Cardinal

Re: Bloodmäter

Actually... you get all kinds of details wrong in the recaps (especially with who said what) - but you also have a great sense of story-flair' date=' so it all works out in the end anyways.[/quote']

 

Why let facts get in the way of a good story.

Re: [Campaign] DEFENDERS CONGREGATE!!

 

Act III: Tomorrow I hope!

Not to be a pain in the butt, but it is a little past tomorrow.

I would love to hear how things ends. Great write ups and it sounds like you have a great group of players and campaign going.

Re: Champions Universe--Megavillain teamup idea...

I've always liked Raya de Plata as a speedster for supervillan groups. As a former hero gone rouge, good hooks for redemption or dark mirror type story lines. Decent power level, but not overwhelming.

In short a good soldier to add punch without adding another master villain.

I also like the idea of Molnya as the force behind the throne.

Re: New players, gm, UMA Charge and 34d6 damage

My experience has been that FMove martial arts maneuvers are really powerful for their points. However, that is not a reason to eliminate them.

The points made earlier probably apply here. If he has this maneuver with the combat acceleration, you will have to assume every use of this maneuver is at 20" (or about +4d6). That should be built into the DC cap also referenced earlier. It will still be possible to go over it, but only on special occasions (such as accelerating down to a full 30" downward velocity). However, that should only give an additional +2d6 or so.

I strongly suspect that there was an addition error along the way, because it sounds like the 30" downward velocity was doubled and that the second 30" was adding DCs at 1/3".

On the KB front, I disagree with some of the previous posters as I would grant KB and related damage. However, remember that the maximum D6 of damage that DS would have taken would have been the value of the DEF/Body of the floor that he was on. So, if he was being shot through solid earth/rock, he would have taken all that damage. However, if he was being blown through a couple of floors of a building, each of which was 6Def / 4 body, he would have taken a couple of 10D6 attacks (not quite as nasty as his defenses and damage reduction would apply to each attack separately (which is why 2x10D6 < 20D6).

Welcome to the game and enjoy. There are lots of nuances to the combat rules and the character creation rules, but it is very fun to experiment and learn as you go. Some of my favorite memories of Hero come from a time when my buddies and I did not know the rules very well. it is amazing the overly effective and under effective results that you can end up with (often comically so).

Re: Phantom Steed

With the original description' date=' I would just call it Flight. You're allowed to carry someone when you fly, so it's the exact same thing. With the given SFX I would allow the Knight to use his both hands while flying, even with an extra passanger, but as a side effect of that, a bad guy could jump on the steed behind him (as well as other benefits/disadvantages that are appropriate).[/quote']

 

Following the adage of KISS, I like this answer. Simple and elegant.

Re: [Campaign] DEFENDERS CONGREGATE!!

Nice to get a Defenders fix! Glad that you guys are back.

Re: Lucha Libre convention game!

...many short Pulp adventures can easily be luchafied by changing the locale' date=' adding more wrestling and removing half the sense...[/quote']

 

I love the concept of a genre where one of the defining elements is that it is light on logic and rationale.

 

"No, no, less sense! The adventure must make less sense... go back to the drawing board. Get rid of that deep emotional resonance and throw in Aztec Zombies and a bar room brawl instead."

Re: Help with a plot power

That is near GENIUS

Agreed. Rep to SS.

Re: Federated Super Teams (Galactic Champions)

Looks like good stuff. Post the characters as you get them. I would love to see the team that is going to push The Empress out of space.

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

I like that take.

 

It could be expanded to fit existing comic characters as well.

 

Captain America = Water (Adaptable)

Iron Man = Air (Intellectual -> technology)

Hulk = Fire (Emotion)

Ant-Man/Wasp = Earth (Nature - Insect size and control)

I like those first three a lot, especially hulk as fire. Intereting perspective.

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

I remember Bruce Lee's famous quotation comparing his concept of martial arts to water:

 

"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

 

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend."

