Basil
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Posts posted by Basil
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Re: Alternatives to the Speed Chart from DH
I liked this idea when I first read it in AC#21' date=' and I still like it.[/quote']Didn't realize this was published or I'd have cited it. The concept is simple, so I'm sure many of us have tried similar systems.
Oh, sorry, thought you'd gotten it from there.
I guess "parrallel evolution" never occured to me. Sorry, my bad.
However, I'd make anything with Extra Time go by actual time passed, not by "luck o' the dice".
I felt the same way at first, and that's surely a more accurate way to do things. However, we found that the bookkeeping was a hassle and slowed things down at times. Ya just gotta find your own balance between playability and precision.
Hmmm....
Maybe it's just me, but I don't see that there'd be much more bookkeeping. "OK, it's Segment 6 of Turn 2. BigMage, your spell doesn't go off until Segment 6 of Turn 3. OtherMage, *your* spell has 'Extra Time: Extra Segment,' so the next time you roll a -- what, 5? yeah, OK 5 or less -- your spell goes off at your DEX on the *following* Segment." A little complex, but then "Delayed Phase" or "Extra Segment" isn't exactly dead simple anyway.
BTW, I don't like the "roll a 12 to get a post-12-recovery" part. Bad rolls, and your character never gets to recover. I'd stick with getting Recoveries once a Turn. (NB: yes, I know a character can 'pause' a phase and Recover. Doesn't apply to the point I'm making here.)
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Re: Opinions requested on an application of Side Effects
{snip}Two issues arise out of this.
First, the "common sense result". Is this the only logical result? The character achieves Indirect by bouncing his attack. The RSR roll could certainly be taken to mean "He fires his arrow, and it takes a bad bounce because the character miscaculated the angles". In that case,it makes sense for a failed RSR to equal a failed attack (charge and phase lost).
However, the RSR could also be taken to mean "The Archer glances arund for a suitable surface off which to bounce his attack, however he finds none suitable for his archery. He must either fire a direct shot or select a different action". In this case, the ability to fire directly after a failed roll makes sense.
Your second scenario doesn't really apply. Please note this from the originating post
I've got an archer character. I'm going to buy him Indirect as a Naked Advantage that can be applied to any of his arrows. (SFX: He's so good at bouncing attacks, he doesn't need to burn Combat Skill Levels to do it.)
On the Naked Advantage itself, I want to have Requires A Skill Roll (his Power: Incredible Archery skill), and Side Effects. The Side Effect would be that if he misses his Power Skill Roll, he failed to bounce the attack correctly, so the attack virtually always misses the intended target.
Thus the idea is: if the RSR is missed, the attack mis-bounces.
Second, the point issue. I find it perfectly reasonable to say "because this is the logical result of the ability you describe, you must take this limitation". It does not follow that this limitation should be free (-0) as a result. "How limiting is the limitation?" is the question. Without this limitation, our Archer can try to line up an Indirect shot, fail and still have (IIRC) a full phase remaining to him.
Only if you assume your second scenario. Since the OP talked about a mis-bounce, this is a not-actually-*limiting* "Limitation", written down in the power's description for the sake of clarity. (and, to be honest, to prevent a "take-back" by a player -- "Well, I didn't *really* aim away from the intended target.")
PS - Basil: "I hurt therefore I must be"Was that a request for a translation? If so, I'd go with "Laedo ergo sum."
Unless you mean "I am being hurt, therefore I am" (i.e., you want the subjunctive); that would be "Laedor ergo sum."
You could replace "sum" with "me oportet esse" or "debeo esse", but those have the sense of "must" meaning "am required to, am obbligated to." Since I believe you mean "must" in the sense of "it is an inescapable conclusion that", you'd best stick with "sum" which in Latin is more forceful than "am" is in English.
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Re: How to: Reverse persistant?
I have a character idea, part of it involves the character's natural state of being being desolid, but through an act of will he can become solid. Becoming solid is a 0 end thing for him to do, but anytime he is KO'd he would revert to his natural state (desolid):How do you do this?
