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Killer Shrike

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Everything posted by Killer Shrike

  1. Yes, except its a tomb in Paris, Texas rather than Paris, France As far as Banshee, most of the characters from that era of X-Men had names that basically amounted to 'This guys supposed to be from country X, but none of us uneducated Americans know anything real about that place'. Frex: Collossus's real name? Piotr RASPUTIN --hey, at least it wasnt IVAN RASPUTIN. Nightcrawler? Kurt WAGNER Thunderbird? James PROUDSTAR Dude from the icy north of Canada? WOLVERINE etc etc and so you get: Sean Cassidy? BANSHEE --sounds Irish, doesnt it?
  2. Grrrr...... Me WANT mine now!
  3. Yeah, or at least the White Wolf people thought so. Huitzpochtli (or however you spell it), is of course featured as a Vampire in VtM, of the Baali clan no less. Also, there is another Aztecan vampire named simply Pochtli who is nominally a member of the Giovanni clan, though there are some rumors (in typical 'Grey' Wolf fashion) that he was actually a vampire already and JOINED the Gionvanni rather than being Embraced as a Giovanni. The obvious but never confirmed conclusion to be drawn was that Huitzipochtli wasnt actually destroyed as believed in past nights but rather survived and eventually joined the Giovanni and is still around in the modern nights.......
  4. Wow. This sounds really cool. Im not overly familiar with SAS or Tri-stat, but its an interesting concept regardless. Plus, an ADVENTURE for 5th Edition Champions. Woot!
  5. As a side note: I dont have my book with me and Im a bit hazy on the details, but it seems like Bow and Arrows of Opportunity would be more correct, and qualify for the Arrangement option of FOCI. (?Somebody w/ Book handy pls correct/confirm?) All that aside, I personally really like the Naked Power Advantage option as a character designer, because it makes possible some power constructs that previously were difficult to accomplish due to Active Point limits (such as the example presented above of the Arrow Array Multipower), and also for Advantages that one might not always want to apply. As a GM I would be very careful in allowing its use unrestricted in a Heroic level campaign (ie any campaign where among other things Equipment is not pointed but rather purchased). For example, in the case of the Autofire w/ Bow NPA, I can see 3 shots, but what about 10? Is it really appropriate to most Heroic level campaigns to have a dude spraying Arrows like a Machine Gun? I mean, draw, knock, aim, and shoot 10 shots in 1 second? Even in a superheroic campaign, is something like Naked Power Advantage, Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible) applicable to any power with 30 AP or less legal? NPA definitely warrants close attention......
  6. Re: whoops Yes, exactly, this is what is intended. Basically, using the comic-book scientific paradigm of unlikely science, he fluctuates a targets graviton field rapidly, making them heavier and lighter and heavier and lighter repetitively, about a million times per second. This causes the targets muscles to effectively spasm and build up a huge amoung of lactic acid faster than the body can get rid of it, resulting in massive exhaustion. Its all good my friend; no apologies necessary. Do another 40 ounce curl and have a good one
  7. END Drain: The idea is he fluctuates a persons 'graviton field' rapidly but subtly, causing rapid exhaustion. 0 END in EC: Look closely: there is no EC. There is only a list of abilites that are DRAINED as if they were in an EC; ie, a Drain vs one of the powers will Drain all the powers equally.
