Tom McCarthy

Re: I Can't Believe He Played That! Hmm, well. Not completely useless, but definitely in the "I can't believe..." category. A telepathic cat with a small pack of telepathic kitten DNPCs. Very intense player who stirred up inter-character and inter-player conflict. So the other heroes put the kittens in a sack... A blue collar guy who won the lottery, got drunk, ran someone down, and sought redemption by raising the dead guy's kid as his ward while he fought crime as Hardhat. Illustrations of the 'blue collar' power armour, while earnest, did not inspire me. A living shadow (pretty playable really) whose weapon was a two-dimensional shadow yoyo. Sorry, I've never been impressed by combat yoyos.

Re: Spirit follower -- to AI or not to AI? Arguably, this could be the SFX of a Deduction skill roll.

Re: The Authority:What the heck? Way OT: I think Micah Wright made a huge mistake by lying about his background and not subsequently coming clean. Of course, if he had pulled a McSpurlock and documented how the lie did indeed reduce the protests against his work and then come clean about the lie and its beneficial effects, that could have been a very serious bit of social commentary. I think there's something really wrong with the idea that political speech in the US will draw death threats from those who disagree. It is even more wrong that the same political speech is accepted and unchallenged if it comes from a military veteran. We are talking about a country founded by people seeking freedom to practice their own beliefs (including pacifism, IIRC) without persecution, right ? Yet culturally, the most respected expression of patriotism remains military service. And arguably, many of the most powerful politicians in America have been accused of exaggerating or lying about their military careers. I find it a very interesting phenomenon because military service isn't really seen as a prerequisite for a political career in Canada.

Re: New limitation Idea Sounds good to me.

Re: The Authority:What the heck? Stormwatch: Team Achilles, like most of the Wildstorm Universe lineup, was suffering from low sales at the time of Coup D'Etat. By one account (and that means take it with a grain of salt), the author handed in the script for issue 24 and was told 24 would be the last issue. Did he want to rewrite it a bit for some closure ? He said yes, and took it back with a new deadline. Right about then it was revealed that he had lied in his resume/CV by claiming military experience (Army Rangers, IIRC) when he had none; he claims it was a spontaneous decision to stifle criticism and death threats directed at his anti-war books outside comics. All his future work was immediately dropped by various publishers (comic and book). When he returned the script for the now final issue of Stormwatch, DC was in a position of having to resolicit due to the delay and chose not to. There was a hint (completely unsubstantiated) that the author went unpaid for issue 24, having missed the original deadline. No real details or evidence to back that up.

Re: The Authority:What the heck? I thought Ellis's Stormwatch run was an interesting way to look at costumed heroes and the limitations and compromises of the concept in a world of backroom politics, backwards treaties, and authority figures more interested in the sovereignty of their domain than in protecting their citizens. I didn't agree with all the themes or conclusions, but it was thought provoking and different. And the costumed heroes strove to do the right thing, the things they saw as black and white, while answering to the Weatherman who was all shades of gray in a world mired in shades of gray. Ellis's 12 issue run on the Authority was just what he set out to make it. High octane excitement in issue 1 and the stakes just keep getting bigger and bigger until issue 12, when he figured he couldn't top himself and walked away (a good move, reminiscent of Alan Moore leaving Miracleman). Millar's run was a jarring change of pace. Quitely's art took some getting used to, Millar's prose took some getting used to. And quite frankly, I finished many of the issues with the same feeling Millar frequently leaves me with: "Some good ideas, but it missed the mark and didn't quite gel." The 'interlude' was just painful. Millar and Quitely can't even keep up with a 'not expected to be monthly' monthly ? Aargh. And then Robbie Morrison. The art's passable fare, but I just keep feeling like the point is getting missed again and again and again. And yet Morrison's the only one to really break the mold. He made the Authority compromise and accept the lesser of two evils on occasion. A team who saw the world in black and white were not only mired in politics, but they began to see the world in shades of gray. The individual issues and stories weren't doing it for me, but I found the themes to be more challenging and potentially thought provoking (I say potentially, since I don't see the world in black and white and didn't need that wakeup call). Obligatory inflammatory sidebar: For all his faults, Micah Wright managed to tell better stories in Stormwatch: Team Achilles than anyone since Ellis has done with the Authority. I feel sorry for GoO licensing Authority when it was past its peak and publishing the RPG when the book is near or at its lowest popularity.

