psyber624

I would say something like that should be very genre-dependent. In a game like Champions throwing sand in someone's eye shouldn't be very effective, otherwise why pay points for flash attacks? If a player wanted to do something like that ONE time and it was dramatically appropriate and in the spirit of the game I would probably allow it with a modified skill roll, granting 5 CP worth of power for each +1 they rolled. Other than that they would need to purchase the Power Skill and follow the rules for that. Sure, in the real world anyone can throw sand in your eye to blind you but for the same reason that you cant just go "buy a gun or some body armor" in a supers campaign this isn't something that should happen often at all. For the same reason I don't allow "real" electricity or fire (or other) SFX in my campaigns. You don't get any bonus abilities for free just because of your SFX. You have to build the power how you want it to work.

Other than the desolid abiilty you mentioned I don't think there is another "catchall" power that would allow you to be immune to any cold-sfx powers. Personally I would Stick with Damage Reduction + PwD both with the only vs Cold limitations. As far as Entangles go it would be rather sticky because you might be immune to ones that have a "Freeze your body" type effect but "encased in ice" type entangles should still affect him normally (he can't just walk through ice because he is "immune" to the cold it generates). Of course personally unless Cold powers were common in your game setting it wont be worth the points it costs so that is something I would probably just ignore in an actual game setting. If this is an homage character you aren't planning to play then points aren't really an issue so just use what you wish.

Personally I like the "Stun Lottery" flavor of Killing Attacks. They are NOT better at stunning most targets (since they do less STUN on average) but are somewhat better at Stunning Hard Targets (tanks and the like with higher Defenses). This gives them another slot other than just being a better way to do Body damage (which they hands down win right now). KA's only start winning the STUN competition at high levels of Defense/DEF+CON but even then while they are MORE likely to generate a Stunned result on a High Def target than a Normal Attack they are by no means TRULY likely to do it so they leave the ability for high DEF characters to still be Stunned on occasion and mean that even High Def characters have something to fear which is a good thing in my opinion. Even then there are many other, better ways to Stun a High Def character if that is your goal so the fact that Killing Attacks are slightly better than Normal attacks at that isn't something that bothers me in the slightest, of course that is just my opinion.

Fair warning, Teleport UAA can potentially be a broken power, especially if it has any significant range on it. The potential for abuse is simply staggering. If you do decide to use it he can either buy two forms (probably in a Multipower) or he can just buy the UAA. If he only buys the UAA then 1. He CANNOT use it on himself normally 2. He will have to make attack rolls even to hit willing targets (however since they can voluntarily lower their DCV to 0 this shouldn't be a problem, but remember they will then be DCV 0 vs ALL attacks not just his UAA.) and 3. Characters with the required "defenses" to his power cannot even be willingly affected by it. Of course you could handwave those limitations away but honestly I would recommend allowing him to create a Multipower for his Teleport and buying slots with the different configurations he would like to use. The difference in cost would be minor. One last note, if you do allow him to buy this as a UAA I STRONGLY urge you to forbid him from using it at NCM (the rules might even forbid this, I can't remember). Allowing him to subject someone to the NCM penalties as well as the effect of the teleport itself would be far too powerful. Personally I would also rule that this is not a "Limitation" per se (and is worth no points), it is simply an effect of applying UAA to movement powers.

A lot would depend on your definition of "Only languages the player could reasonably know". At -1 that should be a fairly strict requirement and therefore only MAJOR languages and those associated with other skills would qualify in my book. Another interpretation of that would be a true "linguist" that has studied all the languages he can get his hands on and so only obscure tongues, Alien languages, and made up "code" type languages would be forbidden. That interpretation is barely worth -1/4 (assuming you don't deal with a lot of aliens in your game). So I would definitely want a better definition of that limitation in any of my games. Also Universal Translator is by no means the same as buying the Language itself. You can only communicate in the crudest of ways and there are a number of other limitations as well.

