Chiba Bob

Re: The Valdorian Age

Re: Nonlethal Alternatives If your heros want to play fast and lose around bystanders ....let them. Eventually someone is going to get hurt. Then what are the heros going to do? The consequences of their actions spin great plot threads (bad press, jail, wrongful injury claims, revenge plots) and give roleplaying opportunities. Image to look on the players faces when they find out that they are responsible for the death of Dr. Destroyer's only love (or something of the like). In one gaming group I was playing in, I had to retire one of my characters (replaced with a new one) because he got in trouble with the law. My own hero team hunted me down and turned me over to the authorities because they (the hero team) wanted to remain on the right side of the law. Even though I fought the law and the law won, we all had a lot of fun roleplaying out this plot thread. I have played characters who had noting but killing attacks as well as characters with nothing but stun only attacks but it is always been my characterization that has gotten me into real trouble. A character's concern or lack of concern for bystanders is the real danger, not the weapons or powers he uses. A villain is still going to use lethal force whether the heros do or don't. For example, in one game I ran, a hero accidently drew fire from some agents through a crowd of bystanders because of his bad positioning after movement. .

Re: Object Creation Clearly, given the abilitie's "special effect", the objects are created out of bonded coherent force which could work in space. Creating objects out of thin air is not only covered by the rules but is also a "figure of speech."

Re: Object Creation The stats of an object are that of the object created. For example, a longsword is a 1d6+1 HKA, masses 1.2 kg and has 5 BODY (Fantasy Hero) so a Transform would need to do 10 Body to create one. The sword is composed of bonded coherent force which will fade over time and lose cohesion. Just because the special effect of a power is "force fields" does not mean that the ability has to built using the Force Field Power.

Re: Object Creation Sounds like the Transform Power to me (special effect "bonded coherent force objects") which allows one to create objects out of thin air. .

Re: On SIZE and blueprints

Re: On SIZE and blueprints For starships, I assume the that the area given for a SIZE is a 1 1/2" (9 feet) thick rectangle which I cut-up and or shape into various decks at my whim (as long as they don't exceed the total area of the vehicle). As for internal space, I would base that on the tech level or on the genre of the campaign. For example, in low tech campaign, using chemical rockets, I would have cramped crew quarters with fuel taking up most of the space of the ship. In a space opera campaigns, ships seem to have huge bridges and landing bays, wide corridors and so on. Let your imagination be your guide. I have been reading through Alien Wars and I feel that the interior Xenovore ships should be a cluster of interconnected spheres of various sizes. Someone else may envision something different. I feel that Alien ships should be alien and some universal design system like in Traveler doesn't do it. .

Re: New limitation Idea I would say that someone missed the mark on this call of the rules. As a house rule, I say that powers that normally do not cost END do not become "Visible" when the "Costs END" limitation. Armor 10 PD, Fully Invisible +1 (Active Cost: 30 Points); Costs END -1/2. Total Cost: 20 Force Field 10 PD, Fully Invisible +1 (Active Cost: 20 Points). Total Cost: 20 Why would anyone buy Armor that Costs END when Force Field (with the Special Effect ... "Armor") makes more sense? While the Real Point Costs are equal the Active Costs are not. As a player I could bypass the problem by buying my armor as a compound power such as this: Armor: (Total: 18 Active Cost, 12 Real Cost) Force Field (5 PD), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1) (10 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -1/2) (Real Cost: 7) plus Armor (5 PD/0 ED) (8 Active Points); Linked (Force Field; -1/2) (Real Cost: 5) Powers Cost: 12 Not only is the Real Cost lower but so is the Active Cost. Not only is my 10 PD armor cheaper but it is also has no visible power effect and costs END. As a GM, it is much easier just to rule that powers that normally do not cost END do not become "Visible" when the "Costs END" limitation is used. .

Re: Possible solution for common GM problems If we put things in a modern perspective for a moment, I group of guys walking into bar heavy and wearing tactical body armor will likely make the locals nervous. Some of the locals are going to finish their drinks and leave ... if not all of them. The bar's owner/manager is going to want these guys gone (very bad for business). Suddenly the bathroom is out-of-order, all the rooms are rented-out and that's the last of the ale ... have a good night. Moreover, someone's going to make a quick call for the police to come and check these guys out and that is another story. This is a free Social Disadvantage if I ever saw one. .

Re: New limitation Idea Powers which inherently don't cost END (meaning that they don't have a Visible Special Effect) do not acquire a Visible Special Effect if the limitation: Cost END -1/2 is applied to them.

