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20 hours ago, MrKinister said:

It's a bit of an interesting detail for me. I am an "empath", meaning I can sense other people's emotions and thoughts. It is a spiritual ability. The predominant energy vibration on Roll20 is of "competition" and "hostility". If I spend more than 15 minutes on the website, the amount of pain I pick up becomes unbearable. Don't get me wrong, I love Roll20. I like their system, and was subscribed to it years ago. But it's become a place where it is just harder and harder for me to be there. At this point I am just choosing to not go there. Problem is, of course, it is very popular.

Interesting. Have you tried other table top simulators? 

9 hours ago, MrKinister said:

What sort of game would this be? But, most importantly to me, on what platform are you running it? I'd be interested as long as it is not Roll20.

Curious why no Roll20?

I would lean toward just making them Uncommon, unless they are already uncommon and just subtract 5 points if they are uncommon already.

- E

19 hours ago, Kryptoknight said:

Hi White Rabbit,

 

Thanks for the advice.  I may indeed be up for creating a character.  Also, if you're game, would you be game for extending the offer you made to Scott to me?  Like you, I've been world building last few months trying to set up a game and I think I'm almost ready.  Nothing long term if not interested, just need some experience with Hero and TTS as player and GM.  

Sent you a message.

- E

Also wanted to say I can boot up TTS and create a character to play around with if you just want to test some scenarios. I am vacillating between TTS and Roll20 for my next game so it would be a good exercise for me too.

- E 

I have a game brewing, but it will likely not happen for a few months. If you are interested in working on a character that is an option if you want. FYI, most of the players will come from an existing DND 5e game, some have played a version of Hero before (an MHI campaign I ran), others not. 

- E

1 hour ago, theinfn8 said:

 

Yeah, I wouldn't want to make it too complicated either. I love the chart and all the math that went into it though. I think I would be inclined to add a roll of 3 gives 1/2 END cost (cause players love that moment of awesome), chuck the limitation, and say "this is just an effect of how magic operates in this world".

 

I never really make the math a part of the limitation in my games. I just use it to figure out a reasonable amount to make the limitation. I try to balance it either against raw probabilities or compare the effectiveness to existing limitations or look at how many points it saves and what else you could do given those points in the main power. And with Hero I generally find that it is VERY well thought out and math based so the three all arrive at about the same answer.

- E

14 minutes ago, Panpiper said:

"Transdimensional on Teleport: This is called Extra Dimensional Movement and is a defined power."

 

Err... Yes? That's how I bought it, no? It an effect you add to teleport. It's sitting right there in Hero Designer when you are building a teleportation power.

 

The point of this power essentially a plot device to to let the players get to whatever scenario the GM cooks up, including the possibility of things going awry in other dimensions where the GM can get seriously creative. It is NOT meant to take GMs on a joyride with the character.

Most of the rest of your comments go to your intent for the powers, so I won't address those, opinions are opinions and equally valid. 

But no, just because something is available to be bought in Hero Designer does not make it legal or valid. 6e1, 303 / FREd 235:

Quote

Transdimensional: Characters cannot buy this Advantage for Teleportation; use Extra-Dimensional Movement to travel to other dimensions and realities.

So the power you built originally would be more like: (unless you are talking time travel as well, then start at 77 CP)

EDM: Any physical location in any dimension [45 CP]; Area Of Effect: 2m Radius (+1/4), Usable Simultaneous: 16 others (+1 1/4); Real Cost: 112

You would be a lot better off saying you needed to research each dimension and just building a spell for each one. More like:

EDM: Any physical location in one defined dimension [22 CP]; Area Of Effect: 2m Radius (+1/4), Usable Simultaneous: 16 others (+1 1/4); Real Cost: 55

If it's just a plot device, then the GM probably would not even need to see the point structures, because no matter what they will provide a way for it to happen.

