Tom McCarthy

Well, I preferred the 4th edition Mechanon reconstruction example for power construction (no points, nothing on the character sheet). While I think Mechanon could have been built multiple ways, the published example does serve to clearly outline how to run the character (in terms of SFX and narrative) so it's a decent example. There are enough alternative ways to do it, that it may not be worthwhile to debate them. Mechanon is an AI the players never see, who summons the robotic forms they do fight. Mechanon is an AI with duplicates which are the forms the characters fight. Mechanon's self destruct shape changes or multi-forms him into the weaker flying head. maybe the head is the true form and the body is subject to accidental change when it takes too much damage.

That's going to be tough to do cheaply. Some toxins and diseases are RKAs and some are drains. If they were just drains, I'd say power defence (possibly ablative). If just RKAs, perhaps extra defence. With both being possible, you need a really broad defence, and that's going to require GM approval. Probably something like a continuous uncontrolled healing aid of any characteristic reduced by poison or toxin, one at a time or all at once; regeneration of any characteristic reduced by poison or toxin; or 75% damage reduction plus power defence, only versus poisons and toxins. In each case, I see these as costing more than 10 points in the end. The strangest one that might work is this. Buy the immunity as life support, then either limit the LS or take a disadvantage so the immunity is weakened. Either the LS only stops 75% of the effect for -1/4, or a 5 pt (or so) disadvantage that you take a 1/2D6 drain of any characteristic targeted by a poison or toxin but stopped by your immunities.

Harassing the guest GM One of my players decided to guest GM. By his own account, he was an experienced D&D GM who had also run Champions 3rd edition adventures. His adventure turned into a multi-part mystery/rescue mission full of cryptic clues and red herrings that none of us could ever figure out. In the end, we think the bad guys were foiled and driven off, but we don't know what they'd been doing. Whenever a player in one of my adventures tries to tie a clue back to that adventure, I know my mystery's going badly. 'Where they Swedes with Russian accents spending American dollars ?' 'Does the drunken recluse have his one room cabin boobytrapped with claymores pointing inward ?' 'Have you seen an aged Oriental martial arts master with a trained bear go by ?' 'Is it the type of weather radar that interferes with Mind Links ?'

sachmo, Champions: New Millennium was built, I believe, as a bridge between R Talsorian's Interlock system and HERO 4th edition. The characters and setting are interesting, the art is a very different style than HERO 4th edition (and not to everyone's taste), and thankfully, conversion to HERO 4th or 5th edition is easy. If your local WOTC doesn't have Bay City and Alliances, they usually can be found inexpensively on places like eBay. As is typical on eBay, watch for a week or two and look at the price of closed auctions before deciding what to bid on them. Still, Champions, Champions Universe, and Conquerors, Killers & Crooks deliver just as much bang for the buck,

I have been tempted to create new powers on occasion, but usually I do so after trying to build the effects with existing powers and finding the results unsatisfactory due to unusually high costs relative to actual value. For example, powers which cause knockback but no damage can be very expensive to build. Bodyjacking (a la Bodyjacker in Millennium City, after the errata is applied) also seems more expensive than it should for the utility.

It definitely sounded like a variant on the mimic VPPs to me. Arguably, you could do it with floating multiform (yourself plus the powers of all other bracelet wearers, with No Conscious Control over when and how the powers change, OIF bracelet).

I saw an interesting question on the Hero System Questions page, and thought I'd throw out my (stolen) solution here. With GM's approval, a VPP could be bought with the Pool Cost equal to the real cost of the powers which it may support, and the control cost base equal to the highest active point total the VPP will support. For example, in a VPP with powers limited to 60 active points, but up to 90 real points of powers, it looks like this (with no advantages or limitations): 90 Variable Power Pool 30 Varaiable Power Pool Control Cost (60 active point powers) I forget who originally suggested it, but it's relatively flexible and doesn't change the cost of existing VPPs where the active point cap and real point cap are equal.

How easy is it to spellcheck it after doing InDesign ? Seriously, it looks good onscreen, may print poorly, and would benefit from some spell checking and a quick editing pass.

And I first thought Mechanon was Computo (LSH villain who sprang from the team's major domo computer).