Desolidification, Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2), Persistant (+1/2), Trigger (at will or whenever KO'd, +1/4), 90 Active Points.
Admittedly, that's an odd pair of triggering circumstances. OTOH, I don't see why you can't jus say the character can activate the power whenever he wants, applying dramatic sense and common sense to this particular power.
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Re: Opinions requested on an application of Side Effects
I've got an archer character. I'm going to buy him Indirect as a Naked Advantage that can be applied to any of his arrows. (SFX: He's so good at bouncing attacks, he doesn't need to burn Combat Skill Levels to do it.)On the Naked Advantage itself, I want to have Requires A Skill Roll (his Power: Incredible Archery skill), and Side Effects. The Side Effect would be that if he misses his Power Skill Roll, he failed to bounce the attack correctly, so the attack virtually always misses the intended target.
{snip}
I'd get away from Side Effect. Turn the limitations into Requires A Skill Roll and Must Shift Point Of Aim Away From Intended Target (-0). Ordinarily, the second one of those would be considered part of the SFX/appearance of Indirect, but in this case the character is forced to "aim aside" in order to try to have Indirect. Since he might fail to get Indirect (due to failing the Requires A Skill Roll), he is therefore forced to miss the target entirely.
This takes what MitchellS (and others) pointed out was a based-on-common-sense result, and puts in place a game mechanic to handle it.
IOW, instead of just assuming a fail-to-Indirect would be a clean miss, and instead of the is-it-enough-negative-OCVs-to-force-a-miss problem, you have a clear statement that yes, failing the RSR blows the shot.
Since shifting the point of aim is almost certainly needed for Indirect anyway, I'd give the Limitation no more than -0. YMMV.
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Re: Alternatives to the Speed Chart from DH
Our group uses an alternate SPD system that (I think) works quite well.I've always been a bit irritated at the plodding, predictable nature of the SPD chart. Players tend to disengage from the game in segments in which they have no chance to act. I love HERO, but sometimes a little randomness is just fun.
I also found that if a campaign has a typical SPD stat, say '5' for most of our supers characters, then a character with 1 pt. of SPD more has a huge advantage that's disproportionate to the difference in the stat. His phases are set apart from other characters, and that gives him more freedom to choose to Haymaker, etc. Also, if his DEX is higher (which tends to be the case), it essentially gives him 1 "free" phase a turn in which he can do otherwise risky maneuvers (reduced DCV, especially) at virtually no increased risk. Example: SPD 6 DEX 30 character can do almost whatever he wants in seg 6, because he will get to act again at the beginning of seg 8 before SPD 5 characters do. The only way of combatting these disproportionate advantages is for characters to constantly hold their actions and "metagame" with the timing of their phases.
Our solution: We put away the chart- Each segment, characters each roll a d12 (I know you play HERO, but you gotta have one laying around). If a character's roll is equal to or less than his SPD stat, he gets a phase that segment, in order of DEX as usual. Characters can get a run of actions, or a run of non-actions, but statistically each gets the same number per Turn that he should.
If he rolls a 12, at the end of that segment give him his Post-Segment 12 Recovery and put into effect anything for that character that goes off at the end of a Turn. Example: Wonka rolls a 12...his exploding candy with the Limitation 'Extra Time: 1 Turn' goes off on his DEX. He also takes bleeding damage and gets a free recovery at the end of the segment.
If you like the SPD chart, great....but if you want to try something new with "initiative," give this one a shot.
I liked this idea when I first read it in AC#21, and I still like it.
However, I'd make anything with Extra Time go by actual time passed, not by "luck o' the dice".
Oh, and Hugh -- what you suggest doesn't change the probabilities, but does mean the Speed Chart still needs to be referred to. Of course, if someone wants to keep the Speed Chart in people's minds even while experimenting with another method, that's a good thing. But it *is* an extra complication...
Since under the method etherio's talking about, each player rolls his own d12, the amount of die rolling is not all that different.
