Frenchman

Re: Activation and RSR Great Idea Rapier! I like the idea and I will suggest it as a variant in our next fantasy game. Addressing the concern over having skill rolls so high that they are always 17-: First is campaign maximums. If you have AP caps similar to those reccommended on page 15 of The Book, why don't you have the skill roll caps just a couple inches away? In my fantasy games, I limit the character's skill rolls (all of them, not just power skills) so that it can be no higher than the characteristic they're based on. Since NCM is in effect, and it is very rare for any character to exceed it, the skill roll pretty much always means something except with the most minor powers. Also, just like any other skill, situational penalties apply. GM "You are suffering a -3 penalty to your magic rolls." Mage "What? Thats ridiculous! Theres nothing in the book that penalizes magic rolls!" GM "No, but you are fighting in a sewer, and its difficult to properly pronounce your spell's incantations while gagging." Also, the wonderful Change Environment power can devastate a character with a skill-based power. In addition, if a character attempts to activate more than one RSR power at a time (in the same phase) I make him stack the penalties together and make one roll to represent that it is difficult to do several things at once. Continuous powers that have already been activated don't count.

Re: Penetrating Killing/BOD Attacks I have had my players whip something out like this from time to time. According to the Penetrating description, the amount of damage that is penetrating (ie, gets through) is equal to the body rolled on the dice. That means that a 1 pip KA bought penetrating is useless (1 pip is the same as a 1 on the die, meaning zero body). A 1/2d6 is almost as useless, especially when bought standard effect (the way a certain player tried to do it, thinking it would ensure him 1 body), because a 1/2 die only scores body on a 4, 5, or 6. That means it takes at least a full die of KA to really get an advantage out of penetrating. For the one who was powergaming, I didn't say anything till they tried to use it. Then I just admonished him for not reading the rules, and his 'surefire fw breaker' that he'd been mouthing off about was just so many wasted points (I let him respend them at the end of the session, but he was still pissed). Other than that, I don't have a problem with penetrating KAs as long as the player buys more than 1d6 of KA or has a really, really good explanation for it (like the firestarting spell from the Grimoire or the continuous AE acid cloud that was just too expensive to afford more than 1d6).

Re: Aid in a VPP and Charges This is similar to what I would do (I'm just waiting for one of my players to try this, I know he will eventually), except that I might just say, "You want to use an aid dex? Sorry, but you made an aid str with 1 charge, and until that charge comes back you can't use aid anymore." Or I might do both, just to be mean.

Re: Breaking a Mental Defense Force Wall Why would you stat out God? Everyone knows his only power is a 1000 point Cosmic VVP (2500 points, if you're curious).

Re: Well blow me down Unless you roll as crappy as I do, I think your math is slightly off here. A 14d6 EB will do 14 body, and the average roll on 2d6 (assuming your target isn't airborn) is 6. 14-6=8. An 8d6 EB 2xKB will do, on average, 8 body, meaning that for KB you have 16-2d6=10, on average. You are still right about the difference being 2", though. Remember, however, that more knockback gets more and more effective the more dice you put into it. A 7d6 EB deals 1" KB on average, while a 4d6 EB 2xKB deals 2" on average. Whooopdy-doo. A 21d6 EB deals an average of 15" KB, while a 12d6 EB 2xKB deals 18" on average. The higher you go, the higher the difference goes. In the end, I try to target flying opponents at all times to maximize my 2xKB attacks. Also, when one adds the 2xKB advantage to an attack, the main purpose of the attack shifts slightly from dealing damage to getting them the HELL away from you. As for Flight UAA, I sigh and shake my head sadly. Jackalope! I've come to expect better from you. As a power construct, this is simply abusive, and while it doesn't outright disallow it in the rulebook, it very, very strongly discourages it (I know that published villains use that power, but that doesn't mean I like it). I would NEVER allow Flight UAA in any of my games, and I would strongly protest it in a game in which I was a player. TK makes much more sense and is more appropriate. In addition, there are some 'defenses' against TK (DI, Clinging, Growth, or just bein' plain fat) and it is possible for some characters to use their STR to resist it by grabbing onto something. Flight UAA doesn't offer any of these opportunities for the victim. It doesn't matter how strong you are or how heavy you are, you just fly away. If the GM rules that grabbing something allows you a STR vs. Flight contest, how much STR does the flight have? certainly not 5 STR per 1", that gives it much more STR than TK has. 1 STR per 1"? Too little. Even then, if you grabbed, say, a semi, the TK might still be able to lift the both of you, but it couldn't throw you as far, whereas the flight can pick all of it up and chuck it the same distance regardless. The Dispel vs KB, Does KB, 2xKB is pretty cheap, but clever. I'd allow it if I thought my player had come up with it on his own or if they had sufficient justification. I agree with Gary, however, that it does kinda skirt the 'spirit of the rules.'