 

I can see a character with a "water elemental" motif also being a master martial artist, probably with an akido-like style of turning an opponent's force against them; a master of stealth and concealment, of bypassing locks and barriers and escaping from restraints; and with zen-like physical and mental discipline and control, and ability to find what's hidden or perceive deception.

Great quote.

Thanks for the suggestions.

What are the most creative element or para element teams that you guys have seen?

I've been mulling something over for a while and wanted to throw it out to the great and good minds on the boards.

I am a big fan of characters based on the classic elements (i.e. Earth, Fire, Air and Water). I've also been watching a bunch of Avatar: the Last Airbender re-runs recently and it has been getting me thinking about the elements.

However, I must say that I am getting sick of cliche powersets. It seems that every elemental group has a walking mountain / thing and human torch clone. It seems that most examples tend to fall into certain limited powersets (i.e. earth = brick; fire=flight, EB, FF, etc.).

I would love to hear alternative takes that people have done that have taken the concept of the elements, but take a different cut at the powerset.

For example, I've always thought that Reed and Sue Richards were very creative takes on water and air...

What is the best you've seen in your travels? What do you recommend for someone looking for a fresh take?

Here are the couple that were noodling over:

Fire: Thinking of fire in the metaphorical sense of the emotional spark, I was thinking a neat fire alternative would be a poison ivy style emotional manipulator (with Marvel's copyright Red Hair / Green Eye combo natch). A firey and willful personality.

Earth: I've always like Terra from the Teen Titans as an Earth form. She breaks all the cliches. She is small, agile, EBer with Flight who is a bit flaky and fickle rather than solid and dependable. It is a nice twist on the normal brick mode that you see.

...which lead me to think about...

Water: water characters always seem to focus on water in its fluid state. As a twist, how about water in its solid form: ice. Combined with the above Terra example, I was thinking of a small lithe character that had the ability to create ice by condensing water moisture (ie CE, Barrier, entangle, etc) and then telekinetically manipulate it. For example he/she could ride a large ice bolder (flight w/ physical manifestation), hurl ice bolders (AOE EB), spikes (RKA), smaller chunks (EB), etc. Obviously you could not have this character if you had a terra type clone for Earth, but it is a way to get the idea in.

Air: I don't have a anything particularly novel here...

Anyway, I would love to hear feedback, alternative ideas, or the best examples you have seen in practice.

Thanks for your feedback.

Re: The Avengers Legacy

D'oh! I mean Christian Slater. Why did I type Bale?

Because Slater is now a washed up hack on syndicated TV.

Re: The Avengers Legacy

Mac, Heather, and Madison Jeffries: Christian Bale, ???, Johnny Depp

 

I think that was Christian Slatter from his Pump Up the Volume days (post Heathers, pre-washed up and on syndicated tv).

Re: Nano-Gadgeteer

My read on it is that it is a VPP with OIF - object of opportunity. The destruction/transform of the old item is a SFX of the VPP.

Re: A Luck Power

I would stay away from transform. What you are talking about is a pool of powers with a common special effect. I think the USPD has a number of great examples.

Hi all,

As an example, the twins are riding their horses down a trail and are jumped by a group of bandits. Bandit number one fires a crossbow at one of them. Inexplicably, the horse that the twin he shoots at is riding steps in a depression in the trail causing the twin to lurch out of the path of the bolt. The bolt flies off into the forest.

+DCV (variable SFX; Luck SFX); alternatively Combat Luck

The twins draw their swords and defend themselves. Two bandits attack one of the twins with their swords simultaneously and accidentally end up entangling their swords in front of the twin as he jerks out of the way. He is then able to deliver quick stabs to the exposed bandits.

While this looks like the two attackers are being put at a disadvantge (i.e. lower OCV and lower DCV), mechanically if you only want the PC to be able to take advantage of this, it is the same as the PC having a higher DCV and higher OCV.

+DCV (variable SFX; Luck SFX) (to cause the first person to miss) and +OCV (vaiable SFX; Luck) to set the person up for the counter strike

If you want others to be able to take advantage, you might need to resort to some sort of CE or a damage shield for the PC with drain OCV and DCV.