Nothing wrong with house ruling that sort of thing, but don't forget to figure out the penalties, the grabber will be at 1/2 DCV and the Grabbee will be at -3 OCV to hit him. If CV's tend to be high in your campaign (Over 10 on average) you may find that the attack roll is frequently nearly a gimme and therefore more of a waste of time than anything. Of course conversely at really low CV averages escaping from a grab may be really hard to do! (if avg CV is 4, the grabber is only at -2 for his DCV, but the Grabbee is still -3)

Like +1

I see dead threads.....

Hmm, not sure how that fits in with your idea of KA becoming an advantage. If its an advantage then it has to modify a different power (I was assuming a normal HA/EB when I discussed it). That was where my considerations where based. In that situation you still roll NDB so a 4d6 EB KA would still only do around 4 BODY unless you rolled high. If it then only applied to Resistant Defenses you would actually DO the 4 BODY damage against someone with no Resistant Defenses but unless this advantage also totally changed the way the power fundamentally worked (basically making it work like KA currently does) then you really nerf the body damage potential. If you did change the roll to being BODY instead of STUN what you have basically done is created an advantage, which you are proposing at a +1 value, that turns a standard EB/HA into the Current KA. So a 4d6 EB (KA +1) would cost 40 points but essentially be almost as effective as a 4d6 KA is currently (which costs 60 points) at least in regards to the Body damage done. Actually the rest of your post seems more in line with TheRealDeal's idea of how to figure STUN damage on KA's, and I was addressing the Advantage idea you presented, not the STUN potential. Also not sure if you were talking 5E or not but in 6E/CC KA Stun is a 1/2 die roll (1-3), not 1d6-1 (which is much nastier) meaning in your example a Cop with 6 Body would currently take 1 BODY and around 1-15 Stun minus any normal PD as well (default is 2 so 0-13 unless he had other abilities). Any Brick with rPD 30 can barely be scratched by a 2d6 KA (Max 12 Body and 36 Stun so even with a full damage roll he only takes 6 STUN minus any non-resistant defenses he has). If you were discussing 5E then my comments aren't as relative (I don't have 5E so I don't know exactly what changed.)

TheRealDeal: Interesting idea. That would solve a lot of the complaints that I have seen from people who do not like the way KA's currently work. I am afraid, however that the net result would be that more people buy up their Resistant Defenses to combat the extra stun (basically buying their rPD/rED to counter the STUN via countering the BODY) specially Bricks... Also I wonder if that shouldn't modify the cost of Resistant Defenses a bit... but definitely an interesting concept Trebuchet: Hmm, currently you could do the same thing with HA/EB but it would cost +1 1/2 (+1/2 for the AVAD, +1 for DOES BODY on AVAD). You do loose most of the body damage that way tho, unless you are considering making the advantage ALSO change the die roll as well (so that you count normal effect not NDB.) At that point it would be a very scary ability at only +1 or +3/4 (Currently KA's are effectively +2 vs Normal attacks (since they cost 3x as much) and your version would make them even stronger as they now ignore PD/ED for the Stun portion).

Personally for game balance reasons if a player wanted to have a "flavor" sidekick (someone who doesn't contribute much to any form of conflict resolution but is around for role playing and such) promoted to a "Capable" sidekick I would have the player purchase the new sidekick as a follower. Followers are already dirt cheap (at 1 CP from the main for 5 CP in the follower) and having to "weaken" yourself to allow the sidekick to power up could be roleplayed as well. If you have a great group of players that wont get upset (and wont demand their own freebie sidekicks) you could just power up the sidekick but I would probably ensure that it was a double-sided sword type of situation. Maybe give the sidekick a semi-powerful attack but virtually NO defenses (compared to what you are going up against) so that having the sidekick actually participate is fraught with risk, danger and all sorts of potential drama. This can get old if overplayed but would help to reign in the power level of their freebie.

Sorry bigbywolfe, should have checked who the poster was before making those comments. Since Rigid and Insulated are not actual abilities from the game I would say they qualify as SFX and therefore you can make your armor Rigid and Insulated just by saying it is. That doesn't give you any additional protection from things like Energy Blasts with an Electrical SFX, but as far as the NND goes I would say it applies if you define it that way beforehand. Just my opinion tho.

