beauxdeigh

Re: City of Heroes - Online Hero Game

I didn't realize the HERO boards population still had such a presence in the game.

My global is @Blowout

I've got mainly a 50 nrg/nrg Blaster and 33 grav/kin Controller on Victory, and about two dozen alts scattered about. Surprisingly, I don't have a lot on Champion. I guess it's an excuse to make more alts!

Re: SuperSquad America: Replacing Challenger

Let the Challenger mantle lay idle for awhile' date=' and introduce an entirely new character with no entanglements. In a couple or three years you can bring back Challenger or some aspect thereof and it will seem fresh again.[/quote']

 

I'd go along with this. In the background of 2008's plot, David could be looking for a replacement. Maybe it gets mentioned in passing as a "special project" if/when the team interacts with him. Giving the mantle a year off builds anticipation for the return.

 

However, having Joey introduce a new hero, using a modified Challenger-type suit with a different name, sounds interesting. I don't know what Joey's history with Bernie is or what kind of temperament Joey has, but, if he's all about the second (or third) chance, he might get Bernie to secretly help him work on it. Have the new suit be externally genderless and cover all skin and it becomes an interesting mystery to resolve. Who is inside and can we trust them? Doing it right, it can be a mystery even for the players to solve. I'm sure you have some characters in your stable that would be fun to have back, and this would be a great way to do that.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

I have well and truly passed the Dykenamic Duo on the rep list. It took me just over a year' date=' and I didn't have to flirt with anyone or post pr0n pictures. I also didn't contribute much of value, as my Centennial Master post-count level indicates. Just goes to prove, Rep is meaningless.[/quote']

 

I'm so jealous.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

Not exactly' date=' but humans do make mashed foods for their young, and some of those contain protiens that have been broken down for easy digestion. The difference between that and regurgitated, partially digested food escapes me...[/quote']

 

All the regurgitated food I've encountered has made me want to regurgitate, as well.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings

I was brushing my teeth this morning when I suddenly realized I was humming a tune about a dive bar in a west-end town.

I blame Steve Long.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings

My latest musing:

Dan and Ben should impose a rotating random NGD ban.

Nothing permanent, nor predictable. Someone rolls a handful of d6 and consults a big chart.

nexus, nolgroth and Nyrath all go "WTF?!"

Ben and Dan cackle to themselves with glee!

At the end of that period, they roll again.

...and so on.

It would give everyone a healthy sense of paranoia, while brightening up Dan and Ben's day once in a while. Plus, think of what fun they could have coming up with the list...

Etc.

Now, I can see how some posters might get caught by several different possible random acts and be forced to spend a month or more out of the warm, moist embrace of the NGD, but, remember, absence makes the heart grow fonder. That poster will have to tough it out in the gaming parts of the forum, while we who remain pine for their return...

Re: Musings on Random Musings

"UD thread"?

Urban Dead

Low-tech, browser based, zombie apocalypse MMORPG. You can play a zombie or a survivor. There are revivication needles, which means that being zombified isn't permanent, just fairly inconvenient. It's fun. It could just use more zombies. Savinien and others have a cute little group that think they can keep a suburb safe from shamblers like me and Mightybec. They started a thread here on the NGD. We taunt them regularly.

Edit: or just listen to Dr. A. I've got to learn to type faster.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

You want to be MORE noticed?

 

Are you insane?

 

Here's a clue... Join Pegton Heroes instead of eatting brains!

Funny thing. There was a brief surge in the search percentage for syringes and all my zombies are currently breathing. One has successfully finished off a zed. However, with the zed population at less than 1/3 of the city population I refuse to let them stay that way. It isn't a zombie apocalypse if there aren't any zombies.

However, that's fodder for the UD thread.

Are there any useful suggestions?

Should I apprentice to Mightybec?

Do I need to get a schtick?

Re: Musings on Random Musings

Hey' date=' is it just me or have I not seen you for a while? Nice avatar, I don't remember seeing it recently, anyway.[/quote']

 

Well, the avatar is a recent change. Hand made in MS Paint. It's supposed to be a [OGL NON-INCLUSIVE TERM - WoTC LAW DEPT], but I don't think I did a very good job. I'll have to see what I can come up with in Adobe Photoshop.

 

I'm creeping up on only 500 total posts (including NGD) so I'm pretty easy to miss. I've been around, though. I was one of the five people active in the GenCon SoCal thread, up in the Cons forum.

 

Any suggestions on how to get myself more noticed?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any suggestions that don't include pretending to be a lesbian couple?

Re: Musings on Random Musings

It's not often the events in a webcomic can have me boggling happily.

