JohnTaber

Hi Gary: Sure. It still doesn't help the initial question though...

I guess maybe I should post it to Steve to ask if there is an oversight or something??? It might just be..."Change it in your own game if you don't like it."

Why is TK not fully indirect? I thought it was???

For a sword could you define levels to remove Sweep penalties and maybe Rapid Attack to get the same end result? Just thinkin' out loud...

Hi Folks,

Help me figure out what I am missing...

For 50 STR of TK it costs 75 points.

For a 10d6 EB Fully Indirect it costs 87 points.

What am I missing? TK is fully indirect and you can punch with it... Should TK be more expensive???

I usually do the news stuff verbally. Some of the reports are to act as recaps from previous sessions and others are for new stories or simply red herrings. Works neat...

Forgot! Of course I use Jimmy Dugan!!!

Power skill is a great way to distinguish rookie heroes from those which have been around for a while. It works really neat...I like it...

Hi Steve,

I think these are dumb questions that I just can't find in the rule book or FAQs...

Setup = Character turns on a continuing power (Change Environment, Darkness, etc). After turning on the power he goes Desolid.

1) Does the continuing power stay active? If the power stays acitve can he change the way that it is deployed (i.e. the effect, the size, etc)?

2) If the character buys the continuing power with Affects Physical World/Affects Solid would it then stay active if he goes Disolid? In this case I assume he could change the way it is deployed.

Thanks!

Hi Guys,

I've asked my players to do this and the results have generated some great discussions and comments. I started with how each PC views themselves then moved to each of the characters one per week. GREAT exercise!

Hi Deathwatch,

Neat question.

After 20 years of GMing I'm still trying to hone my skills. One of the things I am working on right now is flexibility.

A constant problem of mine is that I create one adventure then sort of force it on the players OR I make an adventure where the initial story hook is so strong the players CAN'T escape it. That type of stong hook might work for the first session but it gets kind of old in an extended campaign. With this mentality I would actually plan at least 3 or 4 games in advance. I COULD because I was sort of forcing the session along. Note that my players were still having tons of fun...they just complained every so often.

NOW I'm playing a bit more open. Here is what I am doing different with my latest campaign. [Note that I'm still anal under the hood...I'm just hiding it better. ]

I create two complete adventures and several plot hooks before the session begins. As the session opens I summerize the stuff that happened in the previous game. Then I set the mood for the first scene and let the players react. Sometimes one of the stories will trigger the PC sometimes the PC move towards the stories. While the story is rolling I'll intro other hooks. For example, UNTIL picks up an alien spacecraft which crashes in the Central Valley...the vigilante Raven has struck again...etc. Foreshadowing is a GM's best friend and the players love it, "OH...I forgot about such-and-such!"

I DO plan most of my games in a HIGH-LEVEL serial fashion but occassionally I'll throw in an episodic story. For example, in a given week 1 story might be serial and the other might be episodic.

Another area I am exploring is letting things "run" a bit more. Again...remember my anal-ness. [Ok...that might not be a word but you get the idea. ] This has REALLY been fun for me and the players! I am having MUCH more fun running games! For example, one of the heroes stays behind to help DEMON scientist escape from an extra dimensional base which is colapsing. The PC actually remains until the entire base is gone! In the past I would have said he grabbed the last scientist and dived through... Instead I let the PC fall into the other dimensional to appear at one of the mystical doorways in a smoking heap with black streaks on his back. [The PC is named Survivor and has Absorption to his defenses. ] Anyway...a few games later while boosting his power black streaks from his back cause him searing pain! What happened to our hero? How can he get healed? Etc. I ended up with a KILLER plotline because I was more open.

Anywho...good luck!

Hi Lord Liaden,

Great question.

WARNING: This email is heavily IMHO. Ok...start reading...

I think the average Hero gamer will be ok with a thick book. Hec...the FREd Hero material just plain kicks serious tail. I'd order up 2000 pages if I could.

Now...

I'm not sure the average D20 fantasy gamer will be attracted to a book this big. Isn't this one of the main selling points of Mutants and Masterminds? Same deal right? Simple and colorful CAN sell. I think it depends on the gamer.

After saying that I think Star Hero and Champions are examples of books that ANY gamer of the genre in question SHOULD buy. Champions is by far the best coverage of the superhero genre IMHO. Period. That is a book folks playing any superhero game could use. Knowing Steve FH will be a similar product.

Hi Kajaro: I would call it a special effect of mind link. There are 5 minds but they are specific minds only (i.e. they can only "talk" with eachother).

Hi Demonsong,

Dumb question...

Is this for Champions or FH?

I don't think it is too gross for Champs. The side effect and OAF are pretty limiting...

Hi Whamme,

I had to post this...I have an NPC/villain in my game who is called Jinx. Here is my writeup. Note that my campaign is low powered in some areas so no laughing...