In my superheroic campaign, there are players who live with limitations, and those who want to be unfettered. One guy built his character on 220 in a 100+150 campaign because he didn't want any vulnerabilities, susceptibilities, dependences, DNPCs, or physical limitations. His 'HERO fu' was strong, though, and he was very combat capable for 220 points. Another guy came in with a colourful background, unusual powers, and was happy to take the appropriate limitations. He usually picked the ones that made the concept fit, and enjoyed the extra points as a bonus. On the whole though, I'm not seeing any of the big limitations that affect the whole character and all his powers. No obvious foci, no OIHID, no 'only in darkness/only in daylight'. Just little things like increased END cost, reduced range, or no knockback. Only the GM PC (a rarely seen NPC who I use as a PC when a guest GM runs) has a blanket limitation, and it's a weak -1/4.

UnSanctioned and Supermegatopia are two more that come to mind.

Consider getting 5th edition's Ninja Hero. Seriously.

I always wanted to do an Iron Man clone called Queston Knight. I also like kelvarite. It's so in-genre I have to love it. I found Promethium (from DC) a ridiculous concept, but certainly fodder for stories. It was a gross reversal of the laws of physics; you could tap it as an energy source and it would grow. An uncontrolled Promethium-driven reactor soon destroyed itself as the reaction grew to uncontrolled levels. While rare, Promethium was not a health risk like uranium or plutonium. Vibranium and adamantium seem relatively tame by comparison. I've toyed with including the extra-terrestrial metals from Captain Atom (from DC). The military decides to test a piece of a crashed alien spaceship by detonating a nuclear device on top of it. That parts semi-logical, but for some unexplained reason they want a human being to be wrapped in the metal at the time of the test. And when the test subject disappears, they repeat the experiment. Being the military, the test subjects are military personnel convicted of major criminal behaviour. being comic books, one of the convicts is falsely accused while the other is his scumbag nemesis. Oh, and the general in charge of it all is of dubious moral fibre (upgraded to villainous and traitorous by subsequent writers). Anyhow, the metals gave one guy superstrength, flight, armour, energy blasts and absorption (to END Reserve; side effect if absorption exceeded, extra dimensional movement (forward in time) kicks in). The other guy got superstrength, armour, and physical blasts.

When stumped, I tend to turn to my favorite comic books and look for what I liked about the story (ie., generated the most character insights). Some ideas (many of which echo from above): Future Imperfect - the heroes are summoned to the future to overthrow evil future versions of themselves. This can be the first time the team forms (and sets a curious tone for the series - we teamed up knowing we will eventually become evil and need to be destroyed). Contest of Champions - the heroes are drawn together to serve a cosmically powerful entity in service against another cosmically powerful entity. They are forced to learn to work together in a setting with limited risk; the heroes they fight are unlikely to go for the jugular. Indeed, they should look to team up with their opposite numbers to prevent either cosmic manipulator from winning. A little lighter weight in importance is having the heroes all taken prisoner for gladiatorial games in space, such as happened to the Thing in an early FF story arc, though the PCs may find themselves in mortal danger. Kang Dynasty - Have the heroes got what it takes to repel an extra-dimensional conqueror ? This one carries the implication that the heroes are the biggest guns on the planet. It may be necessary to have the invaders have contingencies which neutralize many established heroes, leaving this relatively new team unscathed. Exiles - The team is forced together to perform damage control on catastrophically offbeat alternate dimensions. The attractions are clear; you can introduce a villain and almost immediately he is familiar, but players must watch to see what is different. Is his motivation different, or his identity behind the mask, or his powers ? Heroes turned villain and vice versa are popular, and you can easily establish the credibility of a threat by having them destroy that alternate Earth's major hero(es). Planetary - It's a skewed world, where many superheroes operate quietly, and some very powerful reflections of known Marvel and DC heroes operate as black ops agents, secret masters of the government, conspirators, and amoral exploiters of their own power. Other unusual elements: X-Statix levels of mortality and PC death, Authority-style wide screen mayhem, Claremont/Byrne X-Men team restructuring with new members clashing with old and challenging existing philosophies and ideals From the above, I like the appeal of the scenarios that force the heroes to work together, but understand the challenges inherent in doing so. Players would rather be summoned to the mansion of some rich crippled recluse and be given a stipend, room and board while they await the next bank robbery to foil.

