sjmiller

Re: Long winded request for assistance Well, after talking to the GM recently I think we've come up with a solution to this problem. The GM has been having trouble running the game, and just was not enjoying it as much as he was expecting. He decided that he is going to wrap things up and then I am going to start running a new game. If we run a supers game I am not sure what system we will use. As I said earlier in this thread, I am not terribly familiar with the latest version of Hero System. Learning it would require me to spend a lot of time and money to buy the book, learn the whole system, and be comfortable running a game in a system that the players know more about than the GM. I do have to admit, some of the character suggestions given were truly twisted, and I just might use them, or something like them, in upcoming games.

Re: Long winded request for assistance

Re: Long winded request for assistance Well, I could be off on the number of dice. Also, secondary offensive powers can exceed the cap, but must be limited in the number of uses/frequency of uses.

Re: Long winded request for assistance Since I know both the GM and the player fairly well, this is a complicated question to answer. The GM has spoken to the player a few times, and the character is actually toned down from what he started with, I guess. I do not think that we could ask for group approval of his character, because I am fairly sure that he would consider that to be a way for me to shoot down his character and him personally. He's always made abusive characters, and I doubt that will ever change. Sure, we could ask him not to play, but then his sister, who is also playing, might not like that. Complex situation all around.

Re: Long winded request for assistance I have no idea what the Stun is, since I have never looked at his character. Speed is 7, which I know through combat.

Re: Long winded request for assistance To the best of my knowledge, Desolid, if purchased, would not be considered a defense, so would not have the 30 point cap. At least, I believe that is what the GM said. While the character is, to some extent, being built to defeat one specific player's character, I am also trying to build it to be playable, enjoyable, and still useful. I believe the character in question has difficulties with desolid powers and I seem to recall a vulnerability to Flash attacks.

Greetings! I am hoping that the fine people here can help me with creating a character for Champions based on some concepts I have. I’ve owned Champions since the First Edition days, but sometimes I just can’t wrap my head around all the mechanics of the system. I guess I am still stuck in my Villains & Vigilantes mindset, but that’s another story. This is going to be a fairly long post, just to warn you. I also, admittedly, do not own the latest edition of the game, so some new concepts are a mystery to me. Anyway, here’s the scoop. I am playing in a game with a group of highly, umm, different players and characters. One is a big comic book geek, but he doesn’t really have a grasp of the game mechanics at all. He’s playing a Wolverine clone, and doing it pretty good, actually. The next player is playing a character that turns to water and has all her powers based on that. Not much of a problem with her, though she can be indecisive at times. I am currently playing a character with photonic and plasma based powers with a strong sense of justice and what is right. The final player is what I would call a problem player. He’s been playing Hero System for a long time, and knows the rules fairly well. He also, I feel, tries to abuse the rules at every opportunity. His character is a real Caspar Milquetoast sort until he changes identities/is possessed by another being/whatever he does and then he is this “Uber-terror†sort of dark character with lots of strength, lots of armor, and some over-powered melee attacks. I swear, most every attack he makes does 30 to 40 dice of damage. I really can’t see the allure of playing this kind of character, where nothing is a challenge. I also think it violates the four-color comic hero theme we’re supposed to be playing. Basically, the guy is a power gamer/munchkin/gotta win at all costs sort of player. What I want to do, and I know the GM would like it, is beat him at his own game. I want to create a new character, one that is a full-tilt four color superhero. I want a character with that typical 1950s & 1960s black and white moral viewpoint with the ability, if needed, to take down the “problem†character. An energy projector would be cool, or someone who becomes intangible. I would love it if I could model the character after a superhero from one of the Golden Age comics. I am just not sure, honestly, how to really tweak points to wring the most out of them. There are a few (okay more than a few) restrictions I have to work around, but nothing too major, I don’t think. 1. 350 character points (150 base points + disadvantages) 2. No magic. 3. Any physical attribute over 25, mental attribute over 30, or powers that are not a result of technology or improved skill requires a 15 point Disadvantage of Weird Biochemistry: requires specialized medical care. One Weird Biochemistry covers everything. 4. No primary offensive power can exceed 60 active points. 5. A secondary offensive power may exceed the cap, but are restricted in the number of uses. 61-75 points: once per turn; 76-90 points: once per five minutes; 91-120 points: once per hour; 121-180 points: once per day. 6. Secondary powers that exceed 60 points must have Increased Endurance Cost and Side Effect limitations. 7. Defenses cannot exceed 30 active points, focus defences cannot exceed 20 points. 8. Damage Resistance and Damage Reduction are powers, not advantages. 9. At least 100 points must be spent on skills, perks, and talents. That is what I have to work with. I know, it’s not much, and I am asking a lot of you. But, if anyone can give me some pointers, or even point me to something that is already done, I would be extremely grateful. Heck, if it turns out really good I will even send out cookies (your choice of type) to the person who comes up with the most interesting assistance. Thanks for reading this far, and thanks for helping, if you can.

