Funksaw

Re: Limitations and the Silver Age I would say that, for game balance purposes, we're talking about cold iron in the literal sense. Element of Fe, atomic # 26. Steel is an alloy of iron, but the carbon content is only about 1.7% at most. Here's what I would do. I would say that the fairy takes 2xBody and Stun from Pure Iron - they had iron forged swords before the discovery of steel. I would say this is an Uncommon - and I would say it's a vulnerability, not a susceptability. Otherwise you're going to be spending all game trying to figure out the iron content in things like pokers and frying pans... I would then go with 1.5xBody and Stun vulnerability from Steel Weapons - it's still mostly iron but it's not as "pure" as pure iron would be. This would be common. Bullets are made from lead, not iron, but most melee weapons are made from steel or iron so I would say it's a common attack - very common if there's alot of swordplay in your games. Finally, I'd consider putting a limitation on part or all of her REC that doesn't allow her to recover whenever there's cold iron nearby - which includes rusting cars (Ferrous oxide) and the like.

I was thinking - would it break things horribly if, instead of using VPP to deal with on-the-fly effects, why not go with: 60 point Any Power - up to 60AP, (Power can be determined on the fly +1) <120AP> Then you could model it as a VPP... 60 point Any Power - up to 60AP, (Power can be determined on the fly +1) <120AP>; (RSR - Power; -1/2) [90 real pts] Or as a gadget pool... 60 point Any Power - up to 60AP, (Power can be determined on the fly +1) <120AP>; (OAF; -1) [60 real pts]

Re: CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE II - What Do You Want To See? I'd like to see more support for different playstyles with different -types- of heroes and villains. Sure, DC comics has the Justice League, and if you're fine with that, you're fine with that. But some people want to play the Doom Patrol or even the Trenchcoat Brigade. Take some of the most critically acclaimed comics and put a CU twist. Rip off Planetary and Hellboy (secret investigators of the CU's superheroic or mystic history), Rip off Stormwatch (Superpowered spy operations and realpolitick,) Rip off Doom Patrol (Strange supers and misfit men played seriously in a surreal environment,) Rip off Runaways (Teen Champions with evil family ties surviving on their own,) Rip off Danger Girl (Over-the-top Spy Action,) Rip off The Incredibles (a superpowered family,) I'd also like to see a DaVinci Code/National Treasure like secret society that is hiding dark secrets, money - and if you ask me Black Mask I is the guy to bury the clues, and Black Mask III is the girl to start unearthing them.

Re: Plot Seed: Six Places to Nuke When You’re Serious Omaha, Nebraska. Weird choice but it's a major communications hub WITHOUT being a culturally significant target. If you've got a villian who wants to conquer the world, rather than destroy it, this would through most of America's communications into disarray and destablize the economy. The X-Plane This is for the sadistic villian who wants to make the world -suffer.- A nuclear blast in the high atmosphere would be low in immediate body count but the radioactive explosion would cover a wider area, resulting in not an immediate massive kill but generations of cancer-ridden flipper babies. Auckland, New Zealand For the villian who wants to destroy the world but can wait a few decades. Wellington's "No Nukes" policy is designed expressly to prevent this sort of thing. Nuking a location in New Zealand would greatly increase the demand for nuclear proliferation in smaller nations who until now have seen the aquisition of nuclear weapons as a reason to be targeted in a nuclear strike. Arabian Sea Can you say Tsunami? Not only do you have major population centers in India and Pakistan (who will both likely blame each other for the attack) you also disrupt the international shipping of oil from the Persian Gulf.

Re: Speedster advice It's also hideously complex! Don't get me wrong, it makes TONS of sense, but it's certainly not intuitive by any means. Then again, that's why we have the HERO boards.

Re: Speedster advice I don't know - I'd go with Desolidification , Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (80 Active Points); Always On (-1/2). 53 real points. Dispel Desolidification, 27d6/Standard Effect 81pts, Reduced Endurance, (0 End; +1/2) <121AP> OIF (-1/2), No Range (-1/2) 60 real points. Or, I'd just remove the Always On limitation from the desolid and add the OIF, and a -1/4 sideeffect (Always on if focus is damaged/destroyed/missing.)