The Champions have always been a problem. Being sample starting characters and examples of character design, they are a touch generic and what few cool or unique things they do have become the norm (look how the character design of Seeker shaped the design of almost any martial artist created by a beginner new to 4th edition). On the other hand, they are presented as iconic characters and the best of the superhero teams in the Champions Universe. If they're the big guns, why are they no more than a match for most beginning PCs? Does anyone believe the Justice Squadron and Sentinels are no more than 350 points? Heck, Darren's NPCs the fabulous Five were beyond the Champions in pure point totals in 1962, according to Digital Hero. 4th edition got around this by publishing the 400+ pointers in Champions Universe (4th ed) and revising the characters for Ultimate books. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to Reality Storm, even though I know the Champions are flat out incapable of standing up to Dr. D and almost every Silver Age Sentinel outpoints nearly every Champion.

To have any one of the mental powers you listed in a phase, at 50 active point levels, buy: 50 Variable Power Pool (Mental Powers) 50 Variable Power Pool Control Cost (25 base points), change as a zero phase action (+1), no skill roll (+1), Mental powers only (-1/2; telekinetic/pyrokinetic and telepathic/mind control only, GM approval required)

It does cost 2" of flight to climb 1" in combat, but most GMs will let that guy with 1" of flight climb 1 metre (1/2") per phase for his slow noncombat ascent.

Rockslide Human ID OK, this one strayed quite a bit off concept, but there's just so many points to work with here, and so many crunchy good things to add. Val Char Cost 15 STR 5 18 DEX 24 18 CON 16 14 BODY 8 13 INT 3 18 EGO 16 15 PRE 5 6 COM -2 9 PD 6 9 ED 5 4 SPD 12 8 REC 2 36 END 0 31 STUN 0 9" RUN 0 7" SWIM 0 3" LEAP 0 Characteristics Cost: 100 Cost Power END 22 Multiform to 250 point Earth Elemental (50 active points), Costs END (-1/2), Reversion (-1/2), Extra Time to activate only (Full Phase, -1/4) 6 Fast Runner: +3" Running 5 Fast Swimmer: +5" swimming 4 Quarterstaff: +2D6 HA, HA limitation (-1/2), OAF staff (-1) Powers Cost: 37 Cost Martial Arts Maneuver 4 Crush: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, STR +4d6 Crush, Must Follow Grab 3 Martial Grab: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Grab Two Limbs, +10 STR for holding on 3 Martial Throw: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +1 DCV, STR +v/5, Target Falls 4 Choke Hold: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +0 DCV, Grab One Limb; 2d6 NND 4 Martial Dodge: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +5 DCV, Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 4 Martial Strike 12 +3 DCs 1 Usable with quarterstaff Martial Arts Cost: 35 Cost Skill 3 Combat Driving 12- 3 Combat Piloting 12- 4 Gambling (Blackjack, Dice Games, Poker) 12- 3 Mechanics 12- 3 Streetwise 11- (13-) 2 Survival 12- 5 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, Combat Aircraft, Helicopters, Large Planes, Small Planes, Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles 55 more points in skill levels and skills Skills Cost: 78 Total Character Cost: 250 Val Disadvantages 15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident (Common; Strong) 5 Rivalry: Professional, Other bricks, Rival is As Powerful, Seek to Harm or Kill Rival, Rival Unaware of Rivalry 5 Accidental Change: When angry or hurt 8- (Uncommon) 10 Social Limitation: Mutant (Occasionally; Major) 15 Psychological Limitation: Never backs down from a fight (Common; Strong) Disadvantage Points: 50

Rockslide Multiform Rockslide (the multiform) Val Char Cost 50 STR 40 14 DEX 12 23 CON 26 20 BODY 20 13 INT 3 18 EGO 16 20 PRE 10 16 COM 3 23 PD 13 19 ED 14 6 SPD 36 15 REC 0 46 END 0 57 STUN 0 10" RUN 0 0" SWIM 0 19" LEAP 0 Characteristics Cost: 193 Cost Power END -2 Doesn't swim: -2" swimming 10 Hardened defences for 23 PD and 19 ED 11 Damage Resistance (10 PD/8 ED), Hardened (+1/4) 4 Heavy: -2" KB 14 Leaping +9" (Accurate) 8 Running +4" (8 Active Points) Powers Cost: 45 Cost Skill 5 +1 with HTH Combat 3 +1 with Punch, Grab, Haymaker 4 +2 with Punch Skills Cost: 12 Total Character Cost: 250 Val Disadvantages 15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident (Common; Strong) 5 Rivalry: Professional, Other bricks, Rival is As Powerful, Seek to Harm or Kill Rival, Rival Unaware of Rivalry 10 Social Limitation: Mutant (Occasionally; Major) 15 Psychological Limitation: Never backs down from a fight (Common; Strong) 5 Physical Limitation: Large and Heavy (400kg)(Infrequently, Slightly) Disadvantage Points: 50