  8. Here is a newly submitted PC from one of my players, shared for your possible use: Gravitic Player: Val Char Cost 15 STR 5 17 DEX 21 16 CON 12 15 BODY 10 8 INT -2 15 EGO 10 20 PRE 10 18 COM 4 3/17 PD 0 3/12 ED 0 4 SPD 13 6 REC 0 32 END 0 31 STUN 0 6" RUN02" SWIM03"/33" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 83 Cost Power END 63 Gravitic Powers: Multipower, 95-point reserve, all slots: (95 Active Points); Activation Roll 14- (-1/2) 6u 1) Micronic Mass Multiplier: Drain 9d6: END (90 Active Points) (uses END Reserve) 9 6u 2) Gravitic Pulse: Energy Blast 8d6 (vs. PD), Double Knockback (2x KB, Target does not take Knockback; +1/2), Indirect (Beneath Target; +3/4) (90 Active Points) (uses END Reserve) [Notes: No Knockback, Double Knockback: The goal of the power is to knock people over. So, calculate and resist Knockback as normal, but if the target takes Knockback then they just fall down in thier hex and dont take any actual Knockback damage.] 9 4u 3) G-FORCE: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6 +1 (vs. PD), Reduced Endurance (Half END; +1/4), Indirect (Always from ground below target; +1/2) (87 Active Points); Limited Power (Only vs Opponents within 1" of the ground; -1/2) (uses END Reserve) [Notes: Standard Effect: 10 BODY] 4 4u 4) Gravitic Fluctuator: Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6 +1 (vs. ED), Uncontrolled (+1/2), No Normal Defense (Body-Affecting Powers, or gravity-manipulation abilities; +1), Continuous (+1), Does BODY (+1) (90 Active Points); Limited Power (Only vs Opponents within 1" of the ground; -1/2) (uses END Reserve) [Notes: Standard Effect 4 Body.] 9 5u 5) What Goes up Must Come Down: Suppress: Flight (in Air), Gliding, Swinging, Leaping 6d6, Variable Effect (Four Powers Simultaneously; +1), Continuous (+1) (90 Active Points); Limited Range (-1/4) (uses END Reserve) [Notes: Standard Effect 18 pts.] 9 5u 6) Gravity Wins Again: Suppress: All Movement 3 1/2d6, Continuous (+1), Area Of Effect (7" Radius; +1), Selective Target (+1/4), Variable Effect (All Powers Simultaneously; +2) (94 Active Points); No Range (-1/2) (uses END Reserve) [Notes: Standard Effect 10 pts.] 9 3u 7) Gravity Alteration: Telekinesis (25 STR), Reduced Endurance (Half END; +1/4), Area Of Effect (5" Radius; +1), Selective Target (+1/4) (94 Active Points); Only To Pull Objects Straight Down To Earth Or Hold Them Off The Ground (-1), No Range (-1/2) (uses END Reserve) 4 2u 8) Polarity Shift: Flight 15", Ranged (+1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Usable As Attack (does not affect anyone with Desolidification, Power Defense, or gravity-manipulation abilities) (+1) (90 Active Points); Limited Power (Only to Hover directly above where they were standing; -1 1/2), Limited Power (Only vs Opponents within 1" of the ground; -1/2), No Noncombat Movement (-1/4) (uses END Reserve) 9 6u 9) Density Decrease: Custom Power (1/8th Weight, + 3" KB, -15 STR; +3PD, +3" Leaping) , Uncontrolled (+1/2) (90 Active Points) (uses END Reserve) [Notes: Each 20 Base Points gives its target x1/2 Mass, +1" KB, -5 STR (no figured), +1 PD, +1" Leaping. The attack is visible, the effects are not. The effect is constant and continues as long as the Endurance cost is paid to maintain the effect. The Defense is Shrinking, Growth, Density Increase, Desolid, Shape Shift. ---------------------------------------------- Reduces the average person to about 26 lbs/12.5 kg.] 9 30 Personal Gravity: Multipower, 30-point reserve 2u 1) Air Walking: Flight 6", Invisible Power Effects (Hearing Group; +1/4), Difficult To Dispel (x2 Active Points) (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (30 Active Points); No Noncombat Movement (-1/4) 5m 2) Gravitic Leaping: Leaping +30" (3" / 33" forward, 1 1/2" / 16 1/2" upward) (30 Active Points); No Noncombat Movement (-1/4) (uses END Reserve) (added to Secondary Value) 3 5m 3) Gravitic Gliding: Gliding 30" (30 Active Points); No Noncombat Movement (-1/4) Gravitic Dispersion, all slots: Drained as EC (Power loses about a fourth of its effectiveness; -1/4) 10 1) Knockback Resistance -10" (20 Active Points); Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), Nonpersistent (-1/4) 10 2) Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25% (15 Active Points); Nonpersistent (-1/4) 20 3) Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Nonpersistent (-1/4) 14 4) Armor (10 PD / 5 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (28 Active Points); Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), Nonpersistent (-1/4) (added to Secondary Value) 10 Fighting Costume: Armor (4 PD / 4 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (15 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) (added to Secondary Value) 18 Endurance Reserve (90 END, 9 REC) (18 Active Points) Powers Cost: 228 Cost Skill 10 +2 with All Gravity Powers 10 +2 with DCV 1 SS: Physics (INT-based) 8- 3 Acting 13- 2 KS: Superhero World 11- 2 Language: French: Basic Conversation (Literacy) Everyman Skills 0 Conversation 8- 0 High Society 8- 5 Gambling (Card Games, Dice Games, Roulette) 8- 0 Persuasion 8- 0 Riding 8- 0 Seduction 8- 0 TF: Custom Adder, Small Motorized Ground Vehicles [Notes: Custom