The bandit number one drops his crossbow' date=' draws his sword and charges the twin he shot at. They clash blades and begin a slow circle in place while trying to score hits on each other. When the bandit has circled 180 degrees from his original position a bear with a crossbow bolt stuck in its side bursts from the forest and rips him from the saddle. The twins ride off before it can turn its attention to them.[/quote']

 

RKA (variable SFX, indirect) if it takes a while, continuous

View this one as an attack by the PC via the form of the bear from the woods. Once the attack happens and is done, the bear loses interest and departs (i.e. no more attacks).

 

In short, the best way to go on luck is break it down into what is effect of the luck and model that and ignore the vehicle delivering the luck.

 

The problem with Luck based characters is that, because of the variable SFX and indirects that you put on all the powers, they are very expensive for their DCs.

Re: Bloodmäter

Great stuff (Shadowrun meets Forgotten Realms). Sounds like a fun game. Keep it up.

Re: 6E Mess

Do I hear an "Amen" for Mr. Shrike?

Rep to you for succinctly cutting through these issues.

Re: Colaborative Build: Miss Forture (5th Ed)

In true comic book fashion her name should be Melissa Fortune (or Marisa), nickname Missy.

Re: Vortex

A couple of quick thoughts:

1. linking DR with Desolidification is a waste. As I understand it, the DR represents that it is tough to land a blow on a puddle of water. However, if it is linked to the Desolid, the only time it would come in play was if someone hit the character with a physical affects desolid attack. These should be distinct powers that are used at different times (i.e. fully transparent and partially transparent).

2. What is the +2dc hand attack? Should this be part of the MP?

3. What is the focus for the OIF Armor of the Blue? Do they create a layer of ice? Something else?

4. Look at your figured charcteristics. At the very least, END is wrong 15 con = 30 end unless bought up. You have 50 listed. 30 end is too low to be functional.

5. Look at total defense. As I read it, you have 12 def (5 r). Even with DR, this could get ugly as any above average roll will cause body damage.

Looks like it could be an interesting character.

Re: In Character: A Critical and Unauthorized Look at Disadvantages ...

Next time I run a Champions game I may well just give the players 350 points up front and tell them to take whatever disads (for NO additional points) suit the character concept. If the disads come up in play, they'll get role-playing XP for dealing with them; if they don't, they don't.

Isn't this how hero points and complications work in MNM?

Re: Captain American Build 350 pts

The Shield should not be listed as expendable, difficult to replace. That is a limitation that is meant to reflect "eye of newt, toe of frog" type stuff. Contents that are used up by a spell of the likes.

As such, I think your shield is going to be substantially more expensive.

Let me review the rest of the build and see if I have any other comments.

Re: Hawaii Hero

I played a pc that was Maui. I had left it ambiguous as to whether he was named after the demingod of lore (and namesake of the charming island) or was the demigod come back from a little time in his home dimension.

He was basically a demi-brick with wrestling MA and a easy going trickster personality.

Hawaiian mythos has a certain fondness for tricksters, so you might want to think about that angle.

Re: Costumed Crimefighters Collective

Though rather less structured, I did something similar with my campaign when we converted over to 5e five or six years ago. By allowing different base points and having a wider range of abilities we've actually got the characters all closer to concept. And it feels more like the comics. The nigh-cosmic types feel nigh-cosmic. The gadget laden normals feel like gadget laden normals. Within these general types, being a veteran or a rookie can still be discerned, of course. But it's worked well for our group.

 

I hope it works as well for you.

Out of curiousity, what was the point / DC range that you ended up with? Did you end up with gadget lad being unable to effect cosmic man (or his villains)?

Re: Area of Effect for Hand to Hand attacks?

I have found nothing in the FAQ or Rules Forum that changes the following section that deals directly wit the situation of adding Martial Arts Damage to an attack that already has Advantages:

 

from 5er page 407:

Interesting. I don't actually have 5ER so I never saw that. Ive been using 5E.

Thanks for the correction.