AlHazred

Re: I wonder how much Antique's Roadshow would appraise it for... But have they found... the Comfy Chair?!?

Re: Magic Bows and Magic Arrows I go a third way and build my targets as hostile Contacts.

Re: Government Logo Contains Secret Code "Remember to drink your Ovaltine." What kind of advertising budget would you need for that, I wonder.

Re: Government Logo Contains Secret Code Hey, as a frequent "yahoo commenting on an article," I've learned to keep silent unless I actually know what I'm talking about.

This thread is for write-ups of weird weapons for Dark Champions (or other) games. I'll start. WASP Injection Knife "This weapon injects a freezing cold ball of compressed gas, approximately the size of a basketball, at 800psi nearly instantly." (The video of it blowing up a watermelon is located here.) Mainly intended (I believe, based on comments on certain forums) as a dive knife, the possibilities of this weapon are remarkable. I'll note here that I'm being extremely generous with "3 Charges" -- from user comments, it seems you get one good shot, and then one or two much smaller blows afterwards. After you fire them all off, you have to unscrew the handle in order to replace the CO2 cartridge.

Re: Government Logo Contains Secret Code And if you'd checked it yourself as opposed to listening to the yahoos commenting on the article, you'd find that the MD5 hash of the phrase exactly as I posted it, is in fact the answer.

Re: Government Logo Contains Secret Code To be fair, I see far more (conspiratorially-speaking) in the original logo of the Information Awareness Office (or IAO, which acronym is fraught with occult significance as well). Even their motto was evil! [ATTACH=CONFIG]36476[/ATTACH]

Re: Government Logo Contains Secret Code It's just the MD5 hash of the mission statement. Put the following paragraph into an MD5 hash generator: USCYBERCOM plans, coordinates, integrates, synchronizes and conducts activities to: direct the operations and defense of specified Department of Defense information networks and; prepare to, and when directed, conduct full spectrum military cyberspace operations in order to enable actions in all domains, ensure US/Allied freedom of action in cyberspace and deny the same to our adversaries.

Re: Requires A Skill Roll: Skill Vs. Skill Contests? We used to use this to model the sort of "Magic Resistance" used in D&D. You have contested rolls to determine if Powers that normally work automatically (like, say, an Area Effect RKA fireball) take effect on all applicable opponents. The caster makes his Magic Skill Roll and the opponent rolls a Magic Resistance check. Depending on the setting, Magic Resistance might be a Skill you can buy up, a Talent you can't, or an inherent Characteristic-based Roll (if your setting adds a magic Characteristic, say MANA, to characters). Then it's probably worth an added Limitation value, since it has a significant impact on Powers. I'm wondering if the Active Point penalty should apply to only the caster, or to both caster and target.

Re: Writeups for Cellphones [5e Champs campaign] Brilliant! I posted the 6E version! Here's 5E. Smartphone - VAL...CHA...Cost...Total...Roll......Notes 8....DEX.....-6...8......11-.......OCV 3 DCV 3 5....INT.....-5...5......10-.......PER Roll 10- 2....SPD.....2...2.................Phases: 6, 12 CHA Cost: -9 Cost...POWERS 6.....Cell Phone Network: HRRP (Radio Group); Cellphone Band Only (-1) - END=0 POWERS Cost: 6 Cost...SKILLS 19......Cryptography 18- 9......KS: Contacts 18- 9......KS: Files 18- 9......KS: Music 18- SKILLS Cost: 46 Cost...PERKS 1......Computer Link PERKS Cost: 1 Value..DISADVANTAGES 15.....Physical Limitation: Machine Intelligence (has 3 EGO for the purposes of Mental Powers and the like) (All the Time; Slightly Impairing) DISADVANTAGES Points: 15 Base Pts: 29 Exp Required: 0 Total Exp Available: 0 Exp Unspent: 0 Total Character Cost: 44

