Xavier Onassiss

That's all true, and thanks for pointing it out. What I had in mind was all the extra work required during character creation. Totally not worth it when there's a simpler option.

Words fail me, they really do....

Another question: is the gender change voluntary? In other words, if the character is in the female form, and uses one of the male powers, will it cause them to change? This could be a side effect limitation. The value would have to be reduced, because if they're already the correct gender, the limitation won't matter.

I have no idea what you're talking about. Creating one power (Shape shift) sounds like a lot less work than creating an entire extra character. (And tacking a fraction of its cost onto the "prime" character.)

Actually, I handn't thought of Shape Shift. That's a lot simpler. (I like simple.) Give the shape shift two forms only: male and female. And yes, put everything in a multi-power and give all the gender-limited powers a -0 limitation only works when male/female. I'm calling it a -0 limitation for the moment because as far as I know, the character can shape shift at will. If the shape shift is difficult to use for some reason, assign an appropriate value to the limitation. Multiform would also work, but it's f*****g complicated. Not worth the trouble if you can avoid it.

I agree with Altair; a Multiform would be the best way to build this, not a Transform.

If it's covering the entire planet, it's more likely to be a mutant strain of kudzu. Do NOT bring it back here.

Nerve Strike really is weak. I generally just go with the Pulled Punch modifier on some other strike. A 6d6 pulled punch averages 21 stun and only 3 body. (-1 OCV) That's not going to seriously injure anyone; most won't be hurt at all. And it's way less costly than the Nerve Strike; most people already have an attack they can use with the Pulled Punch modifier.

Getting back to the 'Casual STR' build.... This power is meant for walking/running through walls, so write it up as Extra STR, with the limitations Only adds to Casual Str, and Requires a half move. Or just put a Not v. Entangles limitation on it. The Requires a half move thing could get a little weird for entangles that only bind the character's hands but not his legs. Can he run out of pair of handcuffs?

Another option is to use the Side Effects limitation, which Drains the power when it's used. (It degrades due to heat build up.) This could be used another way: as part of a variable limitation, in which the side effect doesn't occur until after all the charges are used up. So you could have a (-1/4) variable limitation: either 4 recoverable charges (-1/2) or a Minor Side Effect which always occurs (-1/2) The side effect would be a 1.5d6 Drain on the Power.

Technically, no. But they do count toward your disadvantage total, which helps. My apologies if this was unclear.

I've done some work for this product line, on and off. I've also run quite a few games in the setting. I admit, I'm biased. The current Kamarathin release is in 5th edition - we're working on a 6E release now - so don't worry, you'll have no problems converting. Some of the package deals from Kamarathin are expensive, but not all of them. Their cost varies widely. The important thing about the package deals in Kamarathin is: they're pretty much complete, so buying one will (in theory) give you a well-designed character. The Knight is a good example of an expensive package: 130 points. Let's take a look. It includes a few extra points in all the physical stats, and EGO. A follower: warhorse. (16pts) Also, martial arts: swordsmanship (31pts.) Penalty skill levels for fighting from horseback, and in armor. More combat skill levels. And all the other skills and perks a knight should have. There are optional disads for a DNPC (squire) and Psychlogical Limitation (Code of Honor) which will reduce the cost of the package deal. (-25pts) If you have players who want to use high-value package deals in Kamarathin, there are couple of options for you: 1) Adjust the starting point total for your campaign so that those characters are playable. 2) Forget about point totals and have everyone build their character according to concept. I've never had any difficulty challenging my players in either case. Kamarathin is a dangerous world. (Evil GM cackling.) Looking over the list, I don't see Herbalist in the Kingdom of Tursh book (tell me if missed it somehow). However, there's going to be an entire Herbalism section in an upcoming Kamarathin supplement.

Well good. I don't mind people being all nice and happy over there. As long as they don't make too much noise. Now I'm gonna go back to lurking and grumbling....

It's Chardonnay. Do NOT drink the Schadenfreude. Also, there's a "Nice Happy" thread somewhere on the board, ya know?

I don't even have time to list all the reasons I'm cranky. Suffice to say there are too many, and I am much put upon.

I find it interesting that we need an overseas newspaper to break a story about a secret (most likely illegal) police facility in the USA.

Hmmm... I've got a Hero6E Vol1 book that's in very good condition, actually. Kinda wonder what it's worth now, cuz I could really use a new car.

Upon reading a bad movie (or book) review, it's always fair to ask whether the reviewer had any idea what he was watching. Some people have no appreciation for genre films and simply shouldn't watch them, let alone review them. It's also fair to ask, however, if the movie got its point across. And how well did it do the job? I'm reserving judgement on this one. And keeping my $10. I sat through the entirey of The Fifth Element -- nigh on 2 hrs of overdone special effects, extremely annoying characters, completely disjointed wrting, and nothing else, for what amounted to a lame retelling of the Pandora's Box Myth at the very end. Except the last thing out of the box was love instead of hope -- apparenly the writers had given up on hope by that point. Lesson learned. I don't pay full price for any more of these Hollywood science fiction "epics."

I'd go with the Trigger advantage, as noted above. And if it's triggered by making an INT roll, I'd also suggest making it an attack against the targets Mental DCV.

Here's the Battlefield Earth comparision referenced above. I might see this on netflix. On my computer. W/the 2nd monitor. In a tiny little window. While I'm doing three other things. So I don't waste two precious hours of my life like this poor soul did.... http://uproxx.com/filmdrunk/2015/02/review-jupiter-ascending-is-like-battlefield-earth-without-the-excuse-of-scientology/

Another approach I've used: Buy martial maneuvers as per standard Hero System rules, then apply the modifiers used for the Hotshot Pilot Talent. [applies to starships up to 100ktons: +5], and [only for starship character is piloting: -2]. The final result is basically a set of martial maneuvers that cost double; you can bring this cost down by reducing the upper limit for your "starship martial arts" maneuvers below 100 ktons. It's basically +1/4 per point of Size.

Greywind: excellent breakdown. mhd: In Ars Magica, one of the specialties for Carousing skill is "Power Drinking".

Basing it on CON makes it sound like a physical dependency or addiction. If they just have a hard time resisting temptation to drink, I'd change it to an EGO roll at -3 instead. Am I crazy, or does that just make a little more sense?

Gotta love Shadowrun; those are some great quotes. Tonight was the 2nd episode of my latest Terracide campaign, Salvaging Hope: Part 1 - Omicron Uprising. I'll try to post some more quotes next week, but here's the best one from this session: The crew of the interstellar salvage vessel Coprolite (the PCs) are preparing to infiltrate the Solar Express Corporation fast clipper Sovereign, a massive luxury liner, with the intention of hijacking it. A former Sovereign crew member, Talitha Borealis, is offering to help them, claiming to have knowledge of the ship's layout and security. First Officer Rene Damphousse: "Are you sure you know your way around the Sovereign?" Talitha Borealis: "If I tell you there's a hot tub full of queso on that ship, pack a bikini and some chips."

This is the most painful thing about the Borg; as written, they shouldn't lose. It's bad enough when your hero is a "Mary Sue"; their habit of being awesome at everything and always winning may be tiresome, but at least it makes sense because they're the hero, after all. But when someone makes a recurring "Mary Sue" villian, it gets harder and harder to contrive new and amazing (yet still credible, somehow...) ways for them to lose, in spite of all that awesomeness. Cenobites in space would've been more fun. They got cubes, too, don't they?