ProfessorM@ss

I'd buy that MP with Variable Advantage (for up to +1 worth of Advantages) and Variable Special Effects, then. How else to duplicate "Area of Effect" attacks (which GL uses constantly), and the differences in special effects (i.e. burning, smashing, etc.)? --->M@ss

My last Golden Age GM (the incomparable Mr. Darren Watts) really helped out our game with his atmospheric touches and encyclopedic knowledge of WWII. We had such things as taped radio messages from the era to start sessions, music from the era, etc. We also faced things I'd never heard of like, like the black fascist groups on the West Coast. Who knew? As a side note, I've been in two Golden Age campaigns, and both started with Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" broadcast...and in both cases, the Martians really were invading. --->M@ss

Re: Most Embarassing Champions Moment My number one worst moment was when we had to disable a nuclear bomb. My PC was in charge of getting and defending a nuclear scientist. So, here we are, flying to Arkansas, into the heat of superbattle, when we get fired on. My character shields the scientist with his body. And gets stunned. GM says, "Make a Dexterity roll to hold onto the scientist." And I flub it. Utterly. Three 6s. Scientist falls. I proceed to swoop down to save him. I get shot again, and get KOed...and why? Because I said, "I don't want to dodge. My DCV will handle it. I want to fire back while I grab the scientist." Scientist goes splat. I wake up with five minutes left to get the bomb. I decide that my character, with some science skills, will disarm said bomb. The GM sympathetically says, "Cool. Roll me a Demolitions roll, and we'll give you a +3 from all your science skills." Only a 17 or an 18 would flub it. I rolled a 17. I would like to say, in my defense, that I believe the annoyed looks I got from the other PCs were entirely unwarranted...while we wrote up new PCs. --->M@ss

I think it's up to the player, but yes, I'd certainly do that. Basically, I'd put in anything a GL uses subconsciously into a Multipower, but I'd probably limit the top end. There were many instances where various GLs used the ring to bolster commonly used powers; so, the VPP might get a +1/2 Advantage of "Can Stack Onto Ring Based Multipowers." Oh, yeah, and I'm a dolt. Both the END Reserve and VPP should take a Limitation of OIF "GL Ring" -1/2. If you're doing an old style GL ring, you'd also add into the VPP a Limitation of "Doesn't Affect Anything Colored Yellow" -1/2. Normally, I'd give that a -1/4, but everybody seems to know about it. And the END Reserve would go away entirely, in favor of the VPP taking a single Charge that lasts all day for a -0 Limitation, and a -1/2 Limitation to simulate "Must have GL Battery and say incantation to recover charge." --->M@ss

Re: Green Lantern Powers Hrm. I'd probably buy it like this (for the Kyle Rayner ring): Variable Power Pool: Green Lantern Ring Active Points: 120 0 Phase to Change +1, must make EGO roll to use more than 60 Active Points -1/4, must continue to make EGO rolls for every phase using more than 60 Active Points -1/4 Cost: 210 and Endurance Reserve (END: 400, Recovery: 100, OAF Green Lantern Battery -1) Cost: 70 The EGO roll simulates the whole "ring powered by willpower" thing. I mean, you could buy it as a Multipower, but that seems silly, given the huge variance in effects it has. He's used it for Armor, Life Support, Telekinesis, Energy Blasts (with special effects ranging from bonking to heat blasts), Desolidification, etc. etc. etc. That's my two cents. --->M@ss

Well, my article will cover that in detail, but here's a preview; I'm going to have a standard set of Limitations to represent "clunkers." Things like Activation Rolls, Requires a Skill Roll, and Unluck are always good things to have. The neat thing is applying them to different ship systems; for example, the Millenium Falcon was just fine in sublight, but that hyperdrive sure was finicky! But, yes, clunkers are not just a staple of starships, but also space stations. DS9, first season, anyone? --->M@ss

First of all, let me thank everybody for their insightful comments. I figure I'll write the article. As for Agent X's point about SFB being a good basis for a more detailed Star Hero starship and combat system, well...yeah. I'll acknowledge there's going to be a strong influence. Please feel free to email me at ben@DONTFRICKINSPAMME.legendary.org with any ideas or thoughts you have. Anything used will be credited, of course. --->M@ss

Okay...I'm eliciting opinions, because I'm trying to decide whether or not to submit an article to Digital Hero. I love the new Star Hero, don't get me wrong. However, I think the spaceship creation rules are simplistic. They lack depth, and they lack the "naval" feeling of space operas like Star Trek and Star Wars. Let me explain. In TV shows like Star Trek, the ship is a character...and should be just as detailed as any PC. Star Hero is far too vague about ship-building. That's my first point. My second point is that there's no naval feel to it. Big ships should have massive firepower and defenses, move slower, turn slower, etc. etc. Little fighter ships should be quick, pack a punch, and get blowed up real good. Think Luke Skywalker vs. the Death Star. The Defiant vs. a Klingon battle cruiser. You'll get the idea. Does anybody else see this as a gap in Star Hero that needs to be filled? Far more detailed rules for starship creation? I doubt the Ultimate Vehicle will cover this...but maybe wiser minds than I know such things. --->M@ss

I'm also a continuity nut. I started playing (visualize embarrassed grin) Heroes Unlimited in my current setting in 1988. In the fifteen years since, my gaming universe has evolved dramatically, through three sets of players, and my own experiences. I've had to retcon the continuity twice. When our first gaming group broke up to go off to college and such, I ended the campaign with a massive alien invasion. I ended up retconning that a few years later, because it made the setting virtually unplayable. Then there was my abortive attempt to start a comic book company (visualize a pained expression). Well, that was a bollicks from start to finish. However, it led to another revision, and it was a good one. My most recent group now has a fully functional gaming setting, with a history, justifications for common power types (akin to what DC Comics did with the "Speed Force," for example), and background characters who occasionally make an appearance. For whatever reason, my current team of ex-black ops gov't superheroes keeping running into Golden Age superheroes. A buddy of mine calls it 'Four Colour Heroes Meet Full Colour World.' Quite fun. I'm building a webpage for the setting as we speak. --->M@ss