Re: Writeups for Cellphones [5e Champs campaign] What about something like this? Smartphone Val Char Base Points Total Roll Notes 5 INT 10 -5 5 10- PER Roll 10- 8 DEX 10 -4 8 11- 1 OCV 3 -10 1 3 DCV 3 0 3 1 OMCV 3 -6 1 1 DMCV 3 -6 1 2 SPD 2.0 0 2 Phases: 6, 12 Cost Powers END 6 Cell Phone Network: HRRP (Radio Group); Cellphone Band Only (-1) 0 Cost Perks 1 Computer Link Cost Skills 19 Cryptography 18- 9 KS: Contacts 18- 9 KS: Files 18- 9 KS: Music 18- Total Powers & Skills Cost: 53 Total Cost: 22 22+ Complications 25 Physical Complication: Machine Intelligence (has 3 EGO for the purposes of Mental Powers and the like) (All the Time; Slightly Impairing) Total Complication Points: 25

Re: Writeups for Cellphones [5e Champs campaign] Back in the day (Champions 1/2/3), we figured team communicators would be, at best, 1 Real Point (er... cell phones hadn't been invented yet... ) and therefore fell under the mantle of freebies. Kind of like a library card (okay, now I'm really showing my age) you were assumed to have one unless there was some compelling background reason you wouldn't, and it occasionally provided info for players who actually thought about what their stuff could do. Since it encouraged innovative and immersive gameplay, we were all for giving those little items away for free to PC superheroes. Nowadays, since a smartphone could be the sum total of a PC's power sources, and they can do so much, it probably works to go a little more in-depth. If they are really only used for mundane and insignificant purposes, such as making appointments with people (NPCs, DNPCs, Contacts, and the like), then they can be assumed to be free. If they are used for mundane but significant purposes, like calling in an airstrike or coordinating an op, then they are probably worth a few points, but can be built with just the normal complement of powers (HRRP/T, Computer Link, etc.) If they are a significant character point or are used to plot-changing effect, such as hacking into a VIPER base or the like, then they probably should be statted out as Computers; maybe Doctor Who's PDA could crack the Serpentine network, but it'd be challenging. It occurs to me that a decent Gadgeteer power might very well be some sort of "pumping up" effect on the Computers they use. Imagine Cybermind; now imagine Cybermind with the WOPR in the palm of his hand...

Re: The Ultimate Pulp Era Gear Archives - Over 100 pages of Free Pulp Research I actually sent Colin an email on another forum about it, and he stated his intention to get it up and running again sometime in the near future, so it's probably worth checking the original site every once in a while.

Re: Magic Bows and Magic Arrows Technically, although the way they're built frequently ignores this because it's for Heroic level games where PCs don't pay points for equipment, Bows and Arrows (and, by extension, other missile weapons) have the "Requires Multiple Foci or functions at reduced effectiveness" modifier on their Focus Limitation, which reduces the value of the Limitation by +1/4. I believe the original modifier example was something like a magic summoning circle plus candles and other accoutrements, but the same logic applies to missile weapons.

Re: Requires A Skill Roll: Skill Vs. Skill Contests? I'm thinking this could be used as an alternative mechanic. Hero already models several things as Attacks, i.e., there's a contest to determine whether or not an effect is carried out. Aside from the Attack Roll contest, the only other kind of contest in Hero is the Skill vs. Skill roll (or CHA vs. CHA, or what have you).

Re: Challenge: Build the AC-130U and A-10 Assault Aircraft (for shadowcat1313) Interestingly, I searched the forums before and didn't find it; maybe I misspelled it?

