Mazeus Xenon

Re: Self-Aware Ammo Makes sense but not exactly what I was looking for with the final effect... I never wanted this shell to be as fast as a bullet - just a mechanism for deliing the attack. It also allows the target or others to attack the shell directly and destroy it. It I just wanted a fast, smart bullet, then I would pump the OCV and be done with it! (and love your auto-sig, dbsousa!!)

Re: Self-Aware Ammo I think the idea that Lucius posted (from Opal) are a good idea, but the idea I have is a sheel is fired from a weapon, This shell then follows a target until it runs out of power (END) and then just fall dead. The shell has a separate attack then "just blow up" - specifically an Cumulative Entangle (Glue Gun). After much deliberation I defined this as a very (very) small vehicle, scaling back the "Size" into a negative a sthe sheel, while large, is no larger than a football (about a foot long - it's a big shell!). I used an AI within the vehicle to define how it would track and chanse a target. Standard PER roll so anything that would distract the Sense Group Sight would distract it as well (this could easly be circumvented by adding in new senses or whatever). Also, defining it as a vehicle allows anyone to attack it and possible destroy the shell before it can complete it's mission. Anywho, here is what I put together - the weapon and the "shell" it summons. All things being equal, this was cheap (3pts!!!!!). Feel free to let me know what you think... in canse you needed permission! Wrapper The Wrapper is a pistol-like weapon that fires a capsule at a target. The target must be locked on for a Full Turn before the weapon may be fired, as the targeting system must accurately acquire the target. The capsule is fired and speeds towards the target. Once fired the shell moves of its own will, using the limited resources available to it to strike the target. The Wrapper will attack the target when in melee range. It sprays a glue-like substance in the hex of the selected target. The effect is cumulative and is very sticky. If anyone else entered this hex they will also be struck by the effect. The Wrapper will continue to attack until it has exhausted its available ammo. It is has the energy available when it has finished attacking it will attempt to return to the weapon. If the weapon is in the possession of a character they can spend a half action to grab the shell when it returns. Otherwise it will fall silent in the hex where the weapon is located. It will also drop to the ground wherever it runs out of energy. Wrapper (Summon Wrapper Shell (80pts AI Vehicle)) (+1, -8½; 3pts) Adv: Amicable (Slavishly Loyal (2 Tasks); +1) Lim: 1 Charge (Recoverable; -1¼), Concentration (½DCV (Full); -1), OAF Pistol (-1), Extra Time (Full Turn; -1), Limited Task Options (Attack Target, Follow Target, Return to Character; -2), Required Hands (2-Handed; -½), Requires Skill Roll (Sight-Based PER Roll to Target; -¾), STR Minimum (10; Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1) Vehicle Score Characteristics Cost Points -4 Size ×5 -20 -10 Strength ×1 -- 10 Dexterity ×3 -- 6 Body ×2 -- 6 DEF ×3 12 3.0 Speed (2.0) ×10 10 0†Run ×2 -12 0†Swim ×1 -2 Total: -12 Targeting AI Score Characteristics Cost Points 3 Intelligence ×1 -7 0 Ego ×2 -- 13- Perception ×3 12 3.0 Speed (2.0) ×10 10 Total: 15 Powers and Skills Powers (END) Internal Power (END Reserve (30 END, 0 REC)) (-1¼; 1pt) Lim: Side Effect (3d6 BODY Drain; Specific Act (at 0 END); -¼), Unusable Until Fully Charge (-1) Fired Shell (6†Flight) (-¼; 10pts) (END:1) Lim: Non Noncombat Movement (-¼), Uses END Reserve (-0) Hard to Hit (Combat Skill Levels: DCV vs. All (+4 DCV)) Wrap Glue (1d6 Entangle) (+10pts, +2, -1; 35pts) (END:6) Add: Stops A Given Sense (Sight Group; +10pts) Adv: Area of Effect (Hex; +½), Cannot Be Escaped with Teleportation (+¼), Cumulative (Up to 6d6; +1¼), Sticky (+½) Lim: Can Be Dispelled (-¼), Cannot Form Barriers (-¼), No Range (-½) Uses END Reserve (-0) Cost Skills 6 Combat Skill: Wrap Glue (+3 OCV) Disadvantages Cost Disadvantages 10 Physical Limitation: Diminutive (¼†Length (~1ft in length); +6†Knockback) (Frequently, Slightly) 15 Physical Limitation: Only Has Sense of Sight (All the time, Slightly) - this is only "Slightly" as the shell does nothing else so the loss of the other senses aren't as important.