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Re: Master List of Distinctive Features
Thank you, Kristopher, Worldmaker, Krieghandt, and SKJAM.
Oh, and Kristopher -- my imagination is coming up with nothing. Please either explain discreetly, or PrivateMessage me. Thanks.
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Re: Master List of Distinctive Features
What in the world does "Rode Hard And Put Away Wet" mean????
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Re: When I Am the Benevolent Ruler....
When I am the Benevolent Ruler, I will remember the "The greatest good of the greatest number" is a meaningless noise, because one can never tell who makes up "the greatest number," one cannot compare "good"s to tell which is "the greatest," and one cannot know ahead of time what all the ramifications of an action are going to be.
Instead, I will simply act sensibly (and cautiously) to give my people a chance to improve their lives.
I will also learn from my mistakes, rather than repeating them in the hopes the result I wanted will eventually occur.
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Re: The Dogs of War (AD&D canines for HERO)
{snip}Small quibble: foxes aren't canines.
Yes they are. From the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th ed., Micropaedia, under "fox":
"fox, any of various members of the dog family (Canidae) resembling small to medium-sized, bushy-tailed dogs with long fur, pointed ears, relatively short legs, and narrow snouts."
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Re: More USPD
1. No, I'm not going to post any further updates. I will, as you say, save 'em -- I've had a few additional ideas of my own, and gotten one or two further submissions. When the time comes we'll take down the current Online USPD and start a new one.2. No, the PDF won't be updated. The whole project was premised on the thing remaining online, and once we indicated we were going to do another book, the people preparing the PDF kindly stepped aside and said they'd wait for the book.
OK, 'bout what I expected. Well, I'll certainly be buying it when it comes out.
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Re: Need help on powers
One thing to remember about Usable As Attack: it only works against 100 kg of an inanimate object; to ba able to effect more mass, you have to increase the cost of the Advantage (+1/4 more for each doubling of mass).
Don't know how important that is to the OP, but I thought it wise to bring it up.
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Re: More USPD
There will be some stuff that's not in the Online USPD -- stuff I've received that hasn't yet posted' date=' and things I think up between now and then, and so forth. But mainly it's the Online USPD in book form.[/quote']OK, this brings up a couple of questions
#1---Will there be any more updates to the online USPD? Or are you "saving up" for the book?
#2---Is the downloadable PDF going to be updated?
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Re: Comliness Perk
I can see the point to removing COM from the Characteristics; it doesn't get that much use, really.
However, to quote 5th Ed. p. 55 "Perks (or Perquisites) are useful resources, items, privileges, and contacts to which a character has special access. Perks are not innate abilites, but rather special benefits the character enjoys." As well, only Reputation has specific, game-effecting number attached to it--and frankly, that's why I object to Rep-as-a-Perk; it goes against the "feel" of the other Perks.
I suggest that, since COM-as-Perk (as discussed so far) seems to be very oriented towards effects in play, that COM would be better done as either specialized Skill Levels, or as a Skill Enhancer.
After all, if someone is really good looking, and used to using his looks, he would have learned/acquired Skill that use his looks; this would best be simulated as reduced costs for appropriate Skills.
Comely: The character picks up certain Skills more easily. -1 Character Point for Bribery, Conversation, High Society, Persuasion, and Seduction.
This list is just a quick thought; it might be amended.
As for "so ugly he scares people" that's, IMO, best done as +PRE, only to frighten. At least, I can't see any need for a Perk or other game mechanism.
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Re: Bringing up Everyman Skills
{snip}
1/4 teaspoon basil leaves, crushed
{snip}
Basil leaves, crushed, offended, and made more cynical by the abuse heaped on him.
Particularly having his size mocked---1/4 teaspoon indeed!
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Re: Bringing up Everyman Skills
As the rules stand (and have done for some time too)' date=' Everyman skills do not count as points, so that you have to pay the full value to increase those skills. Oddly enough, under 4th ed., there were skills which I used to call 'Real Frees'. Basically, as well as the Everyman lists, every single character got (IIRC) 6pts of free skills (1pt AK, 1pt PS, and 4pts Language) that were [i']real[/i] points. That is gone now. I don't think that this is a bad thing, especially since the Everyman lists have been expanded.Ah, thanks for bringing that up; I was going to, but you got there first.