Jinx

Player:

Total Character Cost: 350

Disadvantage Points: 150

Base Points: 200

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

I've recently used it to simulate the following...

+ Reactor's Nuclear Shockwave - Explosion and Personal Immunity on STR, only if target is touching surface.

+ Maria's Crackshot - AP when shooting guns. Bought as OIF gun of opportunity, not if the target has any type of Lack Of Weakness.

+ Maria's Silver Avenger Cyberline Enhanced Punch - AP on STR, at 2x END cost.

That is what I can come up with right now...although I think there are more...

Hi Tech: I've got some examples that I am using for some NPC and villains in my Champs campaign. Here are how these particular ones work...

The active points in my campaign center on 60.

Silver Avenger Chow is Cyberline enabled. She can call forth her super speed and strength to deliver targeted blows. This is bought as a Naked Advantage of AP on up to a 40 STR with increased endurance. In this case my NPC has a 40 STR. So I bought something like this...

Naked Advantage Armor Piercing On Up To STR 40 (20 Active Points) with 2x END cost.

Reactor, a brick with a nuclear punch, has Explosion and Personal Immunity bought as Naked Advantages on his STR. With some other well placed limitations this mimics a shockwave that he performs by punching the ground.

Just some ideas of how it can be used and not be abusive...

The Ice Blast is really powerful. You are talkin' a 100 point active attack. As long as you, as the GM, are ok with it. Seems a bit overpowered to me. Why not split it out into two powers of less active points? Maybe Entangle in one slot and EB in another? If you want to get fancy put Not Affected By ice Powers on the Entangle.

I also questions Gestures in superhero games. So without gyrating arms this character can't use the powers. Is that really the case? If so an Entangle would put this character away...

Hi Doc: Can I make this my tag line?

The GM's responsibility is to challenge the players.

 

The Player's responsibility is to hit the GM with something unexpected.

 

Good players take their responsibilities seriously.

 

- Doc

I love it.

My players are fantastic...BUT...they do like to harass me. One time in a D&D campaign they got a magical urn full of a strange powder. They did not know what it did but at least 1 and hour for the next TEN sessions one of them would ask, "So...um John...what does the urn do again?" They were hoping I would slip up and tell them. The story had a great ending when the team ended up using the urn to kill SEVERAL demons in 1 shot! It was funny...

I had a similar situation happen in one of my games.

A robot PC named Blue Max flew into a hovercraft full of agents. (He is a move through PC.) Accidentally the hovercraft exploded killing everyone on board! The other players were stunned. The guy playing Blue Max did not know what to do! It was GREAT!

I pulled the PC aside and told him to play out the adventure and we would talk afterwards. We decided to convert the Pc into a villain. The explosion and shock of the deaths turned the hard coded life loving Blue Max into a sort of Mechanon death dealing threat. It was tons of fun!

Hi Steve: You said this...

1. Missile Deflection is a Defense Power, so Automatons that Take No STUN pay triple for it.

What is the reasoning behind the decision? Why should a defense that has nothing to do with PD/ED cost 3x as much? This does not make sense to me...is it because it stops attacks which can do STUN? Enlighten me oh guru...

FYI. Thank gosh I'm a GM...my concept for a Force Wall weilding automaton villain is REALLY expensive...

Hi Rechan,

A 150 active point VPP is pretty damn gross. It is very abusive especially with a player who knows the rules. I personally would not allow this PC as I think the VPP is to wide open with that many points. Maybe if the pool was this wide open with a small size it might be less abusive. I also question the -1/2 on restrictive powers as it does not seem well enough defined. Hopefully the player justified the -1/2 to you in person. It is a stop sign structure for a good reason.

The only real limitation on this PC is a 4 speed and that is not a big deal.

Just some first thoughts...

No sure if anyone mentioned it but the Breath powers should be No Range.

I made up a team called the Destruction Crew that was composed of...

Blowtorch

Bulldozer

Piledriver

Sledge

They hired themselves out to do um...destruction jobs. Want a competitor torns down...literally...hire these guys! Need a distraction while you commit some other heinous crime? These are the patsy's you are looking for!

Hi Black Rose,

I agree with Mon but I have another comment. In my case I only let my packages get expensive if it is a race/occupation that I want to be really rare in the game world. For example, if half-dragons are really rare their package might be very high points. Something that is common, like a city guard, would be a very low amount of points.

Hi Altamaros,

Re: 1) Clair and Locations - Like it! Simple and works neat.

Re: Bouncing. I THINK this is detailed in the Champions book isn't it? I vaguely remember reading something like this...maybe I'm wrong...

Hi Herolover,

My only suggestion is to ask your players what would make them excited about a sci-fi game. Maybe give them some ideas...ask about military games, intrigue, space pirates, explorers, etc. See what happens. Might help you both drum up interest and it will make your players feel involved...