- E

I don't think I would be much help in HDC, I get by but seldom use it right now. However, I can point you to some nice starting adventurers for 5e that are easily translated over to FH. And I am working on translating the content for Sunless Citadel if you want to run an old school dungeon crawl. Hit me up and I can put stuff on Google drive or something for you. It's just Excel sheet templates, I have a tendency to build everything manually anyway.

And you can take a look at the threads I posted on map resources for some great battle maps.

- E

23 minutes ago, Mr. R said:

I don't think this goes to what I was thinking.

 

Malus casts his Seeking Fire Bolts.  As he casts the spell he realizes that he has grabbed the Winds of Magic too fast and he winces as he feels his Mana Pool bleeds to much energy and much of it is wasted as his spell goes off!

 

Game Speak

Malus is casting his RKA Homing (45 AP).  He makes a RSR to see if he can harness the required energy to fuel his spell.  As he fails the RSR, the spell is still cast but rather that the 4 End that he would usually spend he spends 8 ( X2).  If he had failed by more it may have been more (possibly x3 or x4).  His spell goes off regardless, it is the fuel that suffers.

 

SO---

Is this a RSR on the FB with a Side Effect to the End Battery?

-or-

A RSR on the End Battery (where the modifier to the roll is from the spell(?), so how is that stated out?)

-or- 

Something else entirely?

I bought it as a Increased Endurance cost on the spell (FB in this case) that has an RSR on the Increased Endurance limitation. Not exactly, but close enough. Basically, I looked at the likelihood of missing the roll based on flat activation roll. The example you use above replaces that with a skill roll, which makes the math a lot more variable. You'd have to pick an average or some other method of determining what the normal skill roll would be. But it will vary, since Malus can cast his FB spell as 1d6 (22 AP) or a 2d6 (45 AP) which would be -2 or -4 to his roll (assuming he uses -1 per 10 AP instead of -1 per 5 or -1 per 20.)

Personally, I would just call it a wash and use the -1/2 value since it is unlikely that most players will let their roll get below 11- for their most commonly used spells. So for -1/2 you make an activation roll. If you miss the roll, the spell still goes off, but for each 1 you miss it by the END multiplier goes up. Miss your roll by 1? 8 END. Miss it by 4? 20 END. Cesar save you if you miss it by 7 (probably rolled an 18), that is 32 END gone bye bye bye.

For a less harsh version, call it a -1/4 limitation and for every 2 (or part thereof) you miss your roll by the END multiplier goes up. So miss it by 3 or 4 and that's 3x END.

If you are feeling generous you can also have spells cost 1/2 END if they make their roll by half or more.

- E 

Either way you can lose your action, actually.

Quote

Regardless of the type of roll used, a character always makes Required Rolls after all other preparations. For example, he must spend the END for a power regardless of whether the Required Roll succeeds; if the power is an attack, attempting to use it is an Attack Action even if the power fails to activate. Making a Required Roll is an Action that takes no time that’s part of the overall attempt to activate or use an ability; if the roll fails, the character can’t change his declared Action.

Of course, if you are making this a feature of our magic system you can change how that works if you like as the GM.

- E

Specific things I would not allow and why:

Transdimensional on Teleport: This is called Extra Dimensional Movement and is a defined power.

Precog / Retrocog Clairsentience: Campaign breaker unless the GM decides to make it useless. If you bought with "Vague and Unclear" I would consider it.

Entropy: I don't allow AVAD "Defenses" structured as "Not a dwarf" or the like. It must be a power or the like that can be acquired. 

Courage / Will: I prefer you buy these as AID to the appropriate characteristic from both a flavor and a mechanical standpoint. However, if you did buy aid here, you could get 8d6 of AID with an area of effect of 4m and eliminate the need for them to stay in sight.

Questions / Suggestions:

1. Why do you have combo powers in a VPP? I mean, it's legal, but it reduces your versatility. Buy the Flight and Desolid as separate powers.

