Rebar

A long time back, before my RPing hiatus, I recall a list someone posted somewhere that was a highly-detailed, expanded list of Disads. Here's where it used to be http://surbrook.devermore.net/herosource/newdisads.html Anyone know where that might have gotten to? Or a similar one?

Except this is really meant for HTH. In fact, in my revision, I have a -1/2 lim: only HTH. True, there's no reason why this power wouldn't work vs. ranged weapons. The player can always buy off that lim with XP. I was thinking about that. I am considering the special effect that the surgery deadened all the nerves and the skin turned leathery, so that there's no feeling in his jaw and not much to get damaged. Of course it also turned the skin on his jaw grey (Great comic-book optics here: a guy with a reputation for a steel jaw looks like he has a steel jaw). I figure, if Kenneth Robeson's 'The Avenger' can do it, so can this hero. D'oh! I really gotta go back and read the whole section. This is the first time I've cracked the book in years...

Right. But I also forgot Always On. Another point: you can use a damage shield on someone by grabbing them, what limit would you give for a DS to be passive only? Maybe -1/4? Nah. I like the cinematic effect of Jaws taking NO damage and just grinning. A 6PD just won't do enough. (Then again, PD always reduces damage, whereas DCV only reduces the likelihood that damage will be done. If the attacker makes it by 3, our hero takes full damage. Hmm.)

Hm. So, you can add the damage of an Inherent power to the damage from STR? I hadn't thought of that. So, if the character already has a 20 (or maybe 25) STR, I could simply buy the power as a naked advantage? Naked advantage on 25 STR: Damage Shield(+2) Max-out(-1/2) Act 8- (-2) Inh(-1/4) = 50AP, 13CP Am I missing anything?

5th Ed. Pulp hero - Standard hero: 150CP I'm building a Steely-jawed Hero. Literally. His jawbone including teeth has been replaced with Stainless Steel. (Think Jaws from James Bond) In addition to the obligatory 'HKA - must follow grab' power, I'm trying to figure what would happen when some feckless thug goes to sock him in the jaw. (Swish *CLANK* YAGHHH&$!&!^$!*#!!!) Two effects: 1. our hero feels nothing (bought as +2DCV, just like a shield is bought) + 2. the thug gets a broken hand (4D6HA Damage Shield) limits: only versus melee activation 8- (represents that, on average, only the occasional attack will be aimed at the jaw - I am not using Hit Location rules) So: +2DCV plus 6D6HA 0End(+1/2), Cont(+1), Inh(+1/4), Damage Shield(+1/2), maxes out at opponent's attack (-1/2), only vs. melee (-1/2), Act8- (-2) or: (10 + (30@+2 1/4)@-1/2) @ -2 1/2 I work this out to a whopping 107AP / 21RP (one seventh of all his CPs). And it only works 25% of the time! I suppose I could weaken it to 4D6. (the max-out limitation might be reduced to a -1/4) so: (10 + (20@+2 1/4)@-1/4) @ -2 1/2 This is a weaker 75AP / 18RP (1/8th of his CPs) Anyone have better ideas about how to simulate the fist-meets-steel effect?

Re: looking for non-Causasian pulp roles I looked up Ottoman Empire and Turkey, and it looks like the entire regime was overthrown in 1925, exiling all royalty. It's an obvious tie-in - an exiled Ottoman prince. But it's got me realizing that it's REAL hard to write up a character who's supposed to be a stereotype when you know noting about the history - let alone the stereotypes - of a nation. I foresee some tremendously clumsy and naive characterization.

Re: looking for non-Causasian pulp roles

Re: looking for non-Causasian pulp roles Thanks guys, lot's of ideas in here! I had better come clean before this gets too far. This is really more of a story than a game. I've fantasized about running this game for years, but I realize the thing that will mess it up is a GM and PCs. So I'm dabbling with the idea of bypassing the whole roleplaying aspect and just writing the story. I suppose. Though Australian and Mexican are still technically European race. Don't seem to be doing proper justice to diversity (I'm Canadian, so it's a pathological imperative...). I'm deliberately trying to be open so as to get the broadest set of choices. The character is more important. This could work. I like this. Yeah, that could work. True. This is broadening my ideas.