Re: Returning player needs Multipower Assistance

Re: Returning player needs Multipower Assistance I think I will end up buying Sidekick, as the $10 cost is not bad for an occasional game. If I were playing more often I would not hesitate to buy the full book, but not for such infrequent playing. I checked on Hero Designer. I think I will pass on that for the same reason I am not getting the Hero System book. Too high of a cost for a casual game. Still, it's nice to see a game with a complex character creation system being supported this way. I know a number of folks who shy away from Hero System games because of the complex creation process.

Re: Returning player needs Multipower Assistance You know, you think you understand something and then someone shows you that maybe you don't. So, let's see if this makes sense to anyone but me. Drain of 4d6, just by itself, would cost 40 points (no changed from 4th). If I add in the advantages (Ranged and Hourly recovery [+1.25 Advantages]) that 4d6 Drain would cost 90 points. The active cost would therefore be 90 points. Now, given the limitations I placed on it (Activation 11-, 1 Charge per day, and Linked to the Flash power [-3.5 Limitations]) the Real Cost of the power is 20 points. This is all predicated on the power being outside the multipower framework, as linking would violate the rules. I hate the idea of spending money on a gamebook I will probably not use more than once or twice a year, but it looks like I need to. Stephen Miller Ancient Gamer and Curmudgeon

Re: Returning player needs Multipower Assistance Thanks for checking things out for me. This one has me confused though. I don't see how you get the 390 active points on this. (pause while Stephen actually reads the definition of Active Points and realizes he's been doing things wrong all these years. He also discovers he's been calculating power costs incorrectly too) Okay, so, if I remove this from the multipower, since it has too many active points, and I drop the NND since it is not what I thought it was, then the final cost of the power would be 60 points, right? Sure, there are lots of restrictions, and yes, it is meant to bring down an over-powered uber-Munchkin, but is the point total correct? I could probably kick down number of dice to a reasonable level, say 4d6, keep the same modifiers (without the NND) and it should cost 20 points, right? Hmm, makes me wonder what else I have been figuring incorrectly all these years. Stephen Miller Ancient Gamer and Curmudgeon

Hi folks! It's been close to 13 years since I last played Champions, but I was recently asked to play in a game. So I dug out my books (4th Ed Hero System) and tried making a character. I figured the GM will help me tweak things to 5th Ed Revised once I am done. My problem is I am not sure if I am figuring the Multipower correctly. Plus, to be perfectly honest, I am not sure how to figure the END cost for the powers in the multipower. Since the GM is out of town I am looking to you folks for some help. The multipower concept is that there is an energy force called photoplasmic energy. It can be found just about anywhere, and is part of what most people would call the life force of living beings. The character, named Photon, can tap into this power and channel it in various forms. Because of a personal belief, he can only use this power when he is in his hero ID. So, here's the multipower. Let me know if I am figuring this right. Oh, the Photoplasmic Drain was created at the GMs suggestion to possibly deal with a munchkin player we have. Real Active Pts Pts Power 45 56 Multipower (Photoplasmic Powers, Only in Hero ID [-1/4], 56 point Reserve) 7 9 Photon Ball (5d6 Energy Blast, NND - Force Field Exception [+1], at 1/2 END cost [+1/4]) 7 9 Plasma Beam (9d6 Energy Blast at 1/2 END cost[+1/4]) 7 9 Flight (28", x2 END [-1/2], Special Effect [Doppler-shifted trail]) 7 9 Photoplasmic Drain (12d6 Drain on BODY, NND - Flash Defense Exception [+1], Activation 11- [-1], Once per day [-2], Ranged [+1/2], Hourly recover [+3/4], Linked to Photonic Flash [-1/2]) 7 9 Photonic Flash (4d6 Flash at 1/2 END cost [+1/4]) So, what I am wondering is, did I figure this correctly? What would be the END cost of the powers? Is there a better way to do this? Thanks for your help folks, I appreciate it! Stephen Miller Ancient Gamer and Curmudgeon