Funksaw

Re: Tri-system experiment Give me a few days and I'll whip something up in InDesign; a few more and I might have an XML file for HeroDesigner.

Re: Answers & Questions Q: Rabbi Kamahamaya, what's hell like? A: They wouldn't let me on the flight with it - even though I specifically put it in a clear plastic bag.

Re: Need some Scandinavian Villains ! Linn Ullmann! I got nothing.

Re: Tri-system experiment Indeed, if you have a new player, you should take the time before the game starts to help them set up the character and explain how each of the items work. It also helps if you point out that advantages and limitations aren't really a great way to "shave points" or "get a bonus" - it does tend to get complicated and it bites you in the ass. Advantages and limitations tend to work best when being used to model a power more accurately, not to get extra points. (There's the infamous story about how everyone in the party took powers that do not work in water and then had to invade a submarine base...)

Re: xialin showdown It should be simple to model; Wuxia base powers for the heroes, gadgeteer powers for the villian, and the Shen-gon-wu are just big ol' OAF's with Independent. The Showdowns are a combination "Teleport Usable On Others, Area of Effect (to represent that non-participants cannot interfere in a Showdown, and a Change Environment.) In short, it's doable.

Re: Tri-system experiment One more thing. I think that the way we write out powers may also contribute to the Mass Of NUMBERS! syndrome. Sure, we're used to: Holy Ice Cream Cone Of Smiting: HA +10d6, Penetrating (+1/2) (75 Active Points); OIF (returns to the mighty hands of Thia Halmades if taken away; -1/2), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2) (total cost: 37 points) plus HA +6d6 (30 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), Only Versus The Avowed Enemies Of Thia Halmades (-1) (total cost: 10 points). Total cost: 47 points. But what if we wrote it out like this?: Holy Ice Cream Cone Of Smiting: Hand To Hand Attack, +10d6 Damage Base Points: 50 Advantages: --- Penetrates Armor (+1/2) Active Points: 75 Endurance Cost: 7 END per use Limitations: --- Obvious, Inaccessible Focus (Returns to Thia's hands if taken away) (-1/2) --- Hand-To-Hand Attack (No range, but can add strength) (-1/2) --- The power can be used only vs. the Avowed Enemies of Thia (-1) Final Cost: 47 Points We write it with "HERO Shorthand" because -we- tend to be familiar with the abbreviations and the style; but writing powers out as above tends to be easier for new players to read. If I was writing a character sheet for a new player, that's how I'd write it out... even if I had to put the powers on a seperate sheet.

Re: Tri-system experiment My take on it: Hero Games is a complex system - it sacrifices simplicity for the ability to do pretty much anything. This manifests itself in two particular ways. First, it is easier in HERO to model the -weirder- powers, and to do so more exactly. Second, it's easier to use the HERO system to model "super skills" and, dare I say it, powers more handily covered under a metaplot-bending system. Typically, if there's a power in another game, you can find a way to model it pretty closely in HERO. SAS is HERO's simpler cousin, and for many, many applications, I prefer it. SAS, however, has two quirks that do tend to get in the way of a good time - damage in SAS is very random, and multiple actions are very hard to keep track of. I can houserule away both, but the game does need another edition to deal with it. It also doesn't have the gamerbase that HERO does. So if you're -looking- for a game, you're more likely to find HERO players, but if you're taking on first-time gamers, you're more likely to have a better chance at introducing them to SAS. M&M is a odd duck. There, I have had great difficulty implimenting concepts that have been easy to impliment in the other two systems; mostly because it tends to be a hybrid of a reason-from-effect system and a powers-based system. (Aberrant also would fit in this category.) It's a well designed system but much more limited in scope towards the more "standard" powers of the 4-color superhero mindset. That said, it's core system seems to be the simplest of the three: still, I'm not fond of a linear mechanic, and I'm not fond of the "save vs. damage" idea - which is essentially a "save or KO/Die" roll. I would gladly play in a campaign that had any of these systems, however, some systems are just better suited for certain types of games.