I want to build a Adventurer's team that is not comprised entirely of Caucasian nationalities. The characters are all highly proficient and successful, which is why they've been gathered into a team (think of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). This is set in the mid-twenties or thereabouts. I've been poring over the Pulp Hero book and supplements. Found some about exotic nationalities, but not a lot about PC-level roles. Example character roles I'm already toying with are: Aviator, Ship Captain, Grease Monkey, Modern Major General, Professor/Scientist, Great White Hunter and Nordic Ox (Hans). Example nationalities so far seem to be French, Irish, British, American, Icelandic. I'm willing to jumble things up to get the right combo. I want something more colourful but I don't know how non-whites achieved success and expert proficiency in desirable skills in the pulp era. It would be easy to do if I were including sidekicks, but I hate the idea of the token non-white being relegated to what is essentially a second-class role. I don't think I want to do the exotic Asian Martial Artist. It would be cool to have a East Indian. (I don't know, maybe a prince? Or is that too close to Nemo in LXG?) Maybe an African. I could see the Ship's Captain being African (thinking of the ships' captain from Raiders). If you think of something (such as the Indian), please try to give links. I'd need to read up on the history so I can ensure it's properly canonical to the pulp era (It'd be dumb to have an Indian prince if they were rare in the '20s). Any other ideas?

Re: The Birthday Suit Boogaloo? How does this follow? Is this from the apocryphal myth that being cold makes you more susceptible to colds?

Re: Multiform

Re: Multiform I still need two distinct lims: ONLY in Hero ID for some powers (such as claws) NOT in Hero ID for others (such as INT and skills). It was. I'm going to have to write up unbalanced character sheets for the player.

5E. In a game with a 40AP point cap on attacks, how large can a HKA be if the character has a 30STR? Is that a 2D6-1KA (5D6-1 w/ STR) or capped at 3D6-1?

Re: Multiform Actually, I'm trying rewriting the character as OHID. It's working pretty well. The human form has little in the way of cha or powers so it's pretty eay to build on. And the point cost works out similarly. (But I've got to invent a limitation: NOT in Heroic ID -1/4 for INT and skills.)

Re: Multiform Dear player: if you are interested in making the best of your character, you have about 100 more points you can spend freely on your human form. I know it doesn't fit your character conception, but the alternative is that, if you are more interested in roleplaying, those 100 poiints should be discarded now and forever. Your call. Maybe this character would be better built as OHID...

Re: Multiform Yes, actually, I've realized there's little incentive beyond roleplayability to add any limits on the multiform. The human form has way more points than she has any need for.

Re: Multiform Also, I guess there's no incentive to give the 20pt human form any disads. In a 150+50 campaign, she's got 150pts to spend before she needs to worry about disads. Also, there's no reason not to spend those 150. They're totally free. I'm going to have a 150pt 15 year old girl... And since she does have about 25pts in roleplaying disads, she might as well be a 175pt 15yo girl.

Re: The Birthday Suit Boogaloo? Yes. I immediately looked it up. Unfortunately, there are several characters with that name. Anyway, never mind. I get the point.

Re: Multiform OK, so I'm rebuilding it with the normal human form having the multiform. Multiform (200 Character Points in the most expensive form) (40 Active Points); Reversion (-1), Personality Loss First Roll After 1 Hour (-1), 4 Charges (-1), Costs Endurance (Only To Change; -1/2) Disad: Multiform Amnesia (maybe, haven't decided on this yet) So, in the first adventure, true form has earned 4XP. If she puts 1XP into multiform, that is enough to jump the bear form to 218 points! It seems to me, I still have to invoke a GM fiat that says bear form increases only at the same rate as XP earned.

Re: Multiform Thank you for clearing it up. (I take some weird solace in seeing that it took 4 pages to do so. Many people had opinions, true, but "You can trust me! Really!" is not exactly a compelling argument.)

Re: Multiform Wow. Modest much?

Re: Multiform Actually, this is the philosphy I tend to follow. How many times have I read things to the effect of "If there are two ways of doing something in HG, an expensive one and a cheap one, the more expensive one is probably the right one." "If it seems like you're getting something for free, you're probably doing it wrong."

Re: Multiform Why not? Surely if it was intended not to be included they would not have used the same word 'form'. Or would have at least qualified it and excluded it.

Re: Multiform 5E, please.

Re: PRE attacks on PCs I remember (granted, vicariously) a D&D game where the power-gamer was vying with the rest of his team for some found loot. One of the NPCS grabbed a hot item, and the power-gamer said "Wait. He's just an NPC. I want that item!". The NPC turned to the power-gamer, pulled the hilt of his sword from his scabbard and said "I'm a what now?"