke. Haven't bought Sidekick myself, but then I don't introduce new people to the game very often.

or maybe the dosage needs to be doubled. hard to tell sometimes.

Yeah, the idea is all the ravens can be all over the place ... where's the real raven? no one knows. Of course that just gave me an idea .. instead of one "Real Raven" per the normal rules of duplication, what would it take to make it so any one Raven could be the "real" raven and shift back to another form, the real raven could move from Raven to Raven as needed the others in the flock simply fade out when the form shifts back... Probably some kind of Advantage I'd think, but how much?

Horror is a mood genre, so you really do have to have the right players to get it to work well. But here's a few tricks that might enhance the game aspect of it. You'll probably rely on EGO rolls to effect in game sanity and ability to keep their cool. With that in mind to get the feel right don't let them get to high of an EGO, best way to do that is to not tell them you're about to dump them into a horror genre, if they think it's some kind of Modern genre (or anything else) they may not pump that EGO up. once the game has started, mess with them. The character finds and opens the Neronomicon and reads a few passages... give them 4 pt KS: Elder Beings, -4 pt EGO -2 right off the bat. Bang. The price of some types of knowledge is your sanity (Lovecraft seemed to think so, worked for him.) Betcha the next character thinks twice about trying to quickly gain knowledge about something. This prevents the Characters from knowing everything about the enemy so you can just keep 'em guessing.

Special Effects Jusitified How many multiplayer video games have you played where you can't hurt your "teammate" even after unloading into them with everything you've got? Obviously they're in a video game and obivously the game doesn't let them shoot each other. Of, the entire team should get this power.

Defend, Neutralize, Annihilate. They are the "evil" guys after all. So, what happens when they find out and go with it... Prepared for the end of the world?

The whole werewolf/vampire thing is mostly to mess with the GM. He's always got them both wandering around his worlds in various states of cooperation. I figured if the two manage to coexist side by side in his worlds why hasn't a cross come up yet? So I made one. There really was no other reason to choose that particular schtick. The character idea itself is "mini-brick". Moderate defenses, minor offesive capabilities. When the GM sees a brick character his immediate response is to simply start upping damage done in combat. Which is fine with the brick, but the other players tend to groan a bit. Of course, the initial character is a 350 pt character and doesn't have all the really cool bits. I tend to plan ahead. The best thing about the GM is he is very story based and if the story is good he tends to slide with the points a little. The initial character can't shift into the Ravens, just a little wolf. I'll post the character when we get further into the game.

One method we use in our games is that a new character cannot buy a skill above 16-, nor can they attain more than 2 Skill levels with a skill (combat skill levels have a cap of 3 or 4, forget which). This effectively means that a newly created character shouldn't get above 18- unless they bought the base characteristic to some insane level, in which case other areas may noticeably suffer. But our players tend to run skill heavy characters and usually would rather take a lower roll in one skill for the option of putting on a different skill. The idea being the more you know the more you can do. Once the game starts there's no cap (we have one skill-monkey that routinely makes rolls by 8 or 9) but all skill points purchased once a game starts has to be jusitifed .. no buying up that Electronics roll if the character hasn't used it in four game months. The other thing we do has to do with the roll itself. No one can say "I made it." when asked to make a skill roll, most often the GM just auto-fails them. Anytime we're asked for a roll we answer by how much we made it, the GM sees to much of a high number then whatever we're trying to go against has their roll increased as well. Even when it doesn't look like it's a skill vs skill roll it can be. If you're trying to make a piece of equipment work through a Systems Operations roll then the GM can impose the "Person who designed the system wanted only trained personel to use it, they have a roll of 28-, good luck." And then there's storyline, if failing a roll furthers the story line but you need to know by how much they fail reverse it on them ... a great roll which is a success by seven or so really means they failed by 7. Keeps 'em guessing and makes for fun on occasion.

hit locations can provide for a brutal game, which is not the direction many "superheroic" games go I suppose. We use them as we see fit. In most combat scenarios we do not use them. In combat where we want to up the level of maiming we do use them. Of course it doesn't help that I'm always calling head shots and usually downing enemies before they all get a turn. But we run a much more brutal game than the average. So yeah, yours works much better for a non-hit location game.