 

Something Positive, I salute you.

Kestrel made you go buh, too, huh?

Re: What does a timeline need?

Oh, and an entry that needs to be on every modern timeline:

 

1966 Stephanie Kwolek, working at DuPont, invents Kevlar, a polymer five times as strong as the same weight of steel.

That's the year it was patented. It was first marketed in 1971, which I use because that's when it has its first affect on the public. However, either date works for a timeline.

The fun I have in time-lines is taking an everyday event and doing a 'What if...' with them. Thus, John Cabot's final voyage turns into the discovery of a secret land under the North American continent. Thomas Vaughan is the first actual sorceror of the world. Stephanie Kwolek develops kevlar to aid her crimefighting son, who in turn convinces her to release it to the general public.

Re: Sexual Orientation=Psych Lim?

Most disadvantages are hooks for me, as a GM, to use to build more interesting stories for my players. The points spent in that field on the sheet are, in a way, a contract between the player and the GM. They, together, agree on what will make the character interesting and real, and promise to abide by that list, for the benefit of the story. Powers and talents and skills don't ground a character in the genre, disadvantages do.

If a teleporting martial artist character has the disad Flirtatious and the movie star beauty girlfriend of the team's brick is in the room, the character should make at least one pass at her, whether or not it would irk the brick. I, as the GM, put her there just for that reason, hoping to give the character the chance to roleplay, and expect no less.

A gay superhero, in or out, offers some great opportunities, even in the bluer parts of 21st century America. If a player wanted a character who was gay, I would use one of McCoy's values for the disad. His numbers sound just about right.

Re: 1 Speed

No' date=' but our group fought a villain with a 1 speed, he had absorb physical & energy and a spd drain damage shield (he was sort of like a living temporal anomaly), and was the nemesis of our speedster with a 12 spd. Everyone was terrified of him. I've never played a guy with a 1 speed mainly because I never really came up with a good character concept for a really slow guy.[/quote']

 

Yoink.

 

That's beautiful. Stolen and repped

Re: Champions Jargon

Player's Discretion: A generally undefined amount of negative STUN beyond -31. Used when the PC(s) pound the snot out of a given target when they had only a handful of stun left, putting them so far into the negative I don't have the motivation to do the math.

"You hit Wrecking Ball so hard, he's at Player's Discretion."

Re: Musings on Random Musings

I used to think that Spam tasted like dog food' date=' but I now realise that it's pretty good when fried and used as a sushi filler. [/quote']

 

Huh. Never would have thought of that...

 

Do you use the Alpo Complete, Lamb Meal, Rice & Barley Flavor or KIBBLES 'N BITS?

Re: Real world vs. Game world

Repped! (Not to mention stolen!)

 

In my games I mostly use the "they're insured" handwave. But excessive or wanton destruction can have negative repurcussions for the heroes, ranging from bad publicity to - in the extreme - ballot initiatives to change the law to hold supers accountable for their damages. (Never had to pull the last one...yet.)

Thanks, glad you liked it.

I've had groups in the past that haven't been as concerned about property damage as the current group is, and I've had to pull out the law on them. My current group is much more careful...and truer to their heroic position in the genre. I've appreciated that. ADAPT is just flavor for them at this point.

Re: Real world vs. Game world

 

Well this got me to thinking (you smelled smoke too? )... How do folks handle all the damage done by battles between superbeings in their games? Are the heroes held responsible and required to make restitution? Does the government pay (probably only in the case of appropriately sponsored groups... at least that's how I'd handle it.)? Do the affected individuals/businesses insurances cover it? Does "damage by superbeings" coverage exist in insurance policies in your game? Or do you even worry about any of this?

 

Uhh... That was a few more questions than I thought.

 

Thanks in advance if you've read this far!

 

Take care,

 

Derek

This was a question I considered as well when I was building my game world. One of the things I came up with (after some of the excellent suggestions above about bad press and insurance) was this:

• On-site personnel. From one agent to a small cadre, each armed with myriad of restraining tools (entange throwers and power suppressors). Super powered agents are available to address specific threats in specific situations. Agents do not carry weapony that would unnecessarily risk property or client personnel.
  
  
• Property protection. Strategically installed force wall generators help guard buildings from wayward superbattles. High security 'safe rooms' protect property and prototypes from super thieves and shadowy vigilantes. Site wide mental dampners protect intellectual property from being stolen before it's put to paper.
  
  
• Emergency support. When natural or unnatural disasters strike, ADAPT agents are trained to provide your company with leadership and policies to protect your personnel and property to the best of their ability.