2. On the invocation of water, I assume this is to avoid killing villains or bystanders outright? Why not go ahead and make it Reduced Penetration? And probably you could add in No Knockback to help even more, KB on even on 6d6 normal can kill a civilian with bad rolls.

3. I would add "Only Magic Effects" to the entire pool, for -1/4. Saves 6 points.

4. Why are all the powers without limitations? Part of the flexibility of a VPP is to have a variety of options available to you at one time. The way you have set it up you can basically only keep one power at a time in it? Example: https://surbrook.devermore.com/adaptationstv/asstd_tv/macgyver.html

5. Ditch the Reduced End / Zero END advantages. If you get to low on END, set up an AID to REC or an AID to END. 

6. Set up some spells with Foci (wand, staff, rod, skull, whatever). This cuts the real points, giving you options for keeping multiple things up at once. Not everything, of course, you want to be able to operate without them, but villains like having things to knock out of your hand and it sometimes saves you getting shot instead.

7. Set up some Full Phase attack actions, maybe with a couple other limitations as well. They won't always be what you use, but options are key with a VPP.

- E

Link:

https://www.kestrelarts.com/jolrhos-field-guide

18 hours ago, Old Man said:

The correct answer is a 0 END AOE Armor Piercing Cumulative Major Transform.

Isn't that like 42, pretty much the answer to everything?

Hrm. It does not sounds like you are affecting the END battery or the spell. Both will work. All that is in question is how much END it costs.

Here are some ways to build that. It does require a bit of initial math.

Variable END Cost: 10x END, Requires a Roll: 11- . For every point you miss the roll by, move up the Increase END chart (x2,x3,x4, etc.) 

I just took the odds of each value on 3d6 and you would average to a x2 END (well, 1.9583), so we call the limitation -1/2.

If you move to 10- it's about midway from  x2 to x3 END (2.458) so call it -3/4 limitation. At 9- it goes to x3 END (3.083) so call it -1 limitation.

If you'd like to play with the math, here is the chart I was playing with, copy and paste to excel or similar.

5 minutes ago, unclevlad said:

On powers that are normally persistent like senses and defenses, Costs END to activate is something of an odd man out.  Including APG, there are 3 related limitations:

 

--Nonpersistent

--Costs END to activate

--Damage-based END cost (with 2 different levels)

 

They share a major aspect:  the power becomes Constant and shuts off when the character is KOd or stunned.  
Costs END to activate has the likely *nasty* side effect (6E1 374) that it's automatically Perceivable...and no, you don't get points.

 

So of these, the one that bites is Costs END to activate.  It's by far the worst, IMO, because of the "this power is screaming OBVIOUS SUPER HERE!!" aspect.  And I can simply take Nonpersistent AND Perceivable for -1/2.

No factual disagreement with you, I just find that Costs END to activate is pretty fairly costed for what you get. You change a power to constant, make it cost end once per day and it becomes visible as a side effect. You have turned a power that cost 30 END per turn (Arcane Shield) to one that costs 6 END per day. If it were not for the visible and constant it would really be a +0 Advantage.

/agree on your other points, though.

- E

For a supers campaign I would make a few tweaks to the limitations. Gestures, Incantations in the Compound power (where the power only has to be started once per day) I would just call a -1/4 "Restrainable". 

On the MP, I'd allow them. But I would also rule if you were hit before your DEX, it interrupts just like in FH. And remember, changing variable limitations is a Full Phase action when you are at 1/2 DCV.

Tech is correct on the Perceivable limitation, in addition the power becomes Constant. 

Quote

A power with Costs Endurance turns off when a character is Stunned or Knocked Out, and is perceivable by three Sense Groups throughout the duration of its use. If a character takes Costs Endurance for a Persistent Power, that Power becomes Constant instead.

I'd ask you to work on the complications as well, others have pointed out most of the problems there. 