Re: I made the GM cry.... My Egoist did something make the GM cry awhile ago. The Badguys had the ultra-secure building that no one could bypass the security on it. My character, not having any stealth or security systems skill elected the full frontal assault approach. A surprise Ego Attack against the door guard (to gain entry) and Mind Control against the guard at the security desk behind the armored glass and I had control over the whole building ---- so much for is impenetrable building. I then used the building's own security system to then defeat the bad guys ---- just love those death traps!

Re: Using d20 instead of 3d6 (DON'T KILL ME!) Sorry ... take this Infidel! .

Re: Computers In Star Hero

Re: Computers In Star Hero

Re: Computers In Star Hero I would not generally allow this in a supers campaign but it makes sense in a normal or heroic campaigns. AI Database: Variable Power Pool (Skill Pool), 15 base + 11 control cost, Powers Can Be Changed As A Half-Phase Action (+1/2), No Skill Roll Required (+1) (32 Active Points); Limited Class Of Powers Available Limited (Skills Only; -1/2). Total Cost: 26 points. Computer Database: Variable Power Pool (Skill Pool), 15 base + 5 control cost, Powers Can Be Changed As A Half-Phase Action (+1/2) (25 Active Points); Limited Class Of Powers Available Limited (Skills Only; -1/2); all slots Requires A Search Database Skill Roll (-1/2). Total Cost: 20 points .

Re: Big Nasty Gun I don't know if anyone is interested? But I rate firearms a little differently for normal and heroic campaigns. I split damage and penetration up, nasty weapons can still puncture armor and unarmored characters have a better chanced of survival. The logic behind this method is that "dead is dead", and there is an upper of damage that a given round can inflict ... excess damage is wasted. Larger, more powerful weapons tend to blow through weak targets unable to transfer all their potential energy against a given target. Therefore, a firearm's damage is split into two values: one is penetration (the ability to blow through) and the other is damage (the ability to transfer damage). This method assumes the use of all Optional Damage Effects are being used on page 276. I quick example using "The Mini 50": LW 15.499 "The Mini 50", all slots OAF (-1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), 12 Charges (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4) 1) Penetration: (Total: 58 Active Cost, 13 Real Cost) Suppress 2d6, [four powers] simultaneously (+1), Attack Versus Limited Defense (Lack Of Weakness; +3/4) (27 Active Points); OAF (-1), Instant (-1/2), Linked (Damage; -1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Can Be Missile Deflected (-1/4), 12 Charges (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4) (Real Cost: 6) plus Damage: Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6-1, +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4) (31 Active Points); STR Minimum 13 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1), OAF (-1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Beam (-1/4), 12 Charges (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4) (Real Cost: 7) .

Re: Seduction an Everyman Skill The name of the skill "Seduction" is very misleading ... so lets get over it. It should have been called "Charm" given the skill description. As for being an Everyman skill, generally the Charm skill is not something people tend to exercise too much.

Re: Power Armor EC Question What is wrong with MPs or VPPs for magic or mystical powers? I would think they would be more effective. .

Re: Power Armor EC Question I agree that Mutant is an origin but so is Magic. A Force (say gravity) EC is fine with a armor Focus. The force should be defined. .

Re: Power Armor EC Question

Re: Power Armor EC Question Seeing that I am making some headway on this thread's issue. I do not want to confuse things with another. I am going to save it for another thread should the subject comes up. .

Re: Power Armor EC Question

Re: Power Armor EC Question

Re: Power Armor EC Question

Re: Opinions on Cthulhu Fantasy Hero wanted. When I GM CoC I have always handled sanity as something like a type of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) in my campaigns. When handing out mental disorders, they all revolved around the PTSD symptom called Avoidance: "People with PTSD work hard to avoid anything that might remind them of the traumatic experience. They may try to avoid people, places or things that are reminders, as well as numbing out emotions to avoid painful, overwhelming feelings. Numbing of thoughts and feelings in response to trauma is known as "dissociation" and is a hallmark of PTSD. Frequently, people with PTSD use drugs or alcohol to avoid trauma-related feelings and memories. " Except that in my CoC campaigns, sanity loss is PSTD on steroids. The mind would rather break than be reminded of these horrors. The ultimate effect of sanity loss is a kind of desensitization to horror. When a character reached zero sanity, their mind did 180 degree turn replacing Avoidance with Obsession .... at this point criminal psychosis is born. The monster hunter becomes the monster. This is why all CoC cultists have a zero sanity and are considered to be insane. I have been working on my Delta Green Hero (modern CoC) campaign and have been working on how to translate sanity rules into the Hero System. I have settled on using Transform, Sane to Insane, Partial Transform, BOECV, Works Against EGO, AE, Improved Target Group, Variable Healing Method. Building the actual power is not problem but application of the power in a horror setting seems to be turning into pages of notes. .