Yes, 4th Edition's "some ES's you pay full price to upgrade, some you get a price-break on" was a bit confusing. However, once you realized that's what the inadequite text meant, it was easy enough to deal with.
Now, what's this "Everyman lists have been expanded" bafflegab? Sure, 5th Ed. page 29 has added Acting and Persuasion to the "modern" list of ESs in 4th Ed., but AK: Home, PS: whatever, and Local Language have been dropped! And that makes no sense at all to me. I mean, your character's almost certainaly knows the basics of his home, his language, and his job (side note: I always thought you should get one point of ES in a PS, KS, or SC, not neccesarily in only a PS). Oh sure, 5th Ed. p.43 mentions getting a free 4-point Language, but why isn't that mentioned on p.29?
Whether a price-break for all ESs, for some, or for none is best, is a matter for each GM, IMO. However, the official rules say, no price-breaks, however.
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Re: Internet and cell phones
Ok, 1987.Dinosaurs chase character across island, who finally makes it to meet up with the rest of the team for a thrilling last stand.
2004
Character dials for help at first sight of Dino.
Cell phones are the big problem. Go watch a bunch of pre-2000 movies and realize how many of them would be ruined if everyone had a cell phone like they do today.
Just because the characters call for help doesn't mean they'll get it.
Oh, and just to make them think twice about using their cell phones? Remember, if yer cell phone is on, you can be located. With GPS-equipped phones, you can be located to within a few dozen meters, because all GPS-equiped phones broadcast your location all the time they are on!!
And don't bother mentioning "encryption." Every encryption scheme cell-phones apply to their position-broadcasting is broken within a week or two---and that's the cracks that are announced by hackers!; the NSA probably breaks 'em within minutes.
In fact, some cell phones keep in touch with the nearest tower, if the battery's in. Those kind, don't even need to be turned on. Yep, your players' characters' are being tracked 24/7 by all their Hunteds. Now, that'll make 'em leave their cell phones at home!
Even if their phones need to be turned on before they inform the nearest tower where they are, imagine the dilemma: "Do I turn on my phone so Matt can contact me if he's in trouble, or do I leave it off so Dr. Nasty can't hack the phone system and find exactly where I am?"
How to give your players ulcers.
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Re: Bases. How are floors determend
My house rule is: Don't charge points for the base's size at all! This may sound like blasphemy to some' date=' but to me buying floorspace is equivalent to paying for a special effect. What benefit do you get from having twice, three times, ten times the space, with the exact same amount of equipment, labs, useful stuff? What is the game benefit to having wider hallways, more luxurious bathrooms, or more space to put ordinary furniture? I say there is none, and if there is no game benefit, you shouldn't have to pay points for it. Yes, you still have to pay for your base's defenses, labs, equipment, security systems, and other special powers it might have, but not for empty space. To me it makes no sense to charge points for mundane things like ordinary bedrooms, bathrooms, livingrooms, conference rooms, kitchens, hallways, foyers, patios, garages, etc. You would have to pay for a kitchen that prepares food all by itself, or a garage that autmatically repairs your wonder-mobile, and you'd have to pay for the computer/AI that runs all that stuff, but not for a house, even one with high ceilings.[/quote']Actually, considering how cheap a base's size is, I'd say charge for it; it makes players think about how big the building(s) are. After all, if they want to put in more goodies later, they can always point to the write-up and say "We paid for the room for this!" There's also the point they can put up guests, have big parties, etc.
Now, what I don't get is paying for location. Being out in the boonies makes it hard to get to the action in the city, and doesn't really make the place that harder to find, or more secure. Seems to me that the benefits and difficulties balance out, so location should be a 0-point 'adder'.
As always, YMMV.