Technically speaking, even 1" of flight will allow you to escape the atmosphere, assuming you have sufficient time, END, and Life Support. Unlike a conventional rocket which has a limited fuel charge, and must use it quickly to escape gravity before it is expended, a character with 0 END flight and appropriate LS can take his time, climbing slowly but steadily (within the limits of SFX).

I might put a limitation on Flight. 5" Flight, 0 END +5" Flight, 0 END, must have 2 or more charges left in Rocket Attack power (-1/4) +5" Flight, 0 END, must have 4 or more charges left in Rocket Attack power (-1/2) +5" Flight, 0 END, must have 8 or more charges left in Rocket Attack power (-3/4) The value of the limitations depends on how frequently the rockets are used as attacks.

If I was trying to work Rockslide in for a mere 250 points, I would definitely look hard at multiform. Build the human form as the base form, but give it the power Multiform to 250 point Earth Elemental (50 active points), Costs END (-1/2; see special rules under Multiform) and Reversion (-1/2) (25 real points). With 225 points left, the human form can be quite flexible and capable. With a full 250 points, Rockslide can be even more impressive, ignoring investigatory skills in favour of sheer combat ability (or drop back slightly form 250 and give Rockslide very few disadvantages). With multiform, the two can have very different power sets, capabilities, and even personalities.

That's a good writeup for Gambit, but the range on the energy blast attacks seems high. Perhaps Range Based On STR would be an appropriate limitation.

There's a few ways to do this. In the forthcoming/newly released Millenium City, Bodyjacker does this through a large Mind Control with the advantage Affects Physical World and the limitation Must Achieve EGO + 30. Linked to this are desolidification, clinging to mind control target (Affects Physical World), and telepathy (Affects Physical World). A Side Effect for -0 or -1/4 has Bodyjacker be affected by mental attacks on his mind controlled target, not the target, and is hit by attacks that exceed the target's defences. Invisibility may be in there, too, and maybe LS: Breathing. This costs huge amounts of active points. Still very expensive, but slightly less so, would be to use Extra Dimensional Movement instead of Desolidification and Invisibility, and the less expensive Transdimensional instead of Affects Physical World. The third option requires GM approval (really, really, really). Since this is Mind Control with some advantages (mentalist is physically hidden from retaliation until driven out) and some disadvantages (can't mind control multiple targets, can't act independently in support of mind controlled body, must reappear near the target when control broken), the GM could just make a new power based on Mind Control with the specific effects the player wishes. Other options include: - Floating multi-form: Multi-form to be target's body and displace target using extra dimensional movement - Transform target (BOECV, vs. EGO not BODY) to have mentalists mind, and mentalist hides using extra dimensional movement or desolidification and invisibility

I don't want to sound harsh, but you've made some errors. 1) Characteristics in a framework usually MUST take No Figured Characteristics as (-0), not -1/2. (see EC slot 2) 2) An attack of 8D6 is either very small for this campaign, or 27 defence is very high. If 8D6 is about right (for 40 STR), then 20 defence should be your max. If 27 defence is right, you need at least 9D6 to have a meaningful attack, and possibly 11D6. 3) Perhaps you should rethink the overall OIHID structure. It might be easiest to buy the character unpowered, then buy all the heroic add ons with OIHID only (no linking). 4) Characteristics in an EC are usually frowned upon, but the GM may allow it. 5) Your EC, as it is, could have a 7 point base, since slot 1 is 15 active points. 6) Consider taking a size and weight physical limitation for hero ID, and then not using the density increase power. There's a real point efficiency gain (though small at 2 levels of DI).