Re: Duplication as attack This is clearly abusive: The Evil Duplicator (and the rest of his band, the Evil Men Do) is battling Awesome Man and no one can hurt the alien gladiator. So Evil Duplicator uses his Duplication (10 point duplicates), Usable As Attack (+1), All Duplicates Have Feedback (+1), Duplicates Controlled By Target (-2) to create a swarm of chickens around Awesome Dude. Each of the birds is wearing the red shield emblazoned with A on their chest, yet each remains a flightless bird with just 1 PD and ED, and each has Feedback to Awesome Man. "Shake and Bake !!!", howls the Evil Restauranteur, unleashing his Hot Grease Attack (2D6 RKA, +2 STUN multiplier, Area Effect 10" Cone) on the helpless birds and suddenly vulnerable alien. Yet strangely satisfying.

Re: Duplication as attack If you buy Duplication Usable As Attack, Feedback isn't limiting you, it's helping you. It becomes an advantage. On the other hand, you should get a whopping limitation for not controlling the duplicates. After all, the value of Flight Usable As Attack is you control the victim's motion. If the target controls the duplicates, you deserve a big cost break. I'd be tempted to base the power on Summon, since it already has a Hostile cost factor built into it. It would definitely count as a specific being. An interesting idea, but it sets my "abuse alarm" tingling, too. It might be simplest to just buy autofire (3 shots) as a naked advantage on your teammate's attack and say it requires a successful teamwork roll. If you make the roll, you created the duplicates, they got caught in the blast, and you dispelled them in time. If you blow the roll, a possible side effect is summoning the duplicates (but sometimes you just don't get the autofire effect).

Re: Universal Framework Proposition [LONG] [ Minor clarifications ] I always start with a reserve which defines the maximum active points of each power the framework can manifest but which can be reduced by limitations (which you've got). Variable Expressions In general, for +1/2 naked advantage, the pool can manifest any number of powers, built using any power (with no more active points in one power than are in the reserve and no more real points in all the powers than the real cost of the reserve), but it takes either an hour and no roll or a full phase and a skill roll (-1 per 10 active) to create such a power. For +3/4, you can reduce that to a half phase and a skill roll. For +1 it's zero phase and a skill roll or a phase and no skill roll. For no phase and no skill roll (cosmic), it's +1 1/2. It is possible to apply these advantages to only a portion of the reserve. Without these advantages, the framework is limited to the expressions below. Additional real points for the reserve may be purchased for 1 pt each. Fixed or Ultra Slots Some people are very adept at selected manifestations or expressions of the power. By defining the power precisely, the power can be manifested or expressed as a zero phase action with no skill roll. Each such power definition counts as naked adder to the pool, and its cost is the real cost of the power divided by 10 (slot cost). However, such fixed expressions are limited because, when active, they reduce the available active and real points in the pool. A wide suite of attack powers can be built up as expressions of a pool fairly inexpensively, but typically only one is usable at a time. Flexible or Multi Slots A slightly more flexible option allows the slot cost to be doubled (i.e. the real cost of the power divided by 5), but the power then only consumes real and active points from the pool at the level the power is being activated at. Free Slots In many cases, a character will have powers which are thematically expressions of the same root power as the framework, but which they wish to always have available (typically movement powers, defences, some continuous attack powers, etc.). Such powers must be a tightly defined as a fixed or ultra slot and gain the benefits that they do not consume active or real points from the pool (and may exceed the active point total in the reserve). However, they are much more expensive; the slot cost to have such a power is determined based on half of the active points of the defined power or the active points reduced by one-half the size of the reserve, whichever active point total is greater. ========= So, the above is pretty long and meandering and varies only slightly from the existing VPP, EC and MP in use. For straight multipowers, it should work out the same. For straight VPPs, it will be slightly weaker and cheaper since limitations on the reserve will reduce the real cost but also reduce the amount of powers available. For straight ECs, you have to buy more reserve to get the same discount. For an EC with four slots of 60 active point/real cost powers (240 points), an EC costs just 150 but this framework costs 180. Also, a single power high active point, highly limited power in an EC is no longer cost effective. For example, consider the following: Fire Guy 30 VPP minor fire tricks 30 Control cost (15 pts base), No skill roll (+1) 60 points 60 point multipower 6u 12D6 EB 6u 12D6 Sight Flash 6u 4D6 RKA 6u 8D6 EB Penetrating 84 points 20 Elemental Control (Fire) 25a Forcefield (15, 15), 0 END 20b 20" Flight 70c 6D6 EB, Continuous, Damage Shield, 0 END 135 points 284 points vs. Individually 30 30 pt Fire Powers reserve (VPP pool) 30 Variable expression of up to 30 active points, 30 real points with no skill roll 60 pts 60 60 pt. Fire Powers reserve (MP reserve) 6 12D6 EB ultra slot 6 12D6 Sight Flash ultra slot 6 4D6 RKA ultra slot 6 8D6 EB Penetrating ultra slot 84 points 45 45 pt. Fire Power reserve 22 Forcefield (15, 15) 0 END free slot 20 20" Flight free slot 67 6D6 EB Continuous Damage Shield 0 END free slot 154 points (ouch !) but collectively... 90 90 pt. Fire Powers reserve 30 Variable expression of up to 30 active points, 30 real points with no skill roll 6 12D6 EB ultra slot 6 12D6 Sight Flash ultra slot 6 4D6 RKA ultra slot 6 8D6 EB Penetrating ultra slot 22 Forcefield (15, 15) 0 END free slot 20 20" Flight free slot 45 6D6 EB Continuous Damage Shield 0 END free slot 231 points So, while ECs got more expensive, the combination of two or more frameworks into one for a character gives point savings.