One thing to remember is that "Package Deals" are basically just a suggested guideline of the types of skills/abilities a specific type of character might take in many situations. In others (most notably in Racial Package Deals) they may be more mandatory but at the end of the day they are still just a list of powers and abilities you HAVE to buy in that case. So if you want to create package deals for your games its as easy as writing up a list of SUGGESTED or MANDATORY abilities and pointing them out so that your player characters have a quick "cheat sheet" method of spending some of their points. In most cases the "Deal" part of package Deals is a misnomer as they don't change the cost of the abilities or make them any cheaper (although in some cases the costs may be offset by Disadvantages). Of course it is up to you if you want Package Deals to be cheaper or not, but generally in HERO published materials they aren't.

The skin contact one is easy, just buy the "Impermeable" adder for your Resistant Protection. Its legal, costs 0 points (unless your GM disagrees) and covers skin contact. Otherwise, honestly if someone is buying "poke you in the eye" type blindness powers then they should be built with the NND advantage and your armor would qualify to stop them. If they aren't buying them with the NND advantage then whatever they are saying is the "sfx" of the power doesn't matter so you shouldn't get any extra defense because of how you defined your armor. If you want to buy something to ENSURE that you can't be affected by those sorts of attacks then you have to pay for it just like every other power. The key to remember here is that SFX do not innately grant you any bonuses or penalties against other powers in the HERO system. It may "feel" like they should from a common sense standpoint but if you are just buying your "sealed suit" as Resistant Defenses with the "Impermeable" adder then you ONLY get what the Game Effects of that armor are. Wanting to get extra defenses just because it "seems logical" is a violation of the tenants of the Hero System (which works from Game Effects not Special Effects). Of course you can hand wave it if you want to (its your game after all) but think about how that would affect other SFX for the power you are buying (your Resistant Defenses in this case).

Seems like Flight UBO and Barrier to me. That seems to be the best combination of abilities to accurately simulate what is happening there. Possibly some LS UBO as well (Green Lantern especially is often shown to use his "bubble" to carry people through hostile environments like deep space.

For something like that I would buy his flame powers with the "OIF Flames of Opportunity" mentioned above, then buy that off with a OAF Flamethrower limitation. So when he has his OAF Flamethrower (possibly built with other limitations as well) he doesn't have to worry about finding a source of flame, but if he doesn't have it he needs fire generated from somewhere else. You could do the same thing with your Electric guy, but possibly changing the Buyoff OAF to charges instead if he normally carries something like a battery pack with him. I will say, however, that in a modern setting "Electricity of Opportunity" really isn't a limitation, more of a Special Effect as we are pretty much surrounded by Electricity and so it wouldn't be worth much of a limitation. Even -1/4 is generous IMO unless you plan to have a decent amount of adventures in locations with no easy access to electricity. Other possible methods of limiting his powers that would be worth limitations might be Extra Time (he has to absorb electricity before he can use it) or a small END Reserve that powers his electrical abilities, with a REC that requires him to "charge up" frequently. Just having to have some electricity in the area isn't much of a limitation.

Well, it is more 'complete' than The HERO System Basic Rulebook, that is for shure. It includes powers, skills, and talents 'left out' of the main book. And it is complete enougth that you can run a decent superhero game without needing the 6ed1 and 6ed2 at all. Still, it is not realy 'complete' compared to 6ed1 and 6ed2. It lacks the Classes of Minds rules (it is no biggie, and simple to put back in IF you have a copy of 6ed1). My beef with Champions Complete is that there is no aperent suport for it yet on the HERO Games side of things. Again, it is a small beef, made painfuly clear from cash flow problems, and acual time restrants. So, should the guys at HERO do a conversion guide for all published charaters? Reprint the VVs with Champions Complete stats? Reprint Champions Powers with Champion Complete stats? It is not "HERO System 7th Edition", but it is "HERO System 6.1 Edition". There are really NO changes needed to use any 6e characters with CC. Really the only thing that will change in a "conversion" are certains skills will be more comprehensive and Mentalists no longer need to worry about their class of minds. No where near enough to justify any sort of a conversion.

