Bradd

Re: commonality of unusual defenses

Re: WWYCD: Toy Recall!

Re: commonality of unusual defenses I think high exotic defenses may be a symptom of a deeper problem. Exotic attacks remind me of the Artful Dodger problem. For example, consider a Mind Control command to do something reasonable but unproductive, like protecting civilians or attacking a City-of-Heroes-style tanker. You need to win the attack roll, effect roll, and the first breakout roll to have any effect, which is uncommon in my experience. However, if you succeed, you neutralize the foe for a Turn. A big normal attack can force a couple of lost phases, while the opponent recovers from stunning, takes an extra REC, or moves back into position after knockback. While that's a huge advantage, an opponent can recover and (more importantly) still make significant choices while he's recovering. In contrast, the Mind Control victim is mostly useless for a whole Turn, long enough that the fight is practically over when he finally recovers. Mind Control isn't too bad if you have a mentalist on your side, because he can spend a phase to cancel the effect. That makes it comparable to spending an extra REC to shrug off a big normal attack. Unfortunately, you're still screwed if the enemy takes out your mentalist first. Flashes are even nastier. There's no "breakout roll," so it's easier to neutralize a foe, and the main "recovery" action (a non-targeting PER roll) only removes some of the penalties. While you could create a Flash counter similar to the mentalist's override, it's easier to just buy up Flash Defense or buy a redundant targeting sense. This makes Flash a rock-paper-scissors attack, too effective against some foes and useless against others. Adjustment Powers have similar problems. They can easily adjust you into uselessness, and "recovery" abilities are fairly rare. Negative CSLs are especially bad, roughly equivalent to sight-group Flashes. In my experience, players feel that exotic attacks are too unreliable, too effective, or both (depending on how often they win the rock-paper-scissors matchups). In my new Champions game, the heroes' powers include Flash, Mind Control, and super Presence. The first two can easily neutralize a foe, but they're unreliable (in different ways: the Flash is rock-paper-scissors, and the Mind Control is like attacking an Artful Dodger). In contrast, the Presence attack (which has no DEF!) seems well-balanced against normal attacks. It's reliable but it only offers a limited combat advantage. So far, the Presence hero seems much happier with her power than the exotic-attacks guy is. Even though the Flash, the Mind Control, and the Presence attack cost the same amount, the powers are not balanced against each other, for the same reason an Artful Dodger is not balanced against a Brick. I think exotic attacks would be much better-balanced if they had a "recovery" action that cost a phase or two, like normal attacks and Presence attacks do. For example: In combat, allow a breakout roll vs Mind Control once per phase, as a half-phase action. This means that a successful attack will always have some useful effect; at the very least, it will waste the opponent's time, like a Presence attack. It makes Mind Control more useful for superheroes, and it makes universal Mental Defense much less necessary.

HERO 5E p. 272 states that a character may add STR damage to advantaged HAs and HKAs, even without buying the advantages for his STR. For example, if your +4d6 HA has the Penetrating advantage, you can use up to STR 20 for a total of 8d6 Penetrating damage. However, if you use STR 25 with that HA to get 9d6 damage, you lose the benefit of Penetrating. Does Reduced END work exactly the same way? Suppose that I buy a +4d6 HA with 0 END cost. Which of the following is the correct way to calculate END costs? A. 4d6 HA + 4d6 STR pays no END, but 4d6 HA + 5d6 STR pays 4 END (2 for HA, 2 for STR). B. You never pay END for the HA, but you always pay END for the added STR. C. Something else.

Thanks, your reply answered most of my questions. The rule you pointed out was indeed the rule I was referring to; I just wasn't sure how to interpret it. There's still one point I'm unclear on. Consider these linked powers, intended to model an attack that hits two different defenses: Hard-Hitting: 2d6 HA Death Strike: 2d6 HA, AVLD (Power Defense), Does BODY, Linked to Hard-Hitting If I understand correctly, I must use the multiple-power attack rules to resolve an attack with these powers. I know that I can use martial maneuvers with just Hard-Hitting alone, but I'm having some difficulty understanding how they work with both powers used together. Q1. Can I use a defensive strike (OCV +1, DCV +3) with Hard-Hitting + Death Strike? Will I get the full OCV/DCV adjustment? Q2. Can I use an offensive strike (OCV -2, DCV +1, +4d6) with the combination? Will the damage bonus add to both powers, or just one of them (like the Haymaker example in the FAQ)? Q3. When I use these powers together, do I add STR damage to the attack once or twice? If twice, what's a "No STR Damage" limitation worth for the Death Strike power? I really want to keep the power as simple as possible, while preserving the "hits two different defenses" idea. Maybe I'm just going about this the wrong way, trying to do something that goes against the spirit of the game. Q4. Am I just going about this the wrong way? Perhaps this would be more in the HERO spirit: Death Strike: 4d6 HA, AVLD (average of PD and Power Defense), Does BODY Q5. Would that AVLD be worth +1 1/2 or +3/4? Feel free to move this thread to a discussion board if you think I'd be better served by community suggestions than rules clarifications. Thanks for your help -- you've already cleared up most of my issues!

I'm building a "death strike" power, as mentioned in my earlier question. One approach I've considered uses a multiple-power attack that combines a normal HA with one or more of: A. HA, AVLD (Power Defense), B. Drain STUN, or C. Negative CSLs The idea is to have two effects, one resisted by PD and one by Power Defense. Some foes may resist one or the other well, but only a balanced defense will resist both. I'm not sure how these powers interact with martial arts. According to the rules for multiple-power attacks, you can only use a combat maneuver if it applies to all powers in the attack. For example, to make an offensive strike using normal HA and HA AVLD, both HAs must qualify for the maneuver. My questions: 1. Can I use Drain or NCSLs with martial maneuvers at all? 2. If so, what do extra damage classes add to the effect? For example, would four extra DCs add 4d6, 2d6, or nothing to a Drain? (I'm guessing 2d6, because each die of Drain is usually worth 2 DCs.) 3. Which of the above powers require a Weapon Element? (I'm pretty sure the Drain and the NCSLs would, but I'm not sure about the HA AVLD.) 4. If they require a Weapon Element, what would the "weapon" be? Would I need a separate element for each power, or could I buy a Weapon element with "life-draining powers" (the special effect for this attack type)? Thanks for your time!

After posting my original question, I realized that Autofire and AVLD couldn't be combined anyway (unless the Autofire were purchased with an additional +1 cost). Here's a similar example without that problem: Flurry of Blows: Autofire 5 w/unarmed attacks up to 40 AP Touch of Unlife: Penetrating w/unarmed attacks up to 40 AP Can both of these naked-advantage powers be applied to an 8d6 HTH attack at the same time? Or will they violate each others' 40 AP limit?

I'm creating a martial artist with speedster and life-force powers. I know how to create HTH modifiers with Naked Advantages to his unarmed attacks. For example: Flurry of Blows: Autofire 5 w/UA up to 40 AP Death Strike: AVLD vs Power Defense w/UA up to 40 AP He could then add AF5 or AVLD to any unarmed attack, up to 8d6. Question: Can he use both naked advantages together, to make an 8d6 attack with AF5 and AVLD? That seems reasonable to me, since it's analogous to the way ordinary power advantages work: The costs and limits generally only include the base power, not other advantages. However, there are exceptions to that general rule (e.g., Autofire + Area of Effect), and naked advantages are a bit different, so I'm not sure.