Re: CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE II - What Do You Want To See? This has probably been covered earlier in this thread, but I'd also like to see how each of the hero/villian/tweener groups view each other and react to each other... White Wolf's pretty much gotten this shtick down pat in it's WoD games, but it's still pretty useful.

I think Universal Translator might be overpriced at 20 points, when you could get the same effect this way: VPP 7 base + 1 Control Cost; Cosmic +2 <16AP>; Very Limited Class Of Powers (Only Language Skills; -1) Real Cost: 11 pts. This may be min-maxing, but... well, there you go.

Re: Answers & Questions Q: Why did I get a Ph.D. in the study of Sapindales Rutaceae Citrus? A: The third cowboy said: "Shoot, what do you think we've been riding on?"

Re: Weird Question About unluck I don't think you're allowed to put limitations or advantages on disadvantages, anyway, but a better build would be: 3d6 Unluck, (Gradual Effect, 1 minute; -1/2) for a Active Cost of -15, and a Real Cost of -10.

Re: Comic Book Physics Keep in mind; alot of the comic-book physics we take for granted consists entirely upon the idea that your typical audience member does not know about physics. The superheroes of the golden and silver ages could pick up buildings - by a corner - and put them back undamaged because they didn't know physics, archetecture, or even pluming. They were 10 year olds. They weren't even the -smart- 10 year olds... or so the logic goes. The DCAU, on the other hand, has a bit more plausibility - mostly because it's not just kids watching it. It also has to be entertaining for adults as well... and while superman will still pick up a supertanker in the middle and not have the hull split in half (because there's only one point, you see) it doesn't really matter, because even most adults aren't going to remember PSI rules. The entire Mecha walking battle tank-genre doesn't work because of the square cube (?) rule, but no one cares. Put another way, superheroic physics can - and are - dead wrong. But they shouldn't be obviously wrong. Keep in mind, also, that the more sophistication your audience has, the further the length you must go to in order to justify it - and the earlier the character made his debut, the less people -knew.- For example, the Flash got his power when lightning struck "Hard Water" and went through to him. That's good enough when people don't know what "Hard Water" is - essentially, water with a high mineral content, i.e., tap water. Now, HEAVY Water is H2O with the Deuterium isotope of hydrogen rather than the regular ol' hydrogen atom. (Essentially, it's H20 with an added neutron in the hydrogen atom - an important distinction in nuclear physics - and it's called heavy because it's atomic weight is higher, and therefore, so is it's density. And while it's technically potable, it could lead to cytotoxic poisioning, so Don't Do what Donny Don't Does.) Anyway - I just wanted to use that image...

Re: Answers & Questions Q: What are the three deadliest weapons in the world A: Linoleum!

Re: Villain SIDs Typically anything that comes out in the middle of a trial - whether or not it's a secret, is considered a matter of public record. This is very interesting because not only are people charged under their legal names - not their alias, but also they have a right, in U.S. (and most Western) courts to face their accuser, who must also testify under a legal name. Essentially, in order for a superhero to testify in a court of law, the defendant must knowingly waive that right. I could see, in a superheroic universe, a case where a villian would "trade" his right to face his accusers in exchange for a stipulation by the prosecution that his actual identity is not of consequence and will remain a 'trade secret' during the trial. Oddly enough, crooks with public IDs (or at least, no Secret IDs) would find this system to their advantage as they could indeed force a hero to testify and reveal his public ID.

Re: New to the Hero System & Have a Question I think we scared him off.

Here's the situation: Character idea: Making a build of a character who can turn the real world into "television." One idea, stolen from Unknown Armies, is "Laff Riot" which, in layman's terms, is essentially a big Change Environment to a Benny Hill Sketch. The best way I can think of to work the power is: 5d6 Luck, Usable On Others, Area of Effect linked to Damage Reduction, 75%, Usable on Others, Area of Effect linked to Change Environment: Funnier linked to Summon: Sexy ladies linked to Teleport, 2", Usable on Others, Area of Effect. To me, because we're only talking about -one- power, it would make sense to me to buy this as a multipower - he can't use the Laff Riot Power while using other powers, etc... What's you're take on it?