hit locations are an excellent way to simulate bloody and violent combat. I use it in my Cyberpunk campaigns with excellent effectiveness ... the firefights are short, violent and deadly. Players start to think twice before opening up with gunfire. From FREd p278: Disabling, optional rule Whenver the BODY damage done to an area (before or after the BODYx) is more than the characters total BODY, that area is disabled. which is more damage required than in 4e I believe which was just 1/3 total BODY to an area disables it. Either way, a super with a KA doing a called headshot will probably pop through their skull and empty the contents out the other side. Mostly its also a matter of story telling, if ripping the opponents arm off and beating them to death with it would make for good cinematics I, and maybe my current GM, would probably allow it. If you punched some shmoe in the skull and did seven BODY to it and he's got a total of 10 BODY I'd say he was effectively headless. ghost

aye, my rather flimsy arguement is shot to pieces .. I can't think of any other reasons not to put something like Aid in an EC .. I really don't know why they stated that EC powers have to cost END inherently. It's silly and only exists so people can't build DEX/SPD/DEF Monkey's with ECs at a dirst cheap price, I guess. Or any other form of random abuse that Munchkin's use to get the most effect with the least cost. I personally hate ECs, I think they're cheesy way to get more/bigger powers for less. I especially hate "racial ECs" simply becuase they provide even more opportunity for abuse. In fact my GM usually muscles me into using ECs with my characters. He says I'm the only player who cringes when suggests them - and wishes the rest of his plater took my example and stopped trying to Play By Numbers and finagle their way into characters with ECs. But this is me and my opinion on them. Honestly, there is no conceptual and game mechanic reason that any power shouldn't be dropped into an EC beyond "Because Steve said so." Ask him why he decided that powers that cost no END can't be placed in ECs. I personally think the use of and powers included in an EC should be left entirely up to the GM and I think every player should have enough respect for their GM that when he says "no" they say "ok" and go back to the design phase. Of course, GMs should have enough respect for their players to give a valid reason why not .. even something as simple as "unbalances my campaign". but that's me.

heh heh .. I like that idea. That's a great way to do cybernetics with no Bio-Feedback (you don't get Stunned or Hurt when someone shoots your cyber-hand). Of course, how you "feel" with that limb might come into play. Personally if you've got the Touch Sense Group with it then you should be able to also feel it's "pain". and STUN is just another way of saying "system shock" in many cases. But it's a wicked cool idea.

ah .. I didn't even notice it didn't cost END. I don't ever use Aid so I didn't think to double check. Well, then there you go - that's the reason you can't use Aid in an EC and you can use Healing .. Healing is Aid with "Costs END" .. make Aid costs END and you can put it in an EC. I've never really had a problem with Adjustment powers to be honest. You're working with something that inherently changes how everything else works .. A lot of it is left up to the GM to interpret for use in a game. but that goes for everything.

A mechanical/cyber limb itself is simply a matter of SFX. You just say "my limb is made of metal" As for making it so you don't take STUN .. you're GM would have to let you take the automaton "Takes No STUN only BODY" got 60 pts with the Limitation "Left arm only" (for example) at -.75 or whatever value your GM feels is appropriate. This assumes you use Hit Locations, if you do not then the Limitation might go down to -.25 or even 0. As for powers on the limb those are just OIF or IIF Limitations or "left arm". Assuming the arm can be removed. If the arm cannot be removed I wouldn't even go that far - you just use your powers through your left arm (or whichever limb) like any other power. At that point your simply talking about the FX of "I have a metal hand, it works like everyone elses hands in the world" and you get no Limitations for defining your hand as mechanical.