Mod is Everyman Skill] Skills Cost: 33 Cost Perk 10 Money (Wealthy) Perks Cost: 10 Total Character Cost: 354 Val Disadvantages 10 Distinctive Features: Mutant, Not Concealable, Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction, Detectable Only By Unusual Senses 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity, Frequently (11-), Major 5 Social Limitation: Public ID: TV and Bad Supers Movies, Occasionally (8-), Minor 10 Hunted: Gravitar, More Powerful, 8- (Occasionally), Watching, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find 15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident, Common, Strong 20 Psychological Limitation: Code of the HERO, Very Common, Strong 5 Accidental Power Use (Gravity Alteration): When suprised or frightened in Secret ID, Uncommon, Infrequently (8-) [Notes: If frightened/suprised, there is a chance that the "Gravity Alteration" Power is activated. In this case, it selects all targets accept Gravitic, and on a 1d6 roll of 1-2 floats all targets, 4-6 pulls them down.] 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima: No Age Restriction Disadvantage Points: 100 Base Points: 250 Experience Required: 4 Total Experience Available: 4 Experience Unspent: 0
  9. Actually, in his case, Jyhad aka Vampire the Eternal Struggle is the CCG of choice. He's also the reason Im selling off my 6000 card collection and never playing that particular game again
  10. See, heres the thing, I as the GM would act to prevent the classic 'Avenging Avatar' situation from developing. You would have to validate to me WHY your new character was out to get the character that killed off your old character, in game. Are you a close relative, seeking revenge, a law enforcement officer of some sort, or (my favorite) play off of the PC killer's background to be someone from his past that has finally tracked him down, often with some dark secret to reveal which will make the other PCs question thier allegiance with him. Occasionally, if you thirst for vengeance and I feel its best to let you get it out of your system and are responsible enough to handle it, I might even let you play the PC-Killers Hunted for a session if he has one (and if you do a good job, perhaps thereafter within the lifespan of the campaign), or let you design a Hunted (and subsequently play them) that I can give him as part of a periodic Disadvantages reevaluation ("Hmm....well Mr. PC-Killer, your PsyLim Code of the Hero isnt what it used to be apparantly, so we'll just subtract that off the character sheet and replace it with Reputation: Unstable and dangerous to be around, and a 10 point Mystery Disadvantage which will surely haunt you later, with interest compounded daily {trademark GMs smirk}"). Yes, I realize. Ive actually lost a couple of other players who just couldnt stand to play with him. They were inconsistent players, whereas he is extremely consistent, and the bulk of the players, when spoken to independently, did not want to see him put out of the group. If he doesnt ever improve, he'll get culled. In the meantime, he's good for laughs and if nothing else, makes for memorable games. People are still talking about games from two years ago because the fallout from this players was so major or amusing that those sessions just stick in your memory indelibly. I talk with the player regularly. He knows he's not a good roleplayer. All the other players rag him constantly. Its kind of become a running joke. He's trying to improve, but unfortunately he really just isnt any good at it. I think he has trouble conceptualizing, or projecting his thought patterns into a differing mindset, which are both important qualities of a roleplayer. He also is not goal or method oriented, being more of a reaction oriented sort. His mind is better at dealing with artificial structures and how they interrelate. For example, he gave up an EE major because he couldnt handle the programming aspects of the course load among other things, and switched to Economics, which is all about understanding and manipulating an artificial structure and reacting with the day to day events of it all. Programming does rely on artificial structures, but you have to be able to conceptualize and project to program towards something. It requires an end goal and a consisent methodology. Making a character in many systems is similar to making a small application that inherits from base classes and can have some small amount of customization override code, but is prohibited from defining new objects or interfaces itself, particularly a HEROs character. He understands the rules system and he is able to manipulate it, but he does so to make characters that just exploit those rules. He doesnt conceptualize an end result which is a virtual person and then define that via the rules system, instead he identifies loopholes and exploitations in the rules system and then implements them with only the veneer of of a virtual person. Instead of Warp {background,motivation,personality,some powers}, you have Warp {Was born and has powers, kill stuff, easily annoyed casual killer, RKA NND does Body 0 END Contin Uncontrolled usable Desolid, Desolid, Spatial Awareness Targeting, Teleport}.
