saffo

I was in a game recently where I tried to trick someone into thinking I was a character for which they had a mind link. Of course instead of mindlinking to their friend they had to roll an attack roll. Can you think of anyway in which I can avoid this kind of detection with a shifter?

Re: Limits on Killing attacks? I think that largely depends on what type of game you are running. If one player continually strikes down the villains (maybe he has a lucky night with the dice)... It could lead to an unfun experience for everyone. I think that probability is an important part of the game. It is one of the very things that allows players to suspend disbelief and feel as though they are influencing the game. Creative power design is another thing which I think is prized in the Hero system. If a player can come up with a cool power, which is approaching the effectiveness of a killing attack then god bless them.

Re: Limits on Killing attacks? It seems to me, and maybe this is just chance, that the possibility of rolling high or low on 5d6 dice is better than the possibility of rolling high or low on 12 dice. In other words the more dice you use the more average things become. Imagine someone rolling 5 dice and doing 140+ stun. I am not arguing against killing attacks. I am against munchkins. I am also pro Heroic story telling. If someone foils your game because of random chance, it doesn’t seem very fun. If someone foils your game because of well thought out powers…. I don’t know maybe I am old fashioned that way.

Re: Limits on Killing attacks? Find weakness (x2) + 75 or 80 active point killing attack is insane. The problem that arises is when you go to fight the main bad guy in your campaign and you dont know if your players are going to kill him with 1-2 hits... It can make things rather um...unheroic.

Re: Limits on Killing attacks? It just seems to me that 75 (or 80) active points might be a better starting comparison. I don't think many people would have a 60 active point killing attack (4d6) and 30 defense + 30 con. Even with 75 active points you are looking at bricks having maybe 25 defense.

Re: Limits on Killing attacks? Another thing to consider is how other powers effect KA vs a normal attack. For example, someone who uses find weakness over and over till his KA are completly nasty.

Re: FYI: why more people aren't playing HERO (rpg.net) I remember reading somewhere, or someone telling me, that champions was originally part of someones math thesis. Was that a nasty rumor?

How would I model a power in which one player using TK to throw a brick type character(who increases his density in transit) at an enemy as an attack? What skills/powers would need to be involved?

Re: riddle me this, "Mind Control on Computers" I was thinking along the lines of borg like powers. Turning man into machine machine into man, then dominating it.

Re: riddle me this, "Mind Control on Computers" Can transform effect the class of mind of something? Or is there a way to change a target from one thing to another?

1. What type of power would have this effect. 2. Would it be possible to transform a computer into a type of conciousness that would be effected by mind control? Perhaps using a major transform? I don't want to hack into computers. I want to just send them (mental?) signals to execute my will.

Teamwork specifically states that stun dice are added together to calculate actual stun damage based on the targets defense (so that his defense applies only once to the total value). Is that right? If so then, are you saying that if someone has a power like find weakness that this should be done differently (applying each persons stun to the targets defense before its pooled)?

If 4 hero's have teamwork and one of them has find weakness how do you apply the pooled stun damage?

Can you please describe to me the differences between the skill tracking, the sense group modifier tracking and the Clairsentience tracking? For example, the sense modifier seems to be pretty straight forward. You can make a perception check and track someone based on smell. So why would someone buy Clairsentience smell/taste to use with tracking? Am I misunderstanding the value of clarsentience smell/tase + tracking?

Re: Applying shapeshift in game Regarding the snake and the pipe... From 5th edition revised page 216 "Shape Shift (touch group) only allows a character to alter his size or mass by about +/-10%. To make greater changes in size or mass, the character should buy growth, shrinking or density increase linked to shape shift."

Re: Applying shapeshift in game I don’t know... If having Cellular, Sight and Touch can produce a Y chromosome as Steve Long suggests, then certainly a power only effecting woman or men could affect someone shape shifted.... So why cant it do the same with a ham sandwich?

Re: Sorry Officer... Can't Remember What He Looks Like! Maybe 'Luck' with some limitation that it only applies to people remembering him?

Re: Applying shapeshift in game No problem man, I find this very educational and I am excited to take part in these types of discussions. My context for the word real is a physical thing. I don’t have my 5th edition revised with me right now, but I looked this up last night and it mentioned something along the lines of a "body" oriented change or "physical" of some sort. I agree that the "real" part only applies to the sense it is affected and not the substantial nature of the shape in the universe. In other words... Its only real as far as our perception of the shape. It is not inherently real in the sense that a bird is infinitely itself and can do a number of things that we may or may not be able to perceive with our senses.

Re: Applying shapeshift in game It is a real change. The book specifies that in the header of the power and also in these links steve long confirms that it is real: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26745 http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26764

Re: Amusing Conundrum ... I have always had a different definition of Meta-Game. I don't recall which book exactly I read which made me develop this ideal (it was in some psych book). I see the meta-game as an important part of a game. It is the sub game. Sure everyone is on their way to attack so and so, or rescue the mayor of XYZ city. But what goes on while that is happening. The mental positioning, the player interaction, the lighting in the room... I think that everything which influences the psychic state of the group and the little subtle exchanges that form a socially cohesive group is part of the meta-game. Role-playing is ABOUT meta-gaming in my view. Becoming more aware of those subtle games and interactions between humans is one of the wonderful side effects of role-playing games (or for that matter reading and socializing). Anyway, OOC game knowledge should not be used. Personally...If I know something from OOC I think real hard about what my characters normal actions would be in any given situation. If it is widely known that my enemy has a vulnerability I might ask the GM to let me make a roll to see if I know about this vulnerability before I "break my code against killing".

Re: Applying shapeshift in game Cellular + immitation specificly mentions the example of retina scan and thumb print in the book. If you are reproducing someone ona cellular level, then wouldnt your voice also sound identical? Heck if I can reproduce your retina (which is unique) why can I reproduce your vocal chords? For that matter why cant I reproduce a relatively simple thing like a wing on a bird for flight?

Re: Applying shapeshift in game A few questions of my own... 1. What is you have cellular but you don’t have the touch group? Cellular says that your thumb print will be identical. Does cellular imply the touch group? 2. If you have imitation do you need the hearing group in order to imitate a human or animals voice/call? 3. Does imitating a Bird (if you have touch and cellular) allow you to fly?

Re: transfer/aid w/ limited points I dont play city of heroes, but it seems like a prevalent power type for many computer games.

Build a power that progressively drains stun over an area effect from the character’s enemies. At the same time it progressively adds those points to his allies. None of the points can be used by the character and the power has an active point limit of 75.

Can you recommend ways to make a grab more effective? Perhaps HA damage shields, +str characteristic only for resisting people breaking out of grabs or "holding on"? Thanks, saffo