I have been kicking around a number of ideas for this but none of them seem to sit well with me. How you would design a weapon with ammo that has ammo that can actively track a target? My two best ideas: Create a Summon Power for the gun that "summons" the shell, defined as an automaton, or Vehicle with an AI. Create a power that is Continuous and Uncontrolled but I am not sure how that would work to follow someone around a combat field! I welcome any feedback/input.

Okay, I have to ask before I drive myself crazy thinking about it... Expendable Foci - can you also apply charges to them? Basically, is it "legal" to have a power with an Expendable Foci and have 1 Charge? And if so, would that mean that the power could only be used 1/day, even if you had more of the Focus available? Does an expendable Focus assume the power has only 1 Charge? On another note, would it also be legal to have a power with an expenable foci with multiple charges, allowing the power to be used 4 times (or whatever) before the Focus was consumed? I know just about everything in Hero is subjecty to house rules and GM approval (I have my own house rules that rival the Hero book itself!) but I do like to know what the official rules are before I go and tweak them... if at all...

Re: Item Cost Yeah, I am beginning to think that myself... ah, well - it was a great idea while it laster... maybe...

I have a post for this in the Fantasy Hero thread but I wanted to go right to the source as well. Heck, I probably should have started here anyway... Anywho, Is there any general guideline for a AP-to-Cost formula? I know this may be no better than my question about AP-to-weight but I did want to know... Thanks as always!

Re: Item Cost Okay, the link was useful but not what I was looking for - that was just another list of prices. Other than referring to a chart, is there any kind of a formula out there somewhere that takes the Active Points of a power and translates it into a cost? Either I am just being seriously dim today (which does happen) or I didn't see anything in his posts. Any other suggestions? Feel free to tell me where to go...

Re: Item Cost Not that I have found, but that doesn't mean anything...

Re: Item Cost I figured it was out here but I swear my searching skill is no better than an Everyman Roll... sigh...

Re: Item Weights Very valid point, Shadowpup... having an AP-to-weight idea is rather silly... what was I thinking? Google don't fail me now...

It's me again... looking for the gamers with too much time on their hands and a keen eye for detail... Anywho, I am wondering if anyone has kicked around a formular for AP-to-cost ratio? I know there is some detail in the Star Hero book for various things but I would like to know ideas from people on a generic formula for any power or effect. Of course, some things need to be manually modified. A Sword would be cheaper (in theory) than a Scroll of Fire Blast, even if they were identical in AP, but just wondering a generic idea. The final cost can ALWAYS be modified!

Re: Item Weights Yeah, I know... and that is more or less what I do now. Just wondering if there was a fellow "Math Nerd/geek" out there that would have jury-rigged a formula or something. No biggie...

I have been kicking around all sorts of formulas and numbers to try and figure a AP-to-weight relationship for items, weapons, armor, etc. I know that there is already a guage for Armor (1 DEF = 3.5kg, 2 DEF = 5kg, and so on). However, is there anything anyone else out there uses to determine weight by AP (or whatever)? I did ask Steve (you know - the guy who wrote the rules ) about it and he said he'll just look it up when necessary and put it into a book... I am guessing this is based almost entierly on the game being run but if there is something someone uses... feel free to send it my way! Mazeus Xenon

Okay, I am starting here as I would like to get the "official" word... I have been kicking around all sorts of formulas and numbers to try and figure a AP-to-weight relationship for items, weapons, armor, etc. I know that there is already a guage for Armor (1 DEF = 3.5kg, 2 DEF = 5kg, and so on) but is there anything beyond the Armor definition to use the AP of a power to determine the item weight? I am guessing this is based almost entierly on the game being run but if there is something... feel free to send it my way!

Okay - followup as requested... I hope this one makes more sense! Basically, here is what I am wondering: how connected is the Variable Effect and the Multiple Special Effects? I know the rules indicate that you cannot take Multiple Special Effects until you are at least at a +1/2 level, or being able to affect at least two powers at one time. What I am wondering is if there is an underlying rule that is that the number of special effects that can be affected is limited by the number of powers that can be affected at one time. Example: 2d6 Drain vs Fire, Any Two Powers at one time (+1/2). Can this only use the Multiple Special Effects for Two Special Effects (+1/4 or +1/2 as defined) or could it be bought to any number of Special Effects with the +2 Adv? And if it can be bought to the full +2 Adv of Multiple Special Effects, would that make a power that could apply a 2d6 Drain to anything? Then why not just build a Drain at the +1/4 Level (Any Power of the same special effect, one at a time) and apply the +2 Advantage of "Any Special Effect" and be able to drain one thing from anyone at any time? And as I said, this is of course best reigned in by the GM but in theory... is it "legal"? Thanks as always... and just in case you didn't know, the Hero System is the best system in the world. Everything else is just a copy with less flexibility!