  11. I've made something of a personal crusade along these lines, bringing a good number of players into the fold of actual 'role' players as opposed to dice rollers. I dont mind if someone is a powergamer, so long as they are also a ROLE player. It takes all types to make a (imagined fantasy) world go around afterall. Ergo, a player that has a character concept that is solid and detailed, and then stats the character with some powers that may be abusive BUT FIT THE CHARACTERS SFX and BACKGROUND will not earn my veto power if their character is legal or in case of GMs option type power constructs is self-limiting in some way that constrains them. However a player that takes a collection of abiities and splices them together (overpowered or not), and then kind of splices a half-assed character concept onto that will earn my veto power immediately. I routinely kick back entire characters whether they are balanced/legal or not if I feel that the character as a whole is lacking substance. "Go back to the begining, come up with a background with some level of plausibility, and give him/her any appropriate skills, perks, and talents to match the characters history. Then, after you have spent those points on background flavor and solidly grounding the character, define a special effect(s) for your superhuman abilities, set your characteristics, and finally construct powers that are in some way validated by your special effect. Tweak as necessary after the fact to result in a polished well rounded character.", or words to that effect are my mantra on HEROs character creation. I'm not Father Joe by any means however; I've kicked a LOT of players in my day. If they dont contribute to the group or have the potential to grow into a contributing role, then out they go, in mid session if necessary. Heh. Thats amusing As it happens my name is Ed, like the GM in the parable. I've been there, done that. It can be a real chore dealing with die-headed munchkins like that. If they are that far gone, I usually dont even get that far with them. It's "sorry, I dont think our playing styles mesh. Buh-bye."
  12. RE: Neil, Trebuchet: You guys dont know the half of it. On top of his lack of characterization and role playing acumen, he also is renowned for his accidental PC-killing, and general team-screwing. He's such a bullet head, he often takes out downed comrades, or downs them himself in the first place with friendly fire. When he isnt doing that, he's pissing off or killing or both the wrong NPC, making a complete hash out of whatever plan the party has cooked up, or otherwise adding pure random Chaos into any situation. This is regardless of character or system mind you. His trademark manuever was breaking a fully charged staff of power in the middle of a climactic battle, killing half of the party flat out. Only 1 other PC fell in that entire battle, and sadly thier corpse was in the blast radius and subsequently vaporized along with the others. It wasnt even merely a contributing factor, all of the characters that died were at or near full hitpoints, and had not yet begun to run on fumes resource wise. He just cut straight to the breaking-of-the-staff-of-power bit after the parties halfling thief got zapped by a good old D&D save or die effect. His character got gated to another plane, and the survivors basically had to cut and run. This was the entire climactic battle of a year long campaign mind you. All told, the player was responsible for the death of 5 party members over the course of the campaign, one PC of which he killed something like 3 times (and subsequently resurrected) with area of affect spells, destroying almost all of his items in the process due to failed saves. Yeah, Im not kidding. :rolleyes: Thats just a notable example. The list of just random, incomprehensible things that he has done in various games with various characters to the detriment of the party is really practically endless. In fact this past week he couldnt make it, and about midway thru the game 1 of the players commented on the fact that he couldnt believe how smooth the game was going causing the rest of the players to all look at each other and laugh, because they simultaneously realized it was due to his absense. Why do I still let him play? Because, believe it or not he ADDS fun to the game. Not to encourage his more excessive monkey-wrenching, but some of it is really really funny outside of the game. He so out of touch with common sense that the crap he does and the situations that arise are hysterically funny. You are hating him in-character and rolling on the floor in real life. Plus, he's good people when he isnt aggravating the hell out of you. As a GM, I can always relax a bit on the villains when he's in the game; he can be counted on to do something stupid that will give me all the plot hooks I need to drive an entire session. Give him enough rope, and he reflexively makes a noose out of it and slips it on a teammate. Also, he's young yet; he just turned 21 a while ago and has not yet learned restraint. There is a lot of potential there (he's a dedicated gamer, he just isnt any good at playing a role. The phrase 'good initiative, [absurdly] poor judgement' was minted to describe him), and Im foolishly determined to shape him into a better player. Thats why.