Re: Superhero Comics & D&D Alignments Here's the way I see it breaking down. (Order and Safety) Lawful Good: Batman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, (Kantian Morality) Neutral Good: Superman, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, The Atom, Steel, Zatanna (Utilitarianism) Chaotic Good: Flash, Hawkgirl, Supergirl, The Question, Vigilante, The Creeper, Cheetah, Orion, (Some things are more important than morality) Lawful Neutral: Aquaman, Captain Atom, Tempus Fugate, (Morally absent, but not morally corrupt) Neutral: Solomon Grundy, Mirror Master, Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, (Hedonists) Chaotic Neutral: Booster Gold, LiveWire, Sonar, Volcana, Tala (Law is a weapon) Lawful Evil: Lex Luthor, Sinestro (Ubermenchen) Neutral Evil: Gorilla Grodd, Devil Ray, John Dee, Metallo, (Violence is it's own end.) Chaotic Evil: Etrigan, Bizarro, Killer Frost, Toyman, Joker

Re: How would you (why the hell would you) build this power? Here's what I've got: Cost Power 90 Variable Power Pool, 60 base + 30 control cost, (90 Active Points) 0 1) Aid END 4 1/2d6, Usable By Other (+1/4) (56 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses almost all of its effectiveness (Only to produce batteries for devices that use batteries; -2), Others Only (-1/2) Real Cost: 16 0 2) Chains, Ropes, Duct Tape, and Roofing Tar: Entangle 4 1/2d6, 3 DEF, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60 0 3) Bullhorn: Hearing Group Flash 13d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (58 Active Points) Real Cost: 58 0 4) Arc Welder: Sight Group Flash 8d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60 0 5) Metal Sheeting & Plywood: Force Wall (10 PD/4 ED) (Opaque Normal Sight), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60 0 6) Sledgehammer as a melee weapon: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 4d6 (4 1/2d6 w/STR) (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60 0 7) Walkie Talkies: Mind Link , Specific Group of Minds (10 Active Points) Real Cost: 10 0 8) Spare Parts & Tools for Repair: Healing BODY 4d6, Requires A Skill Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; Spare parts produced automatically - skill roll is to successfully repair item. ; +0), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points); Others Only (-1/2), Conditional Power Power does not work in Common Circumstances (Power only works on objects.; -1/2) Real Cost: 30 0 9) Flashlight: Sight Group Images 1" radius (10 Active Points); Only To Create Light (-1), 1 Continuing Charge lasting 1 Hour (-1/4) Real Cost: 4 0 10) Rivet Gun: Killing Attack - Ranged 4d6, 16 Charges (+0) (60 Active Points); Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Limited Range (-1/4), Inaccurate 1/2 OCV (-1/4) Real Cost: 30 0 11) Tons of Ball Bearings: Change Environment 4" radius, +1 Points of Damage, -2 Characteristic Roll and all Skill Rolls based on Characteristic, -3" of any one mode of Movement, Multiple Combat Effects, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (58 Active Points) Real Cost: 58 0 12) Tons of Paint!: Change Environment from unpainted to painted 64" radius, -3 to Normal Sight PER Rolls, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (58 Active Points) Real Cost: 58 0 13) Smoke Detector: Detect Smoke A Single Thing 21- (Smell/Taste Group) (13 Active Points) Real Cost: 13 0 14) Tons of Paint Remover!: Change Environment from painted to unpainted 64" radius, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (52 Active Points) Real Cost: 52 0 15) Tons of Nails: Change Environment 2" radius, +7 Points of Damage, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60 0 16) Hooks & Rope: Swinging 10" (10 Active Points) Real Cost: 10 0 17) Jackhammer: Tunneling 1" through 14 DEF material, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (55 Active Points) Real Cost: 55 0 18) Bug Zapper: Energy Blast 8d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points); No Range (-1/2) Real Cost: 40 0 19) Forklift: +40 STR, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2) Real Cost: 40 0 20) Cherry Picker: Stretching 6", Usable By Other (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (52 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only "stretches" UP; -1), no Noncombat Stretching (-1/4) Real Cost: 23 0 21) Hacksaw: Dispel Entangle 11d6, Semi-Armor Piercing (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (58 Active Points); No Range (-1/2) Real Cost: 39 0 22) Make Stuff!: Major Transform 2 1/2d6 (Spare Parts into Usable Stuff, Destruction), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60 0 23) Fog Machine: Darkness to Sight Group 4" radius, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60 0 24) Pesticides & Weedkiller: Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Area Of Effect (16" Any Area; +1 3/4) (49 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses almost all of its effectiveness (Only on insects/weeds; -2), No Range (-1/2) Real Cost: 14 3 Calculator: Lightning Calculator 3 Mr. Coffee: Lightsleep 10 Earplugs: Hearing Group Flash Defense (10 points) 3 Satellite Clock: Absolute Time Sense 10 Welder's Goggles: Sight Group Flash Defense (10 points) Powers Cost: 119

I had an idea for a character that I just can't get out of my head. If I do not build him, I will slowly go mad. "Lowe Depot" (pronounced "Louie Depowah") - the HARDWARE STORE that WALKS LIKE A MAN. Basically - here's the guy's power. First, he has an alternate form. He's a hardware store. Second, in combat or at any other time, he physically reaches in his mouth with his hands, reaches into his guts and can pull out any item that you can normally find in a hardware store. The size is immaterial, he can basically pull out anything from a 2x4 to metal sheeting to roofing tar to a forklift. This is obviously VPP area, but I don't know how you'd build that, as well as what types of powers you could put IN that VPP... and if he is not built, i will go mad.