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Re: Bases. How are floors determend
The only place I've seen the whole area&volume subject mentioned is p.209 of Star Hero. That basically says that for planets, ringworlds, and Dyson spheres, use the basic rule, which is that you only pay for floor area; height is ignored.
For "orbitals" (and damn I wish that term was more fully explained), you buy volume, not area. However, this is treated much too briefly, and it's unclear what unit of volume is being used. Star Hero says, "...an interior volume of 8 quadrillion cubic hexes..." Now, what's a "cubic hex"? A cube 2 meters on a side (therefore 8 cubic meters), or a hexagonal prism (the hex face 2 meters between opposite sides), 2 meters high (and therefore 4*spr(3) cubic meters)? There's a~15% difference there!
Anyway, unless your base is in outer space (or perhaps, for modern/pre-modern settings, underground) where you have to pay for each cubic meter, just assume the ceiling's as high as makes sense.
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OK, I guess I wasn't clear about my last question (see "naked anti-Limitations"). I was asking about doing a "buy-off" of a Limitation, as a separate "power" a la naked Advantages.
The point that doesn't seem to have gotten through (my fault, I suppose), is that I'm asking how to remove a Limitation from someone else's power, without knowing ahead of time all the details of that other power.
To update my example: I want my character to be able to remove (or reduce, maybe??) Increased Endurance on anyone else's fire-based power. Since I don't know ahead of time all the details of whatever fire powers my character may need to apply this power to, can I just base the (Base) Cost of this power on the maximum Active Points he can effect? Or do I base the (Base) Cost on the number of points of difference?
Obviously, this is going to need Usable By Other, and may have other Advantages and Limitations, but I'm asking how to determine the Base Points.
Also, would such a power become Instant (a la naked Advantages), or does that depend on the power being effected?
I've got a couple of neat little ideas for the USPD that depend on this, so I eagerly await your reply.
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I'm not even sure "naked anti-Limitations" is what they'd be called, and I sure don't know how to do 'em. In fact, I've never seen one written up.
What I'm talking about is a "power" that removes a Limitation from another power. It would look something vaguely like:
Remove Always On from any Fire Power of up to 60 Active Points, ?20? Base Points, Usable By Other (+1/4), ?25? Active Points.This would let the character with this power remove the Always On Limitation for his or another's Fire Power. I guess its base cost would be derived from the Active Points of the power to be effected, the number of base points being the difference between the points with and without the limitation (in the above example, 60 - (60/(1 + 1/2)) = 20), with Advantages and Limitations figured on the base cost as any normal power.
However, if I consider "naked Advantages" as a guideline, I have to wonder if a naked anti-Limitation is turned into an Instant, costs-END, power?
Is there anything else I'm missing?
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Re: Fantasy coinage
Went looknig through the U.S. Mint's website for some coin facts. Learned that silver was pegged at $1.00 a troy ounce (.1.1 standard ounces). The half dollar, quarter, and dime were a half ounce, a quarter ounce, and one tenth ounce respectively. The 5 cent piece, or half dime, was one twentieth of a troy ounce, and so small people had trouble handling it. So the switch was made to a cupro-nickel alloy, which gave us the Nickel.Could you please give the URL of the exact page you found that on?
I'm wondering when-about that evaluation is from.After learning this I decided on this simple scheme:
I oz copper = 10¢
1 oz silver = $1.00
1 oz gold = $20.00
If using D&Doid prices the 1 oz silver coin equals 1 gold piece.
N.B.: The above are coin values, metal values are between 10% to 90% of coin value depending on the market.
Actually, the "metal value" would depend on how pure the government made their coins---please note, historically no coins were pure metal for two honest and one dishonest reasons
1) Pure gold, silver, or even copper are too soft for use; they would bend, break, and wear away much too readily. Hence, they had to be alloyed
2) Coining is a expensive process. The 'cost' of this was reflected by decreasing the amount of metal to pay for the coining.
3) Governments make debased coins to pay their debtors with.