I think the biggest thing people forget for determining power levels is it's not just how many points the character is. It's also how many active points are being put into any given power(s). If you got a 1000 pt character who has a really large number of 20 Active point powers vs a 250 pt character who has a couple of 60 Active point powers you could call the playing field even. And it also depends on what powers you're talking about. There's a lot that can be factored into something as vague as "power level". I'm in one campaign with 700-800 pt characters (I think mine actually comes in at the largest point value with near 800) but we don't go much over 60-80 active points (I have a 100 pt VPP but it's entirely the GMs fault and I didn't ask for it, or the baggage that came with it mind you - it's still undecided as to who is annoyed more my character or the GM, but that's the defacto "largest power" we have available in the group of PCs). NPCs that fall into the 250-350 pt range can compete with us and have a chance to do some decent damage. We simply have a vantage of versitality, but can still very much lose a fight to a well thought out attack from the "little guys". I'm not saying that the total character points isn't a very good judge of power level, but that it isn't the only such way to qualify power levels.

The only explanation I could possibly offer up is this: Healing is automatically limited to Starting Values and Aid is not. my case stops there .. mostly because I see nowhere that states Aid can't be put in an EC, it costs END which is the only rule you need to satisfy beyond convincing your GM the special effect fits the rest of the EC. Where does it say Aid can't go in an EC? I can't find that anywhere. I think GMs don't like Aid because of the enormous potential for abuse .. my Aid feeds an Aid that feeds the first Aid and a Cosmic-VPP that has an Aid that feeds the first two Aids .. I'm not even sure you can do that in 5th anymore .. but with something like 5 character points you created the most powerful being in creation (once he got started that is). Most GMs I know that cringe whenever I say "I have Aid..." have dealt with something similar to that. Beyond the "GM says so." I see no reason why Aid couldn't be put in an EC.

singing the Hamtaro song? Isn't that a 20D6 PRE attack with effect "Heroes cower in fear and pain"? the mind reels at such a thing. and I thought my GM was an evil bastard.

just the FAQs from the FAQ: Q:_ If a character has an alternate form built with Duplication, Cannot Be Recombined (such as the hydra from the HERO System Bestiary), is he automatically Duplicated when he changes to that form? A:_ Generally, yes, he’d already be Duplicated. As always, the GM can change that outcome if it doesn’t make sense or causes game balance problems. -- the concept is that the alternate form is not "a raven" but "A Conspiracy Of Ravens" .. all 32, no less. The idea was born from Lucifer's outro in The Prophecy. Given that arguement and the FAQ unless the GM really gives me a good reason to add Rapid Duplication I'd say it isn't required.

After some thought, I agree 'Cannot Recombine' works much better. combined with the characters "Accidental Change when damaged (Body done to Character)" I would have the potential effect to be blown apart into 32 ravens .. hrm.. combined with the character's Regen Healing they wouldn't stay very injured for long. hehe, I love it when a cool concept does even more than I thought. no problem.

a 60 pt Multipower with a pair of 60 Active Cost Absorption powers in flexible slots costs 84 pts. (saves 36 pts over the strait cost of 2 12D6 Absorbs). This allows you to turn both of them on at half power (6D6 Absorb vs Energy & Physical) all the time with no problem. Or if you know you're going up against Mongo The Fist you can turn off the Energy and crank the Physical to a full 12D6, or any combination therein. alternately if you just want to Fire And Forget a 60 pt Multipower with 2 ultra slots of 30 Active Cost Absorption costs only 66 pts. You've got both on at once, but you're stuck at a max of 6D6 Absorption for each power. in an EC with 60-Active points the cost ends up being: 30 - EC Control 30 - 12D6 Absorption vs Physical 30 - 12D6 Absorption vs Energy Total = 90. The Multipower ends up being cheaper in the end anyway. Unless you start putting on Limitations to the powers as well. I'd go with the Multipower with Flexible Slots personally. It seems cheapest and you don't have to convince the GM of anything.

Hmm.. how did you come out with that cost? Just curious, I let HeroDesigner do the math and a 275-pt Duplicate (55 pts) with x32 Forms (25 pts), Inherent (+.25advtg) came out to 100 point cost(80 x 1.25). With Always On it drops to 67 (100 / 1.5), using Cannot Recombine as a -0 leaves it at 100. Am I missing anything? As for the naming .. here's the entire Corvid family naming scheme: Cospiracy of Ravens (also, Unkindness of Ravens; Storytelling of Ravens) Murder of Crows (also, Storytelling of Crows) Parliment of Rooks (also, Building of rooks; Clamor of Rooks; Storytelling of Rooks) Band of Jays (also, Party of Jays, Scold of Jays) Tidings of Magpies Nutcrackers and Jackdaws are just known as Flocks.