Re: New to the Hero System & Have a Question And remember, there is no wrong way to play HERO. Well, I suppose if you've been sticking the dice up your nose... that might be pretty wrong. But other than that, go hog wild.

Re: New to the Hero System & Have a Question More specifically, as far as the 5th edition of the games are concerned, all the rules are contained in HERO System (a.k.a. the big black book, a.k.a FIVER) and the information about running a superhero game is in the Champions book. You do not need the Champions book to run a superhero game, but it helps. You DO need the HERO System book (or it's smaller cousin, Sidekick) to run -any- game. Just making sure that you don't pick up the Champions book expecting it to contain the core rules needed for play.

Re: Batman vs Midnighter The analysis about how Batman would get beat in the first instance, but with time to prepare, would take out Midnighter with a virus is correct, except that Midnighter has no compunctions about killing.

Re: The Funny Villains I did a writeup of a supervillian organization for Digital Hero that actually took all the "ridiculous" "comedy" villians and got them into a well-organized mafia of sorts. CvK, and an unhealthy obsession with your motif? No problem, so long as you're competent or can be trained into competence. I can't give away too much here, because then why would your read the article? Buuuut... I can tell you this much? Ever notice how a hell of alot of villians, despite never having served in the military, get the rank of "Captain." That's what this organization names it's highest ranking officers... finally providing a justification for genre convention. The big six I defined were: Fuego - an electricity-based elemental controller who chose the name "Fuego" because it sounded cool. Yes, he is quite aware it's Spanish for "Fire," why do you ask? Ms. T. - a misunderstood transvestite brick the size of a buick who turned to crime when he was disowned by his parents. Kitten Kaboodle - A mad scientist who uses her sexy, sexy body and her brainy, brainy, er... brain as two weapons in her arsenal. Mr. Fiscal - A financial genius beyond compare, blindly interested in accumulating wealth for it's own sake. The Chain Wizard - Nearly omnipotent in his own limited way, This man probably would have made a very good wizard on the Trismestigus council if it wasn't for the fact that he was absolutely obsessed with chains - both literally and as a figurative concept. Yo-Yolanda - 4'11" of pure punk grrl yo-yo swirling, swinging, hitting, entangling fury... If I had thought of it at the time, "Lowe Depot, the Hardware Store that WALKS LIKE A MAN!" would have made the list. Keep in mind, the entire point of the article was the idea that these low-ranking comedy villians found out a way to become a high-ranking threat by working together... so while they're individually hilarious (and, in 99% of cases, they know it, too) they're also a serious threat.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... "...mullet-proof glass"

This is a big question: How long is the duration of an uncontrolled, continuous power for a continuing charge... or does the "continuous" advantage become redundant when using continuing charges?

Re: Wuxia Boomerang Build Or - my stupid ass - I could have simply had Autofire, 2 attacks (+1/4 always on same target, -0, uses only one charge, -0) to represent the "two seperate attacks" in my original build which didn't treat the looping back as an SFX...

Re: Wuxia Boomerang Build Add an autofire to the Multipower and you have that cool "throwing two boomerangs at once" thing going on.

Re: Wuxia Boomerang Build I think it's probably best to consider the boomerang as one attack that takes an SFX of "two swipes." Cost Power 31 Multipower, 50-point reserve, all slots 12 Recoverable Charges (+1/4) (62 Active Points); all slots OAF (-1) 2u 1) Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6-1 (2d6 w/STR), Ranged (+1/2), Indirect (Same origin, any direction; +1/2) (50 Active Points); OAF (-1) 2u 2) Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6, Area Of Effect (16" Any Area; +1 3/4) (41 Active Points); OAF (-1) Powers Cost: 35