Re: Re: The Team "Vibe" Amusingly enough, one of the first teams in my campaign setting was Canada's greatest superheroes, as well as the world's. Of course, Canada is also a world superpower in my setting. Hee! Imagine how much historical justification that took! --->M@ss

As I mentioned in another thread, I've often run gov't-based teams in my current campaign world. It makes sense; would the gov't really let a bunch of superpowered yoyos run around? I've always found it doubtful. Since my game world is bordering on cyberpunk/uplift technology, we also have some elements of those genres. I have, for example, played Shadowrun-style groups of criminals, and even more interesting, we had a brief campaign with a corporate watchdog group. That was fun; taking down the Man! --->M@ss

I had a character (whom I borrowed from a friend, and have since lent out to various campaigns) called "Roach." A midget-sized superhuman with the proportionate strength, speed and endurance of a man-sized roach. He rocked! --->M@ss

Re: It depends In my longstanding campaign, we solved that little issue with a concept quite similar to Superboy's tactile telekinesis power. Basically, for a +1/4 Advantage, a brick's Strength is deemed "telekinetic" in basis -- they can pick up a car by the fender, because they're unconsciously swathing it in a telekinetic field. Bricks without this Advantage couldn't do the same; the bumper would tear off in their hands...and if they were light enough, they would end up lifting themselves into the air if they tried to heft a car without the proper leverage. --->M@ss

My personal favourite is a brick from my long-running campaign...a villain called "Adamant." (copyright me, by the by, so no making money of my character ideas, you terrible people!) He's your typical high-end brick, with two major differences, one stylistic and one power-based. 1) Stylistic: He doesn't look like a brick. His powers don't make him big, funny-looking or anything else. He usually wears normal street clothes, with a penchant for nice suits. He's not an idiot, and he practises martial arts. 2) Power: He has a Variable Power Pool (mentioned on the old boards) that basically allows him an adaptive defense. His powers slightly modify depending on how he's being attacked. In addition, he picks up gadgets to help him out, as well. He's been known to use Psionic Inhibitors (mental defense), grenades (they don't hurt him, but boy do the heroes not like it -- especially in a crowded mall), etc. --->M@ss

Re: Original Characters Something that I've found interesting to play is a really obvious variation on a theme with an unexpected twist. I once played a typical Captain America clone...with a variation: he was a black guy who was made during Vietnam. And, boy, was he cool! I followed the Captain America theme exactly, but with weird twists. For example, my guy got frozen in ice, and when he woke up, he suddenly leapt up yelling "Who you callin' 'buck?'!" (a variation on Cap jumping up and yelling for Bucky when the Avengers woke him up) The comic relief in such characters can be enormous. Heh heh heh...I have very pleasant memories of my PC: "So I says to the man, 'Shield? Shield? Gimme a gun, you *@#%@%!$!'" --->M@ss

Is there any reason a character couldn't buy Damage Shield with an Area of Effect, so that people don't actually have to touch him to have the Damage Shield take effect? e.g. The Living Fireball has a flaming aura - he bellows "Fireball On!" and is sheathed in flame. Is it legal to buy this as, say, a RKA with Damage Shield +1/2, Continuous +1 (making it constant), and Area of Effect: Hex +1/2, for a total of +2? --->M@ss

I do see your point, and it was a real consideration, but we decided to allow it. It just fit the character concept too well...also, he can't choose to go boom. Someone has to dispel/suppress/drain his Multipower. And nobody on his team has that power...so it basically has to be done to him. Anyhow, thanks very much for the feedback! --->M@ss

Guys, Thanks for the replies. Let's make something clear: this side effect going off would not be considered a Good Thing. It would be a Bad Thing. This isn't something the character (or his player) would ever use as an attack. There are similar situations in existing comic books. Take Marvel's Jack of Hearts character, for example. He goes boom if he doesn't bleed off enough power -- and as a result, is stuck in an energy-bleeding costume all the time, because going boom would affect him and everybody around him. Believe me, we've put a lot of thought into this one. This is definitely a major Limitation; largely because the character will likely be incinerated if it ever goes off. It's somewhere in the ballpark of an "instant death" Limitation. Anyhow, any further thoughts on it more would be welcome, but I'd prefer to see things along the lines of building it as a Limitation rather than an attack power...because it ain't the latter. --->M@ss

Hiya! I'd like input on the following scenario: I have a PC who has electrical powers which draw Endurance from a fairly massive END Reserve. He wants to take a side effect -- a major side effect. Basically, it goes like this: if his electrical Multipower is dispelled, he releases all the remaining Endurance in his END Reserve in an explosion. Yes, yes, I know it sounds a little twinky, but in the context of the character, it makes sense. Here's how I was thinking of building it: Side Effect - extreme -1, affects character and environment -1/4, side effect always occurs when a specific act is performed +1/4 Now, here's my problem...the guy's END Reserve is gigantic ! If we convert it out as an RKA with no range (-1/2) and explosion (+1/2), it makes sense that it'd do a Damage Class per 5 END remaining in the END Reserve at the time. Let's say our boy has 180 END remaining in his Reserve. That ends up being a whopping 12d6K in damage, over a 36" radius blast! It just seems like -1 is too low a Limitation. Opinions? --->M@ss