And your forgetting a couple of other things as well. Rolling a 10 is actually pretty lucky (8.3% chance of getting a 10). Its also a no range attack by default so will only work in melee. And that costs 20 points. Also, if your opponent has any PwD the attack will quickly drop off in value. Yeah, END drains are still pretty powerful (honestly moreso in Superheroic than Heroic tho due to the prevalance of Equipment/Foci in Heroic which doesn't usually require much END).

While it would be insanely ugly for the power you suggested, you can also just use the "Naked Advantage" rules on Power Adders as well as Power Advantages. Just buy the various Adders with the appropriate Limitations on them. No idea if that is supported in Hero Designer or not as I don't have it but it is RAW.

Leaping sounds like the way to go here. And yes you can leap somewhere you can't see but you suffer a penalty to your attempt to hit your target (IIRC you have to make an "attack roll" at the hex you are trying to hit). UAA can work if you give it the correct build (and might actually make it easier to build as you don't have to mess with the whole control aspect as much).

The problem with that Beast is that if you hit me with Stun damage I get some back post segment 12, and can get more back if I can find a safe spot (or have a high enough SPD) by taking a recovery. OTOH Body damage is effectively "permanent" in regards to a single combat unless you have the right powers to combat it. So 3-4 Normal attacks might knock me out, but you have to do that much before i have a chance to recover it. However ANY BODY damage you do to me will be sticking around for quite a while (unless my concept or a friends is built to combat that). And of course there is a big difference between KO'd and Dead to think about as well. The idea behind the STUN lottery is that you really shouldn't be using KA's to try and do STUN. If you make KA's a flat x3 modifier then they are basically ALWAYS more effective than Normal attacks. The x3 modifier would ensure that they did the same amount of STUN as a normal attack of the same AP cost, and then they get the extra BODY and the ability to have the BODY ignore non-resistant defenses. So why buy normal attacks? they would have NO benefit over KA's. You might be able to argue a set x2 Multiplier, or even a x1 (making KA's basically useless for STUN damage) but a set x3 is basically broken.

You do have a point in the whole "to each their own" aspect of this. If someone likes the idea of a RunT they are free to use it, one of the core principles of the game is that its your game, use what you like and throw out the rest. The only issue is that this game is HIGHLY interconnected with a lot of moving parts so I personally don't recommend making sweeping changes such as this when they are not really called for. They can easily have unintended results that can put people off. You also limit your playerbase when you start changing the system too much as some gamers may not like and or trust your new version of the system so just be cautious of that. On a different note I will say that 5 points per SPD is WAY WAY too low. If you are using your RunT system then you might not even need to discout SPD at all as SPD is not affecting your RUN, your actually probably better off discounting movement powers since they are now bought per turn instead of per SPD. The "extra move" aspect of SPD is still only a very small part of everything that you can do with SPD so loosing that tiny bit is by no means worth a 50% discount on your speed (especially not 50% without being a limitation!).

HERO actually has a system like this called Heroic Action Points (HAP's) as an optional rule. It may have been left out of CC tho.

Maybe I am just not getting something yall are discussing here but it seems like people are going through massive hoops and suggesting tons of house rules and entire house systems for something that isn't broken. I don't get the aversion to selling back some of the free Run/Swim if you want to keep your per turn movement the same. Yes, it makes that extra SPD slightly cheaper (slightly) but then you ARE making it less valuable (since you no longer get to move that extra amount for free anyway). The aversion to selling back stats from 5E came from the fact that you could basically get certain stats at a HUGE discount by selling back their granted figured characteristics that could make the primaries almost free. Since buying up your SPD doesn't in ANY way increase your Run/Swim (it just lets you use it more often) you don't have the issue that was present before. What strikes me as funny is that this is the opposite of the NORMAL SPD vs Movement argument, which is about SPD being a cheap way to INCREASE your movement after a certain point.

Thats not STUN damage stunning tho, thats STUNNED that someone would attack him with squirrels (psych damage maybe?)