I mostly use ADAPT for my campaigns, and they can be a boon or a bane depending on what the heroes are trying to accomplish. While they are present to protect property and can minimize a hero's worries about wanton destruction, they also severely complicate 'unofficial' investigations by those same heroes. ADAPT has a policy about not serving as a shield for any known criminal activity, so they won't knowingly guard a business cover for a VIPER Nest, and as soon as they discover that ths is the case, they will pack up and leave a client hanging (which can be fun). That, and it's a good place to deposit supers that don't fit as heroes, villains or government agents. Interesting NPC and roleplaying opportunities.

That's what I did anyway.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

My son is home. My wife surrendered residential custody, and is willingly paying support. He's going to live with me from now on, and I am so glad of it.

 

As to my wife, I am shocked at her attitude toward all this. Its as if she's relieved she won't have to worry about our child's day to day needs anymore...

Congratulations to you. Good wishes to your son. I hope things continue to work for you and what now remains of your family.

Steve

When a character buys Darkness 4"r as a power I'm guessing that, if he wants, he could spend less endurance and scale back the radius.

When the character buys a smoke grenade as Darkness 4"r with Charges, he no longer has that option. Is there any way to return that ability (ie. A smoke grenade with a dialable control) as a part of either Darkness or Charges?

Re: Bye all

It was bought 0END/Persistent ?

A triggered Bump every time someone wonders why it's still here?

Life Support: The HERO Boards?

That's what I love abut the HERO System. There are several ways to get the effect you want.

Re: Rate these Disadvantages!

 

Another approach is to let the player set the values. YOU decide how common they will be. I, as GM, will ensure your expectations are met.

 

2x Stun and Body from green froglike Martians weilding solar-powered cold weapons? You can bet the "Invasion of the Green Froglike Martians Weilding Solar Powered Cold Weapons" will be among one of the earliest story arcs in that game.

 

3d6 Susceptibility to Pink Frilly Negligees? Bet on having a Hunted who wears one!

 

2x STUN from octogenarian Norwegian Architects weilding Hammers? What a coincidence - guess what the latest host of the Spirit of Thor did for a lving before retiring 20 years ago at age 65? By the way, I'm writing some Norse Mythology issues ito your background. It may seem weird, but the connections will al become clear with time - if you live!

Now see, all of those Disads I would allow, because I, as a GM, could have a great deal of fun with them, just as you have.

Pink Frilly Negligees......Look out! Here come the Lingerie League!

Re: Rate these Disadvantages!

Vulnerability: 2 x Effect Mental Attacks that feed on doubt' date=' loathing or self pitty[/quote']

 

The Attack is Uncommon which is worth 5 points, the 2 x Effect doubles that making the disadvantage worth 10 points total.

 

Susceptibility: Having his projected self image forcibly altered' date=' 3d6 damage Instant[/quote']

 

The condition is Uncommon, but it's Instant and delivers 3d6 damage. It would be worth 15 points total.

 

Such are the values the system assigns these disadvantages. There is no 'Very Very Uncommon' choice to be chosen. Now, you can create one, if you'd like, and make them worth less. The question that really needs to be asked is will the GM enjoy using the disadvantage as a part of his game? If he or she will then that's all you need to know, and it's worth the points.

 

In my opinion, these disadvantages are pretty worthless and unusable. At best, they should both be converted into a single Psych Lim or left off the sheet altogether. They wouldn't be fun for me to try to make work in my game, so I'd say no.

Re: Comics are getting too steamy...

I haven't heard or seen reference to that song in years .... wow.

 

 

ghost-"talk about obscure"-angel

yeah, but we have photographic evidence that keith didn't follow the song's advice.

Re: Anyone get DC: TAS yet?

There's been a dearth of HERO reviews over there for a while now. Some of that might be because there have been a lot of products 'coming soon' and not as many actually released*, but it would be good to see reviews for what new product exists.

Some one should review the new HERO Plus Adventrues, too. Get them some additional exposure, keep them from the fate of Shades of Black.

*statement based on perception, no hard numbers used.

Re: Limitation or Disad?

Only one question needs to be answered.

Is the GM going to use it as a Disadvantage?

Yes?

Then it's a Disadvantage.

Even if only in quirky/humorous ways.

As a GM, I would allow this as a Disadvantage, because I would occasionally make it do bad (though funny) things. Plus it gives me, as a GM, something to work with at slow periods, and makes the combats more interesting. Depending on how easy it is to hide, I'd might give the character 10 points for it.

For me, Disadvantages are hooks that I can use to make the game more interesting and fun. Anything that does that is worth points.

Of course, that's in my game. I'm sure some people here wouldn't give Peter points for 'With Great Power...'