Re: Random powers (falling, barriers)

Re: Limit to Selling Strength? (or any attribute) Actually, if you have a negative statistic, I do believe secondary characteristics are figured as if the stat in question was 0 (I remember this from somewhere, either the FAQ or the Bestiary, I think). Besides, how would negative defenses work? GM: A gnat bites you. PC: OK, big deal. GM: Because your PD is -10, you take 10 stun. PC: From a GNAT?! GM: Yup. Too bad you sold down your CON, too, since now you're stunned... I actually had a conversation almost like this once...

Re: Ranged OK for HKA, not for HA I don't like the stated reason for the -1/2 limitation on HA. (this doesn't mean I don't think it should be there, but I'll touch on that in a bit) The way it seems to me in the book is overly complicated. If it's because it is a no range attack, then HKA should get it, but it doesn't. The reasoning that I believe is behind the RKA and HKA costs (that being ranged is equal to being able to add STR to damage) seems reasonable and logical to me. It would seem reasonable and logical if there was a similar construct for normal-damage attacks, but there isn't. Saying that HA is STR, only to do damage is like saying HKA is STR, only to do damage against resistant defenses. It just sounds overly complicated. My personal interpretation (and the house rule I use) is that the -1/2 limitation on HA represents the fact that HA isn't as effective at doing damage as HKA. Because Energy Blasts suffer from this same setback, I allow EBs to take the same -1/2 limitation. This is just the way I see things (as they relate to EBs, HAs, and KAs), and it makes sense to me, if not anyone else. I think that adding ranged to an HA is no more broken than adding ranged to an HKA, as long as the GM steps in to prevent a character buying, for example, a 'fire blast' on his 50-STR brick as a 1d6 HA, Ranged. Myself, I use the rules pertaining to doubling DCs to prevent a 1d6 HA (or a 1 pip HKA) from doing obscene amounts of 'free' damage.

Re: Nature control With this special effect, you can create just about any power you want (still working on Mental Images, but I'm sure its out there). The key is in the limitations. Only in Natural Surroundings for many of them, Summoned creatures need the Must Inhabit Area limitation, and even depends on current weather (though you could just change the weather). I would build this characters powers as a VVP. Very expensive, but very effective. Especially since there is no way you will ever be able to think up all the things someone with such power could do up front.

Re: Fade Rate and attributes lower than normal I agree. I find JMHammer's solution to be simple and elegant, especially since Aid and Healing both have the same costs and essentially the same effects. Getting this one by my group would be a different story entirely, however. Even though I am the 'rules lawyer' of the group, people have a tizzy everytime I suggest a house rule. That said, though, I don't know if I'd want a Transfer with the special effect of healing me to function more like Healing. With the Transfer, I can use it all day long. Sure it caps out, but healing caps out lower. With healing there is also the daily (or per wound, or whatever system you use) cap, so that once you roll really well, you're basically out of luck till tommorrow, and you have to keep rolling better and better to achieve the same effect.

Re: Fade Rate and attributes lower than normal If you buy the absorbtion or transfer with reduced fade rate (one month should do it) the BODY gained would last long enough for it to heal naturally, and so would never 'go away'. Just make sure you buy enough dice or an increased limit high enough so that you don't run out over the course of a week or two.

Re: Bulletproof

Re: Fixing Missile Deflection I like this idea, it definitly makes more sense, especially in a fantasy Hero game, where the most common form of missile deflection that I've seen are 'spell shields' which deflect incoming magic, and I never did like buying it at the 20 point level and putting a limitation on it to reflect that it didn't reflect arrows, knives, rocks, etc... Especially since noone could decide on the limitation (-1 seems appropriate, since about 1/2 of all ranged attacks aren't magical, but that makes it way to cheap, especially if bought to reflect).

Re: Improved Absorption? You COULD also buy desol, only to protect from damage from energy attacks. This would be hideously expensive, though, since you would have to buy affects solid world (+2) on your 16d6 eb (240 points, assuming no other advantages) and your strength. But you would be invulnerable to energy attacks (unless they are bought Affects Desol.)

Re: New Power: Damage Shield Construction I like the direction this is going, I think that damage shield will work better as a separate power, but alas, how to price it. Perhaps pricing it by Damage Classes, as all attack powers are done in the book. So a drain would be 2 DCs, a KA 3, etc... Then make an advantage, STR adds to Damage (+1/2) to represent HAs and HKAs. Perhaps another advantage for mental and adjustment powers (+1/4 should be about right, I think) to represent the fact that they tend to be more effective, since not many characters have defense against them. Then assign a cost per DC, such as 7.5 points (a number I'm playing around with in my head) or 10 points. Voila, it would be simple to understand, and detailed enough to deal with individual powers. One issue I see with this is with Dispel. How many DCs are in a 10d6 Dispel? 6? 10?