Re: Universal Framework Proposition [LONG] I must admit that each time I've tried this, I've meandered down different paths. ========== I always start with a reserve which defines the maximum active points of each power the framework can manifest but which can be reduced by limitations (which you've got). Variable Expressions In general, for +1/2, the pool can manifest any number of powers, built using any power (with no more active points in one power than are in the reserve and no more real points in all the powers than in the reserve), but it takes either an hour and no roll or a full phase and a skill roll (-1 per 10 active) to create such a power. For +3/4, you can reduce that to a half phase and a skill roll. For +1 it's zero phase and a skill roll or a phase and no skill roll. For no phase and no skill roll (cosmic), it's +1 1/2. These are 'variable' expressions. It is possible to apply these advantages to only a portion of the reserve. Without these advantages, the framework is limited to the expressions below. Fixed or Ultra Slots Some people are very adept at selected manifestations or expressions of the power. By defining the power precisely, the power can be manifested or expressed as a zero phase action with no skill roll. Each such power definition counts as naked adder to the pool, and its cost is the real cost of the power divided by 10 (slot cost). However, such fixed expressions are limited because, when active, they reduce the available active and real points in the pool. A wide suite of attack powers can be built up as expressions of a pool fairly inexpensively, but typically only one is usable at a time. Flexible or Multi Slots A slightly more flexible option allows the slot cost to be doubled (i.e. the real cost of the power divided by 5), but the power then only consumes real and active points from the pool at the level the power is being activated at. Free Slots In many cases, a character will have powers which are thematically expressions of the same root power as the framework, but which they wish to always have available (typically movement powers, defences, some continuous attack powers, etc.). Such powers must be a tightly defined as a fixed or ultra slot and gain the benefits that they do not consume active or real points from the pool. However, they are much more expensive; the slot cost to have such a power is the real cost of the defined power divided by 2. ========= So, the above is pretty long and meandering and varies only slightly from the existing VPP, EC and MP in use. The Free Slots (being like EC slots) differ by allowing low active point powers to fit the EC but give less savings for a framework which is all Free Slots; you could try to change this by making the first Free Slot free, but that seems very easy to abuse. You could also just say all free slots are not constrained by the pool size, but the maximum reduction in their real cost is the reserve size or half their real cost, whichever is less. For example, consider the following: Fire Guy 60 point multipower 6u 12D6 EB 6u 12D6 Sight Flash 6u 4D6 RKA 6u 8D6 EB Penetrating 20 Elemental Control (Fire) 25a Forcefield (15, 15), 0 END 20b 20" Flight 70c 6D6 EB, Continuous, Damage Shield, 0 END 30 VPP minor fire tricks 30 Control cost (15 pts base), No skill roll (+1) 284 points vs. 90 pt. Fire Powers (VPP reserve plus MP reserve) 6 12D6 EB ultra slot 6 12D6 Sight Flash ultra slot 6 4D6 RKA ultra slot 6 8D6 EB Penetrating ultra slot 22 Forcefield (15, 15) 0 END free slot 20 20" Flight free slot 45 6D6 EB Continuous Damage Shield 0 END free slot 30 Variable expression of up to 30 active points, 30 real points with no skill roll 231 points