Okay, I am probably missing the obvious here, but I have a question about the "Variable Effect" and "Multiple Special Effects" for Adjustment Powers. Are the number of Special Effects that can be affected limited by the number of powers that can be affected? In other words, if a Drain affects any two Fire powers at one time, is it limited to only one other special effect? Or, could I build a power that affects any two powers at one time (+1/2) and then have it affect ANY number of Special Effects (+2)? It seems like this would be a slightly cheaper way to build a power that can drain ANY two powers of the user's choice at any time. Thoretically, someone could also build a Drain that affects all powers of all special effect simultanously. Sure, this would be a +4 Advantage but if you only had a 1d6 or 2d6 Drain, that would be 50 or 100pts for something rather potent! I know all of this is subject to the GM. As I am the GM, I was just wondering about this with the rules as they are intended (and otherwise unmodified). Thanks!

Re: Removing a Focus with a different power Right... that's what I said... I think... Eh, no matter - thanks for all the help!

Re: Removing a Focus with a different power Okay, okay - no need to bite my head off... sheesh! I do understand where you are coming with it. The way I was thinking it, the removal of the OAF limitation makes its own special effect, hence the "claw". Either could work... of course, we could also go back and forth on our opinions for a week and nothing could get accomplished, too! All in all, I think you way best defines it to ensure the final effects work into the idea behind the power. Not using the Variable Special Effects ends up just making it a cheaper way to do it!

Re: Removing a Focus with a different power I've been thinking - would you need the Variable Special Effect? If the "claw" damage-type was basically the same as the weapon being used, would you need to also get that power? That way a "flaming sword" would still do fire damage rather than "claw" damage! Again, just thinking...

Re: Removing a Focus with a different power .... mmm... big accounging gimmicks... Seriously, though, thanks - I never could wrap my brain around how to do a "naked power" to compensate for the lack of a limitation! It makes sense, pseudo-legal or not!

Re: Removing a Focus with a different power I didn't think it was "legal" to buy a naked ability to offset a Limitation (as much weight as that statement carried as I am the GM in the game) That would have to be the most obvious thing... and a lot cheaper - I just couldn't think of how to define it! So simple it should haveb it me... heh... Plus, the VPP option just seemed REALLY expensive for something that should be easier to do... meh... Oh, of course this would be for only universal foci - it has to be usable by the individual! Although any personal item that the individual with power may have would be usable as well...

Re: Removing a Focus with a different power Okay - so a Transform of the item to "nothing" and then link a VPP to it... makes perfect sense to me now! Ya see - THIS is why I ask - for the obvious answers!

Re: Removing a Focus with a different power Oh, duh - of course! Silly me... What do you think would be a good limitation of "Item Unusable While Power is In Effect"? -1/2? -1 Maybe? Or only -1/4? Or would it even BE a limitation beyond a focus? Again, just bouncing this around...

Let’s say I want to develop a power that allows the character to take a weapon and temporarily absorb it to be used as a claws-like power (or whatever) and gain ALL the bells and whistles of the item. This could be for any item with any set of powers possible. Would that have to be some kind of "naked advantage" to eliminate the focus from the item or would it have to be a transform that heals after a specific amount of time? Basically, let’s say a woodsman has a magical axe that does 2d6 AP damage and by using this power he gets a 2d6 AP "Claw" attack. Transform or what? Just wanted to bounce this idea off of y'all... Of course, if someone else posted this (and I missed it) feel free to tell me where to go...

Re: Mass Area Effect This has been an interesting exchange of ideas... while I am more than willing to do a naked advantage, I don't like the idea of a "generic" one affecting any powers up to 100pts. it seems a bit too "easy" (but that could be just me). I also tried to kick around the idea of a transform, but that just ended up being very weird to me as it became very expensive to make an effective transform that would work every time consistently with any user. So, I re-addressed it with a VPP of Naked Advantages and decided upon this: Storm Effect Amulet (50pt VPP) Lim: 4 Charges (-1), Extra Time (Full Turn between Uses; -1), OAF Amulet (-1), Independent (-2), Only to Add/Increase Area Effect and/or Indirect Advantage to Spell (-2) Total:53pts (if my math is right at least...) Basically, by using the power of a storm (or whatever) a user can add any Area Effect or even Indirect to a spell, 4 times a day, with a Full Phase between uses, up to a maximum of a 50pts worth of advantages. You'd still need a full phase to "prep" the power and require a skill roll of some sort (mine being a basic Magic Roll kind of thing). So, a 2d6 RKA could drop from the sky and affect a 5" Radius. What do you think of that? With a VPP one could also increase the area of effect for a Change Environment or even potentially add to an already AE power.