Re: Anyone know what happened to JLU?

Re: Anyone know what happened to JLU?

Re: Are HERO gamers more wedded to more "realistic" game physics? I would honestly say that HERO is one of the few games out there that does allow for realism; but the game does do cinematic stuff quite well. Knockback, for example, is a purely cinematic consideration. You usually end up with more "realistic" characters - and therefore campaigns - by scaling down the point totals.

Re: WWYCD: Hero with "Questionable" Political Views Those views aren't considered extreme in the West anymore. -- Brian.

QUAZAR represents all that is innovative and successful about Latveria Established in 1981, QUAZAR's network has grown to include more than 800 school branches, a state-of-the-art multimedia teaching facility and numerous support organizations. As we move through the 21st century, QUAZAR is ready to meet the increasingly sophisticated demands of its students. Our teachers provide an exciting, dynamic range of lessons and communication services to meet students' needs. Through the work of our teachers, QUAZAR will continue to build a bridge between cultures. Living in Latveria Latveria has remained a pure, pristine country, with the cleanest water and the sweetest air, unbefouled by the industrial pollutants that drown our neighboring countries in deadly toxins. Due to technological advancements far beyond anything in any other nation, Latveria has managed to remain unfoulled by industrial pollutants. And, because of the lack of a native super-hero populace, Latveria boasts an unparalleled rate of safety. Visa & Travel Information Entry Requirement: An up to date passport is required, as well as an invitation from Doctor Doom if one is visiting Doomstadt. Many governments require that you register with them if you are planning to visit Latveria. Check with the local authorities before finalizing travel arrangements. Working Requirements: Royal work permits are required for all foreigners seeking employment in Latveria. Permanent work permits are seldom given, however, a temporary work permit can be provided for one-year contracts. Those who apply and are accepted are rarely allowed to resign their positions before the end of the contract. However, in exchange, there are national benifits plans, including 401k, end-of-contract bonus, and complimentary life-insurance policies. Health Tips: Drinking water is clean and safe. Medical facilities in Doomstadt are unsurpassed, however medical availability in outlying areas is unreliable. Obey all of the posted signs throughout the country, as ignorance of Latveria's travel restrictions is an excuse not programmed to work on Doctor Doom's robot guards. "Enjoy a rustic, romantic, time in Europe's most pristine land, as well as a booming center of international commerce. Remember, in Latveria, my word is law!" -- National Founder, Victor Von Doom.

Re: VPPs vs MPs with global limitations You know, I don't like the ways VPPs work... I've considered replacing it in my games (not that I'm running any) with Multipowers completely. So, for, say, a 60 pt VPP (which would cost 90) I'd probably have 60 Pt. Multipower (Slots Can Be Created On The Fly +1/2), <90AP> and leave the character with 15 or so unspent character points for creating powers "on the fly."

Re: mr. MONK gets statted up Actually - that's just my attempt to emulate the various "mr. MONK" titles in the show. Things like "mr. MONK can't see a thing" or "mr. MONK gets drunk" or stuff like that.