Here's a quick run down of the character concept just in case someone needs it to help me answer this.. Character is a vampire/werewolf mix, base form is Human and has Multiform (wolf, were-wolf), the largest multiform has 410pts in it (the were-wolf), after the character gains some more experience the vampires half's shapeshifting abilities come into play - adding another form to the Multiform (+5 points)... that's the easy part. I want the third shape to be a Conspiracy of Ravens. So when the characters shifts into the raven they really shift in 32 ravens. Now the raven is a little thing that doesn't come anywhere near the 410 point total available in the Multiform. It's a 275 point Raven .. now to make the Conspiracy I'd like to buy Duplication, Always On, Inherent (in this form the chracters is Always 32 ravens, no recombining allowed, and it's not a power but a state of being). I can alternately take Cannot Recombine, but that's neither here nor there at this point. Problem is figuring out the cost of Duplication .. since the form can theoretically have 410 points - but doesn't - wouldn't it be easier to try and hit the Break Point on Duplication given that the Raven itself is 275 pts, a 275pt Duplication + Inherent + x32 Forms = 100 Active Points (we'll leave off the limitation for now). So now the form is 375 pts (less than allowed by Multiform) and is effectively making 32 275 pt Ravens all exactly the same in powers/skills/etc. So I've effectively reached the Point Break of the 375pt form @ 275pt in each form though the 'main' form is really 375 pts total including Duplication. The FAQ mentions doing this ... so I think I did it right. That sound right? reasonable? even remotely correct? did any of this make sense? [my objective as a player is to force the Game System, or at the very least my GM, to go into Kernal Panic]

And I will love it and hug it and call it ... bob. (two b's, one o)

Well, I did make that case. What they should do is offer the parts they revised seperately for those who do not want to buy another complete rule book and reprint the rules with all the changes, effectively taking the old book out of print so only one Full Rule Book is out there. I don't replace anything nearly as often as I do System Rule books, and it gets annoying because I'd rather be spending the money on supplements to enance the game. Even if it were simply an electronic version of the rules updates it'd be a better option IMO (and wouldn't incur printing costs). just some thoughts. In today's world of PDF and online pruchasing it shouldn't be an extremely hard thing to do for an updated rule book .. On the other hand if the mechanic had changed so much they actually call it Hero 6 then that's a different story - but I don't see that coming anytime soon at all. (of course, what I see and what is real can be very different.)

Megalomania and Dictators... all Megalomaniacs assume they are creating a 'better' world under their rule, that's part of the definition. Here's a snapshot of a few true, and partially successful, Megalomaniacs in history: Alexander the Great. very benevolent to Macedonia (well, he wasn't really ever there) but the Turks, Persians, Arabians, Greeks, Egyptians, Cretians and a handful of other civilizations hardly saw him as benevolent, even though he did little to interfere in daily lives, you know, beyond mercilessly conquering every square inch of Asia Minor and renaming everything from a hut to a metropolis "Alexandria". Adolf Hitler Not only was he voted into power, but he brought Germany out of the Great Depression - making them the first country to do so. His platform when running for office? basically that Democracy was bad and the cause of Germanies post WW1 hardships. He then went psycho on us and starting killing millions of people in order to Rule The World. Ghengis Kahn, Kublai Kahn, Attilla the Hun Well, not sure if they were just bored or not, but the Mongols are one of the few people to conquer all of Russia - twice. Megalomania is a scary little trait, never trust someone who wants to Rule The World .. chances are they really don't want to put in the work to actually be effective - they just like the idea of being The Man In Charge. You can make all the cases you'd like for the Dr. Destroyer personality types you want but in the end they tend to be charismatic manipulators who care only about their own status as perceived by others (or how they think others should/do perceive them). [i've prbably just opened up a big 'ole can of worms somewhere .. ah well. I read to many history books I think.]