OddHat made an inquiry of you last week relating to resistant mental defense. I just wanted clarification on this: Is the Mental Defense (and Power Defense, Flash Defense) gained from a force field or force wall resistant? It would seem to me that it would be, since the PD and ED they grant are.

Re: Making Inexpensive 3D Maps [graphics intensive] I've gotta say that Killer Shrike is right, its pretty cool. But if I were to do it, I'd go ahead and spend the $20-$30 to do it the way the guys at my local gaming store, Clark's Trading, do. Jeremy (whene he was there) and Arthur do an amazing job when creating warhammer battlefields, BloodBowl arenas, or gaming maps.

Re: Probability? I've been wondering this too for a while, and while I've got you guys on the line, maybe yoiu could answer me (and the rest of us math-idiots out here) this question: What is the probability of rolling 2 or more 6's on a number of dice? How about 3 or more, etc...?

Re: Asterix the Gaul Just imagine how strong Obelisk would be... he can carry his namesake without the benefit of one of Getafix's potions. According to the STR table in Fantasy Hero, he would be STR 50. Wow. But whaddya expect from your average frenchman? Especially if he eats four or five boars in a sitting.

Re: Good Fantasy Movies By far the funniest fantasy-style film I've ever seen is a French film called Les Visiteurs. Hollywood did a remake of it in english called Just Visiting, but even though they got the same actors, they managed to make it complete crap. Also, slightly off topic, there is a movie called Shaolin Soccer, which, while not being fantasy per se (certainly is fantastical), will give you a lot of great ideas for monk-type characters in any setting.

Re: The Zombie Game What happened to the two old ladies in the boat? Maybe they catch up on foot...

Re: Anybody ever play Fantasy Superheroes? Yes, in fact I have played such a game. It is my groups 'standard' fantasy setting, even, despite the fact that I hate the ridiculously high powerleves of our fantasy characters. We build beggining characters on 100/100 points, and every character has an 'Element' which is an affinity to one of the seven (or eight, I don't really know how many) constituents that make up the world. You get 50% damage reduction vs your element, but it has an opposite (most of them, anyways) to which you take double damage. Then you have (usually in addition to your 200 character points) an 'Enhancer' and your 'List of 12.' The enhancer is essentially an uber-powerful magical item that is somehow attuned to your character (like King Arthur and Excaliber) that grows more powerful as your character does (we used to feed xp into it, but we're devising a different system now to deal with balance issues that have arisen). Your list of 12 is a list of 12 powers (essentially super-powers) that progress from nearly useless abilities (usually defined as 10 active points or less, my current character has +2 running and +2 vs. Range Penalties as his) to overwhelmingly powerful abilities (same characters #12 will be the summoning of an army of treants and elementals, defined as summon 2,000 500-point beings). Often characters have other powers (not on the list) defined as super-skills, and almost everyone has one statistic over 20 (we still use NCM, for some reason, so we have to pay double for them). All this makes for a grossly powerful party of adventurers who would have the power to make and break kingdoms, if said kingdoms weren't controlled by other super-entities.

Re: What Would Your Fantasy Character Do? : Good Overlord Try to assassinate him. Again. Of course if this bastardly guy WASN"T Prince Ralfane (our reccurring villain) my character (an elven archer) would stop him on the road and ask what he was up to (and start running like the wind when his guards surround me). He's not very farsighted.

Re: Help With Horror-filled High Fantasy Adventures I love the idea of the mourner, we've been trying to come up with a way to make the banshee concept more detailed and interesting, and I suspect we'll go with that. It'll be interesting to see how the characters are going to deal with a creature they cannot get within earshot of. The simulacrum idea is neat too. After killing his 'original,' perhaps he goes on a killing spree. Or he may turn to undeath or a demonic pact as his salvation from mortality. Or he could build a golem to contain his spirit (scary, a spellcasting statue). This idea definitly has some potential, and I'll talk it over with my fellow GM's. Whatever development is done on these guys past these boards I'll post up here, and I'll put their character sheets up as soon as the PCs are done with them. Thanks a lot for all your help, guys.

Re: Help With Horror-filled High Fantasy Adventures I want both, some beings who don't want to give up their soul, some who do but can't, some who don't even realize they have a soul, whatever. All good ideas are welcome, and someone may have thought of something that would never occur to me. So far, we are trying to stay away from ones that need to be killed to give up their soul, since those will be the easiest to create and a lot of them will probly end up like that no matter what we do. As for the banshee idea, that is one that one of my fellow GMs will be running (He is watching this thread, so go ahead and put up any ideas you have), but that won't stop me from brainstorming ideas for it with you guys. I like the idea of the banshee not being able to leave this world, not being able to die, for want of closure. Her love may have been unrequited, or perhaps he died before she could truly express her feelings. We were also thinking of making her an extremely beautiful woman who wasn't ever able to feel love, and so her life wasn't completed. Being so vain, she cannot go into the afterlife without having what everyone else had/has, so she roams on an eternal but futile quest to feel love.