Spiked buckler and short shaft spear.

http://cultofathena.com/product.asp?item=CS95FS

When looking at costing for limitations I try to figure out how much of the time it will affect the outcome of the attack. Here, I would say that the limitation is more powerful than your opponent buying penetrating on their 3d6 killing attack (on average). So that is a significant amount (22 points), but defenses always cost way less, so a value of half that (and only for the body, so actually a quarter or so) would be in the right range.

Another way to figure is using the limited power chart. I think it is not affecting you more than half the time since you have other armor and it's a window of 5 body. DC's in FH heroic are going to be in the 6-10 range so I think this will come into effect more than 1/4 of the time. I'd say somewhere around a third or 2/5ths of the time seems right, which would put me at a -1/2 limitation. That's around 5 points saved total, which works out to around what I speculated from the amount it would cost to defeat.

If the average DC's will be greater than 6-10 then you can probably bump it down to -1/4 since it will always be used at full in that case.

- E

I ran an MHI campaign using the magic systems from Here There Be Monsters. It worked pretty well and was balanced for the setting. We ended up with a psychic, a Daemonsouled, a professional / gadgeteer, a professional / sharpshooter and... well the last was an innatus but basically he had spells laid on him by his dead wife to protect him from her enemies. It was a nice mix and played pretty well. 

I have used variations on the Alchemy system and will be using another variation in my new campaign. The base magic system in my new campaign is very loosely based off of Runecrafting but has since morphed into something that would likely not be recognizable from the original. 😃

- E

On the original topic, I don't find anything on shields requiring END to use their DCV. 6e FH 226 has a 3 paragraph write up on them, but the basics is that it is a multipower with DCV with OAF, STR Min, Real Armor, Mass and the other slot for bashing. STR Min means the amount of STR required to effectively use it and does not indicate one way or the other END expenditure. For example, the DCV for shields is not bought as "Costs End" and the HKA for weapons are bought with Reduced End Cost: 0 End. 

All of that said, for the same reasons mentioned earlier in the thread, if the GM wants to house rule that you need to use END for it, they can. I would find it inappropriate in all but the most gritty heroic settings, and I am a fan of enforcing END (and LTE) costs generally for balance reasons.

- E

Multiple attack does have special rules for END, but not sure exactly how they would interact with the above rule on STR. 6e2, 73

Quote

A character making a Multiple Attack must expend END or Charges for each attack made (this includes any that automatically miss because he missed one in the sequence).

42 minutes ago, Lee said:

Interesting. I always thought of "Rally" as a morale action and would therefore have used Aid EGO (for overcoming detrimental morale effects or increasing morale going into a bad situation), but END is a good choice, too. I wonder what I could call the EGO version to differentiate them? Maybe Inspire, Encourage or Urge?

Galvanize?

Defense Maneuver, UBO

Teamwork skill would be good.

A small amount of teleportation, UBO, defined as swapping places via maneuverability

Presence Defence, UBN

To expand a bit on pawplay, the Change Environment could be area of effect selective

Corner case, but missile reflection used conditionally to represent you maneuvering people between two opponents and having one shoot the other.

Weirder stuff could be things like aids to powers to add Indirect (coordinated fire from unexpected direction), AoE selective drains to movement (tripping up opponents with feints and strategic movement), triggered attacks (concentrating fire), etc.

- E

1. Depends on the campaign and what I think is suitable for it.

2. In my current campaign I am not "excluding" any, but some maneuvers you need a familiarity with to use. Examples: Hipshot, Unarmed block, Multiple attack all require familiarity (1 point skill, like a weapon familiarity).

3. If I am using hit locations, no. You want to simulate hitting a vulnerable spot when using hit locations, call a shot. If I am not using hit locations, usually yes. Although I tend to favor the Offensive Haymaker rule on 6e2, 69.

4. Generally, no. If the campaign does not have a standard "Spell" limitation, I would consider it. That is where I usually build in things like not using haymaker. I do sometimes allow a player to "push" a spell in extraordinary situations.

- E