Seriously, I'd like to see someone stat up the A-130U and A-10 aircraft. They seem excessively kick-ass for something in use by the Army. I'm not really a military tech-geek, so I defer to others more savvy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_AC-130 The AC-130 is basically a flying fortress that fires a howitzer out of the side of the aircraft, like a freakin' flying General Lee or something. General characteristics * Crew: 13 o Officers: 5 (pilot, copilot, navigator, fire control officer, electronic warfare officer) o Enlisted: 8 (flight engineer, TV operator, infrared detection set operator, loadmaster, four aerial gunners) * Length: 97 ft 10 in (29.8 m) * Wingspan: 132 ft 7 in (40.4 m) * Height: 38 ft 6 in (11.7 m) * Wing area: 1745.5 ft² (162.2 m²) * Loaded weight: 122,400 lb (55,520 kg) * Max takeoff weight: 155,000 lb (69,750 kg) * Powerplant: 4× Allison T56-A-15 turboprops, 4,910 shp (3,700 kW) each Performance * Maximum speed: 260 knots (300 mph, 480 km/h) * Range: 2,200 nm (2,530 mi, 4,070 km) * Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9,100 m) Armament AC-130A Project Gunship II * 4× 7.62 mm GAU-2/A miniguns * 4× 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon AC-130A Surprise Package, Pave Pronto, AC-130E Pave Spectre * 2× 7.62 mm GAU-2/A miniguns * 2× 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon * 2× 40 mm (1.58 in) L/60 Bofors cannon AC-130E Pave Aegis * 2× 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon * 1× 40 mm (1.58 in) L/60 Bofors cannon * 1× 105 mm (4.13 in) M102 howitzer AC-130H Spectre (Prior to circa 2000) * 2× 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon * 1× 40 mm (1.58 in) L/60 Bofors cannon * 1× 105 mm (4.13 in) M102 howitzer (Current Armament) * 1× 40 mm (1.58 in) L/60 Bofors cannon * 1× 105 mm (4.13 in) M102 howitzer AC-130U Spooky II * 1× 25 mm (0.984 in) 5-barrel GAU-12/U Equalizer Gatling gun * 1× 40 mm (1.58 in) L/60 Bofors cannon * 1× 105 mm (4.13 in) M102 howitzer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunderbolt_II Meanwhile, the A-10 Warthog is just ridiculous-looking. Its Gatling Cannon is bigger than a VW beetle! [ATTACH=CONFIG]36466[/ATTACH] General characteristics * Crew: 1 * Length: 53 ft 4 in (16.26 m) * Wingspan: 57 ft 6 in (17.53 m) * Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m) * Wing area: 506 ft² (47.0 m²) * Airfoil: NACA 6716 root, NACA 6713 tip * Empty weight: 24,959 lb (11,321 kg) * Loaded weight: 30,384 lb (13,782 kg)) On CAS mission: 47,094 lb (21,361 kg) On anti-armor mission: 42,071 lb (19,083 kg * Max takeoff weight: 50,000 lb (23,000 kg) * Powerplant: 2× General Electric TF34-GE-100A turbofans, 9,065 lbf (40.32 kN) each Performance * Never exceed speed: 450 knots (518 mph, 833 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) with 18 Mk 82 bombs * Maximum speed: 381 knots (439 mph, 706 km/h) at sea level, clean * Cruise speed: 300 knots (340 mph, 560 km/h) * Stall speed: 120 knots (138 mph, 220 km/h) * Combat radius: o On CAS mission: 250 nmi (288 mi, 460 km) at 1.88 hour single-engine loiter at 5,000 ft (1,500 m), 10 min combat o On anti-armor mission: 252 nmi (290 mi, 467 km), 40 nm (45 mi, 75 km) sea-level penetration and exit, 30 min combat * Ferry range: 2,240 nmi (2,580 mi, 4,150 km) with 50 knot (55 mph, 90 km/h) headwinds, 20 minutes reserve * Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,700 m) * Rate of climb: 6,000 ft/min (30 m/s) * Wing loading: 99 lb/ft² (482 kg/m²) * Thrust/weight: 0.36 Armament * Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.18 in) GAU-8/A Avenger gatling cannon with 1,174 rounds * Hardpoints: 11 (8× under-wing and 3× under-fuselage pylon stations) with a capacity of 16,000 lb (7,260 kg) and provisions to carry combinations of: o Rockets: + 4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19× / 7× Hydra 70 mm rockets, respectively) + 4× LAU-5003 rocket pods (each with 19× CRV7 70 mm rockets) + 6× LAU-10 rocket pods (each with 4× 127 mm (5.0 in) Zuni rockets) o Missiles: + 2× AIM-9 Sidewinders air-to-air missiles for self-defense + 8× AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles o Bombs: + Mark 80 series of unguided iron bombs or + Mk 77 incendiary bombs or + BLU-1, BLU-27/B Rockeye II, Mk20, BL-755 and CBU-52/58/71/87/89/97 cluster bombs or + Paveway series of Laser-guided bombs or + Joint Direct Attack Munition (A-10C) or + Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (A-10C) o Other: + SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys and chaff dispenser pod or + AN/ALQ-131 & AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods or + Lockheed Martin Sniper XR & LITENING targeting pods (A-10C) or + 2× 600 US gallon Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for extended range/loitering time. Avionics * AN/AAS-35(V) Pave Penny laser tracker pod (mounted beneath right side of cockpit) for use with Paveway LGBs * Head-up display (HUD) for improved technical flying and air-to-ground support.