Going by a nation's reputation and economy it's coins could be assesed at anywhere between 10% and 90% of their assigned value in foreign lands.I've dealt with the effects of economy and reputation on the worth of specie, already.
Now, if people are measuring coin values against a money of account, that's a different story. Then it makes sense to talk about the effects of the local economy on the "value" of coins; that is, when the economy is good, any particular amount of gold/silver/copper/whateverium has a lower worth, compared to a non-inflated/non-depreciated standard. In times of poor economy, the reverse.
Which means there may be times when selling those newly won gold coins for the metal will gain you more than using an exchange house."Currently gold is going for 10 silver pieces an ounce. The current exchange rate for this particular currency is four to one. Four of A's silver pieces for 1 of B's gold pieces. Think we'd be better off melting these down for the bullion?"
Without knowing the silver content of A's silver pieces, the gold content of B's gold pieces, and which silver pieces gold is going for 10 of, the problem cannot be solved.
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Re: Fantasy coinage
Yes. That is what I meant. I didn't state it quite that precisely. My point was that fiat currency would be unrealistic in a fantasy setting' date=' but so what, because it is easy to deal with. PCs have more interesting things to deal with than exchange rates and currency value fluctuations. [/quote']You don't need to use fiat money to achieve this. Simply declare that gold is worth (for example) 20 times what silver is worth, throughout the "known world" and through all time -- or at least, through the last couple of centuries and will stay the same into the foreseeable future.
Then say that all nations, or at least all the nearby ones, use the same "coinweght" of gold as the basis for their currency. Thus, all currencies are directly comparable. This certainly fits most fantasy literature, so the real-life/real-historical complications may be dispensed with (or limited to whatever the GM & his players are willing to deal with).
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Re: Fantasy coinage
I noticed one consideration missing here, reputation. How do people view the nation that issues the currency in question? How healthy is the economy? Argentine currency is pegged to the U.S. dollar, but has a debased value because the Argentine economy is doing poorly.That is only true of fiat money. Specie (currency in gold, silver, or other things of intrinsic value) will not have their value altered by the health of the issuing country's economy. The only effect of the country's "reputation" will be to make the currency more or less acceptable before the coins are tested. Once tested, they will be accepted at their actual worth.
So a few things to consider when setting the value of a nation's currency inside and outside the country in question.What is it made of?
What value do these materials have inside and outside the country?
True, specie may have a change in value with change in location. OTOH, it is certainly in keeping with fantasy literature to ignore this real-life complication. As well, it is in keeping with fantasy literature to ignore any change in value across time.
Since this both mirrors fantasy literature and simplifies the GM's job, they are both good ideas.
What reputation does the country have regarding its currency?How healthy is its economy?
As already mentioned, this has little relevence with specie (contrasted to fiat money).
What is the value of goods and services? How is this valuation arrived at?
Goods and services have the value that they fetch in the market. There is no independant "value" separate from how much gold/silver/copper/whateverium they fetch.
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Re: Fantasy coinage
Histroically, fiat money is pretty much an invention of around the 18th century. Frankly, I can't see using fiat money in a fantasy campaign. To a more-or-less medievel mindset, such a "currency" would put Gresham's Law into overdrive.
That's only true in Europe - the chinese had been using fiat money for centuries, although initially only for internal governmental transactions, it rapidly expanded into general use. Marco Polo - or whoever he got his stories from, depending on what you believe - mentioned paper currency in general use in the 13th century. Prior to that, squares of leather, painted with bright colours were used. These have been dated back to the second century BC.
cheers, Mark
Good point. I stand corrected.
I'm wondering when-about that evaluation is from.
Alternatives to the Speed Chart from DH
in HERO System Discussion
Posted
Re: Alternatives to the Speed Chart from DH
Well, to each his own.
I'd go with your system, except for the end-of-Turn/XTime-1-Turn business. I don't really like randomness that that gets. Other than that, it's a great system. In particular, it keeps players focused on the game, rather than going, "It's another 4 segments till I can act again, so I'm gonna read/veg-out/yatter away."