Re: amateur champs minis Oops. Sorry to mislead. That's the work of my friend, Meat Maki. The full list of his completed mods is at http://clix.themakis.net/

Re: amateur champs minis Not great photos, but a couple of examples. Try again: http://clix.themakis.net/foxbat.jpg http://clix.themakis.net/grond.jpg

Re: Tell me a little about Champions? Among currently published books, you can roughly draw analgoies like: Champions ~ Fantasy Hero ~ Star Hero Champions Universe ~ Turakian Age ~ Terran Empire or Alien Wars Conquerors, Killers and Crooks ~ Monsters, Minions and Marauders ~ unpublished UNTIL Super Powers Database & Gadgets and Gear ~ Fantasy Hero Grimoire (I & II) ~ Spacer's Toolkit Champions Battlegroudns ~ Fantasy Hero Battlegrounds ~ unpublished These aren't 100% accurate, but they're workable for someone coming from Fantasy Hero to Champions (as I believe Greatwyrm is).

Re: Continuous power which is faster than me I'm leaning towards making a very small, very fast computer who has the continuous area effect power I want. It should work out nominally cheaper, even after buying up the computer's DEX to match the PC, SPD to exceed the PC, etc.

I wish to create an continuous area effect power which attacks on every segment, even though the character who unleashes it/triggers it is only SPD 4. Assuming I buy it as extra Speed, what kind of limitation is appropriate for the extra SPD ? Maybe -2 ? Alternatively, would it be appropriate to buy it as an advantage of some kind ? I suppose with GM permission I could get a comparable effect by "rapid firing" the power but staggering the affected phases (but I'd prefer a solution that works for SPD 5 or 7+, too).

Re: Help with something Off the top of my head, I'm inclined to build it as: The "bestowed power": Mental Interference: Forcefield (1 mental defence), 1 continuing charge lasting 1 month (+1/2 ?), difficult to dispel x2 (+1/2), interferes with powers used by and on target (-1) (1 real point) And bestowing the power: Bestow Mental Interference: Mental Interference, Usable As Attack, BOECV Damage Shield, 0 END, Persistent (5 points ?) That's a fairly ugly power construct right there. And... Mental Energy Battery: END Reserve (20 END, 10 REC), can only recover when mental powers used on or adjacent to the protomatter (-1/2), can only recover 1 END per 10 active points in power (-1/2) Mental Backlash: Energy Blast 4D6, NND [defence is lacking mental awareness] (+1), Area Effect 128" radius (+2 1/2), triggered by END Reserve having sufficient END (+1/4), trigger resets itself (+1/4 ?) Is this even close to what you mean ?

Here's an oddball idea that works nicely in other systems but not here. I want the target to be Stunned fairly reliably by this attack (losing a single phase), but not otherwise inconvenienced. 10D6 EB, (25 base points) NND [defense is succeeding on a CON check at -6] (+1), (50 active points) does no damage if character is not Stunned by the hit (-1/4, since it takes a huge CON to avoid this), all damage done by the hit disappears on next DEX increment of same segment, leaving target Stunned (-1) (22 points) Alternatively, I played with a SPD Drain, but it needed GM permission to affect the next phase. Drain SPD 3D6, set effect 10 points, ranged (+1/2) (45 active points), drains target's next phase then fully recovers (-1/2) (30 points) I also considered an entangle with 0 DEF which worked against CON, not STR, and it too seemed possible (and perhaps cheapest). However, a typical superheroic CON of 23 will break out with a half phase remaining. Entangle 4D6 DEF 2 (30 base points), works vs. CON, not STR (+1/2), takes no damage from physical attacks (+1/4), cannot be escaped with teleport (+1/4), no Defense (-1 1/2), cannot form barriers (-1/4), susceptible to healing or SPD Aid applied to victim (-1/4) (20 points) Any other ideas ? Mind Control or Mental Illusions ("you are Stunned") ?