I'm considering using a modified version of Requires A Skill Roll for a particular set of powers I'm making. The modification would be to allow for "Roll vs. Roll" mechanics. So, for instance, in order to successfully decrypt the enemy battle plans and gain a benefit to Tactics, the character must make a Cryptography Roll vs. the opponent's Cryptography Roll. In 5th Edition, you had "1/4 more Limitation - RSR Skill is subject to Skill Versus Skill contests," which did not make it into the 6th Edition, neither 6E1 nor APG. So, if I'm going to add this to my designs, what do people think the Limitation value should be? Is this a case where 1/4 is fair, or should the value be higher or lower? What's the consensus opinion?

Hmmm... I completely forgot to post my martial arts prefab! Well, it's online now, and can be found here. The weapons prefab can be found here.

Re: Plot Hook Idea: Hidden Code In Plato's Writing contains a recipe for nonlethal hemlock tea...

Re: Converting RIFTS to HERO I worked "See Invisible Presences" as a Detect with the Range and Sense Adders, in the Unusual Sense Group (actually the Mystic Sense Group). Basically I mirrored the Adders on Sight and applied it to my Detect. Works exactly as intended, even if it is rather expensive. Since it works in the Unusual Group, you could theoretically have an Invisibility to Detect Invisible Presences...

Re: Circle of Protection Barriers go down when something they can affect penetrates them -- in game terms, if the BODY is overcome after an attack penetrates the defenses, the Barrier is down. If I have a Barrier that can only affect one entity and its attacks, then that's it. Since it's the GM's call whether or not to allow it, it basically comes down to "if the GM wants it to work, it does." The One-Way Barrier Advantage is to allow a Barrier to affect a particular kind of attacks, but from only one direction. So, I could have a Barrier that prevents an enemy's fire spells from hitting me, but my fire spells are unimpeded. Now, keep in mind that the Barrier might have the limitation "Only Works Against Demons And Other Summoned Entities." The GM is within his rights to consider the various attack types the summoned creature has, to work around this. For instance, if my summoned demon happens to have learned fire magics, then my PC may be out of luck depending on interpretation. Because of nuances like this, I prefer the Physical Complication approach to Summonables.

Re: Circle of Protection The Barrier only goes down if something that it affects hits it. If the Barrier works against Lions and nothing else, then everything else can cross the Barrier with no problems.

Re: Hidden Blade Damage Doubling is automatic for Foci, but not for non-Focused Powers.

Re: Circle of Protection Is this a trick question? Barrier, Only Works Against Lions (-1 to -2, depending on how prevalent they are in your campaign; conceivably, an all-lion campaign setting (The Ghost and the Darkness Hero?) could reduce the value to nothing.)