mr. MONK Val Char Cost 13 STR 3 14 DEX 12 12 CON 4 11 BODY 2 21 INT 11 10 EGO 0 8 PRE -2 12 COM 1 3 PD 0 2 ED 0 2 SPD 0 5 REC 0 24 END 0 24 STUN 0 6" RUN 0 2" SWIM 0 2 1/2" LEAP 0 Characteristics Cost: 31 Cost Power 25 Crime Scene Analysis: Retrocognitive Clairsentience (Sight, Hearing, Touch And Smell/Taste Groups And Detect), +3 to PER Roll, Discriminatory, Tracking, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (132 Active Points); Extra Time (5 Minutes, -2), Retrocognition Only (-1), Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (1/2 DCV; -1/2), No Range (-1/2), Requires A Deduction Roll (RSR Skill is subject to Skill vs. Skill contests, No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; -1/4) 9 Service Revolver: Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6-1 (25 Active Points); OAF (-1), 6 Charges (-3/4) 11 Handcuffs: Entangle 3d6, 6 DEF (standard effect: 3 BODY, 6 DEF), Can be escaped with lockpicking or contortionist roll (+0), Takes No Damage From Attacks All Attacks (+1/2) (67 Active Points); 1 Recoverable Charge (-1 1/4), OAF (-1), Set Effect (Hands Only) (-1), Does Not Prevent The Use Of Accessible Foci (-1), No Range (-1/2), Must follow Grab or target must be willing (-1/2) Powers Cost: 61 Cost Skill 3 Acrobatics 12- 3 Bureaucratics 11- 3 Climbing 12- 3 Concealment 13- 3 Criminology 13- 11 Deduction 17- 3 Forensic Medicine 13- 3 Paramedics 13- 2 PS: Police Procedure 11- 3 Security Systems 13- 3 Shadowing 13- 3 Stealth 12- 5 Streetwise 12- 3 Tracking 13- 2 WF: Handguns, Shotguns Skills Cost: 53 Cost Perk 20 Follower (Natalie Teeger) 4 Fringe Benefit: Concealed Weapon Permit (where appropriate), Private Investigator License 3 Access Perks Cost: 27 Cost Talent 5 Eidetic Memory Talents Cost: 5 Total Character Cost: 177 Pts. Disadvantage 20 Psychological Limitation: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: (Very Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Multiple Phobias: (Very Common, Moderate) 15 Reputation: Annoying to be around: , 14- 0 Rivalry: Other Patients of Dr. Kroger, Rival is Less Powerful, Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival, Rival Unaware of Rivalry 15 Dependent NPC: Julie Teeger 11- (Normal) 5 Unluck: 1d6 30 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN Unsanitary Attacks (Very Common) Disadvantage Points: 100

Re: New Group and I'm Nervous. You know what I'd do? I'd secretly ask each of the players, out of the game, without them knowing: "Say, what's like, your favorite robot?" Then I'd smush together the three into one antagonist. So, if they said, respectively, "Robbie from Lost In Space, The Terminator, and Johnny 5," I'd make a tread, retro-looking robot that's designed to kill but was very naive...

Re: Answers & Questions Q) What is the Blue Collar Comedy Tour? A) A hole in the space-time continuum.

Re: Quick Hero Looking at it, I think you're writing it for people who are used to D&D. This isn't a good thing or a bad thing, but saying things like "strength does not provide a bonus to the target" is better left unsaid if you're appealing to generalists. Although this wouldn't be a bad idea, would it? There's Sidekick for knocking HERO down to it's bare essentials but it wouldn't hurt to put out 32 page, Genre-specific "quick play guides..." Hmmm.... -- Brian.

Re: Easily forgotten Keep in mind that this is exactly how Arcane worked in Old Mage (White Wolf) and how Occlusion works in New Mage (White Wolf) I'd personally call in a package deal of anonymity for the records and invisibility (only sentient minds) persistent, inherent, 0 end, always on.

Re: STR vs. Gravity Actually, yes, lifting a rock on the moon is, indeed, going to be six times easier on the moon. PUSHING a rock on the moon, however, is NOT going to be six times easier on the moon.

Yes, it's another alternative to Speed, but I was thinking about this: Speed governs the number of actions you have each "round" of "turns" The person with the highest DEX, not the highest SPD, goes first. He may then start using actions. If the action fails (or the character just wants to do so) control passes to the next player with the highest DEX. If he succeeds with an action, he may use another action immediately; BUT that action carries a -1 penalty to the roll. This penalty is cumulative, so assuming successful rolls throughout, a SPD 7 character could continue attacks at -6 for his 7th roll. These penalties go away whenever the player fails a roll or passes control to another player, so in many ways passing the play is encouraged for high SPD characters. Truthfully this doesn't work as well in HERO as the system I originally thought of it for, Tri Stat DX (which had a horrible initiative system) but if you want alternatives to phases, here they are.

Re: City of Heroes - Online Hero Game I played CoH, but really couldn't find a guild; all the game offered was SuperCombat, no interaction, the plots were cheezy... Here's the thing - I got much of the same from Guild Wars, but Guild Wars hasn't asked me to fork over $$ every month for the privledge. I like it alright, but there really isn't much -story- and interaction in many of these MMORPG games. I've never gotten a big thrill out of combat; even now my favorite game is Battlefield 2, and I like that because it's an FPS with some brains; keep territory and hold it, use strategy and teamwork, organize and take out objectives. If I could play this game without the FPS context I would; in fact, if they could make an MMORPG with 1/2 of the roleplay elements and teamwork-style play of Battlefield 2... instead of just monsterkilling... *sigh*

Anyone ever done a build where each race had a different type of magical edge. Specifically something along the lines that only Elves could do the on-the-fly casting, only Dwarves could do magic items, only Gnomes could do technological items, etc. ?