Re: What's the most useless supplement you'd actually like to see? Omega in Millennium - a Superlink/Hero crossover/conversion guide in the vein of Reality Storm

Re: Silly Challenge Comic book plausible ? Heck, that kind of stuff happens in comics if you know when and where to look. The Green Lantern Corps is notorious for drafting potential nobodies and elevating them to greatness. Consider Hal Jordan. Normal test pilot, normal member of GLC, premiere meber of GLC, destroyer of GLC, restarts time (!!!!), seemingly dies, dies saving the earth, rises from the dead and drives the contents of the underworld back where they belong, becomes one of God's right hand men (and struggles with the responsibility, because even at DC, with great power comes...). And will soon take a demotion back to GL. Consider Guy Gardner. School gym teacher, former football player. An uninspiring good guy. Pegged as backup GL, and brain damaged. Awakened and given a critical mission during the Crisis. Eventually lost his ring, took a Qwardian ring, lost that ring and gained mystic warrior powers, then alien warrior powers. Now runs a bar and is a background/secondary character. Consider Kyle Rayner and his eminently forgettable buddy. Buddy goes into the alley to puke and Kyle follows. Kyle is given the last Green Lantern ring and told to do good with it. If buddy had just let Kyle drink that tequila, would he have gotten the ring ? What would he have done with it ? Even Kyle with the ring - didn't he become Ion and actually become Earth's most powerful resident (which is saying something in the DC Universe) ? It would take some work (and at least 12 issues), but it couldn't be that hard to take almost any schmuck to the pinnacle given a few breaks and soem lucky timing. Take Ren Tenaka, former girlfriend of Hank Hall. With the passing of Hank Hall, Ren Tenaka is sought out by a Lord of Order and a Lord of Chaos. Ren has been mystically touched by Order and Chaos through association with Hank Hall, Dawn Granger, and even Kestrel. The two Lords want a new mystical focus to stand as their symbol of the power of Chaos and Order working in concert (and I don't mean with guitars; never got that). As the mystical heroine Wren, she seeks tutelage from the likes of Dr. Fate, Mordru, Amethyst, Lucifer Morningstar and Zatanna. At the extreme high and low ends of magic, she even gets boffed by John Constantine and Desire (in a twisted play to force her to attack Dream). Still, she doesn't come to the true pinnacle of power until she aquires an ankh made of Nth metal from Dr. Fate and uses it to break Darkseid's invasion of New Genesis, driving Darksied into the Source by reflecting the Omega Effect back at him, and trapping him in the Source Wall.

Re: Questions about my plot...suggestions? Freon will probably go along on the mission, but may bolt if the hero actually shows up, or any time the hero hits him or a nearby agent. Back in the days of 200 pt agents, a team of 5 VIPER agents would give those three heroes a good fight (particularly if they co-ordinated well and covered each other).

Re: Two Books... I'd make Conquerors, Killers and Crooks your next purchase. After that, you're reayd to play and the rest is gravy, but the leading choices are: Champions Champions Universe Gadgets and Gear Hero Designer (if you're into character creation) and maybe: Hero System Bestiary VIPER Shades of Black (adv) Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth (adv) Champions Battlegrounds (adv plus) Ultimate Martial Artist and eventually: The Mystic World Galactic Champions Ultimate Brick

Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? The earliest days of the Legion of Substitute Heroes would give us a veritable legion of contenders. Arm Drop Off Boy looked like a capable threat compared to Double Header. Porcupine Pete had lots of obvious potential, while Infectious Lass's inability to control her powers made her more dangerous to allies than foes. Stone Boy was just too funny (I mean really, he was invulnerable but immobile and insensate; in some SF stories, that's not a power, it's a prison). The Inferior Five also give us some strong candidates. But in the end, I've got to give the nod to Cheeks, the Toy Wonder.

Re: Plot/Campaign idea for Joseph Otanga Call me stereotypical, but I'd naturally associate White Rhino and Joseph Otanga. White Rhino's a regional protector in Africa, while Otanga is tyrant of a different region. With Otanga having mystical animal powers, he's likely to covet White Rhino's mystical animal powers (without knowing of or understanding the great responsibilities that accompany them).

Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! Whenever I talk about that campaign and Dean (the player) is in the room, he interrupts with, "I'm NOT a demon".

Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! Well, one PC turned out to be a demon. The player clued in the first time the character took damage for being on holy ground, but the character adamantly refused to believe it. And the protestations became quite colourful as the evidence stacked up: Susceptible to being on holy ground Susceptible to holy symbols Can't cross a pentacle Hunted by DEMON (capture) Numerous villains saying things like, "Your mystical powers are easily tracked by the All-Seeing Eye" The character nearly went catatonic when a DEMON master summoned a bunch of demons identical to her. Really, that campaign was full of delightful serendipity.