  13. Hey Steve; fractious players assaulting me with thier whacky character concepts again; a player wants to do the Gravity schtick and hit me 'which power lowers an opponents weight?" or something to that effect. which leads me to: Q: Is there a recommended way to decrease an opponents mass and only thier mass against thier will? This should be a real quantifiable reduction in mass, not a SFX handwave. Q: Is it possible to use Shrinking UAA to decrease a targets mass? If so and you dont want all of the other effects of Shrinking such as reduced size, PER penalty, and DCV bonuse specifically then: Q: Is it appropriate to take a Limitation, "Mass Only (Mass and KB penalties only) -1/2", to depict , or is it a +/-0 or even an advantage in this case because it is an attack and essentially robs the target of potentially beneficial aspects of Shrinking such as the PER penalty and DCV Bonus? Thanx Steve!
  14. Ive run campaigns up and down the point scale, supers and non-supers. IMO, All of them were equally fun. IMO, any given point level is as good as the next so long as the players are having fun, the GM is having fun, and nobody gets hurt in the process. I mean, who can put a point total on fun? Center the game on the relative power level, not the point level IMO. If the HEROs are all 500 points, but so are the villains, than its not much different that when the heroes were 250 and so were the villains. The key is to challenge the players, and the challenge is going to differ from group to group and week to week. As far as supers are concerned, I like 250 points, 350 points, 550 points and up, so long as the character is respectibly pointed within the context of the setting and feels challenged but not overwhelmed. Like Goldylocks, I dont want to play an overpowered or underpowered character. I want to a character that is powered just right, and that has little to do with a point total and more to do with how far off median that point total is. One thing I really like about 350 v 250 is that players can afford to put a larger percentage pf points into flavor & schtick while maintaining thier viability. Whether individual players do or not is up to them. Ultimately you get out of a character what you put into it, so I like to think that power gaming "the mechanic IS the character" types get less out of the game than those who model a concept rather than conceptualize a model. I have one player for example that is really bad about this. I dont know why, but he just continues to come up with degenerate power-mongering characters that are really nothing more than exploits of broken rules or an attempt to push a questionable rule to the point of breaking. Background? Nope. Concept? Dude, what do you mean concept, I told you he does 500 damage each action on average! Power origin? Woke up like that one day. If he does come up with some background, or even a detail such as, oh I dont know, a REAL NAME, you can be sure it centeres around a lame pun or play on words. He finds a rule or mechanic that seems exploitable, then makes a character whose sole purpose in life is to apply the rules dodge in some fashion. In HEROs, he is most interested in any power that has a stop or yield sign next to it. He wants concepts that basically just semi-validate a lot of damage dealing. Its unfortunate, but there you go. You can be sure that with 350 points, he will not hand in a character with 50 points of 'fluff' skills. If he has skills at all, they'll be Acrobatics, Breakfall, and/or Stealth, you can be sure. Every last ounce of pointage will be squeezed into a cup and put into a blender with a landmine. Damage will be of primary concern. With a group full of players like this, 350 wouldnt work at all unless I wanted to play a SLUGATHON and they wouldnt have fun at 250 (not enough damage after all). WIth more mature players comes more restraint. If a group wants more points in a starting (or any other) campaing, and you thinkthe players can handle more points, and most importantly its fun then start off at a higher level. Try out 750 point characters for a run. Adapt/Retry to fit.
  15. Sorry; I have a website, but I havent touched it for several years now You can however feel free to copy John Wrath (and his trusty Hovercar) and use him for whatever you see fit; just put a byline (Ed Hastings\Killer Shrike & Jon Bristow) on it.
  16. I had some points left over, so I spruced up the hovercar a bit. I added a Megaphone and Sirens, and changed the Suppress Movement Tractor beam to a Drain Move, added another fuel charge for the flight, and bumped up the Def and Body a hair. PRIMUS Hovercar Player: Val Char Cost 20 STR -5 20 DEX 30 14 BODY 1 4 SPD 10 25" RUN380" SWIM-20" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 111 Cost Power END 63 Anti-Gravitic Generator and Hover-JETS: Flight 15" (Improved Noncombat Movement (x16)), 3 Continuing Fuel Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/2), Fuel is Difficult to obtain (-1/4), Sideways Manueverability (+1/2) (79 Active Points); Only In Heroic Identity (-1/4) [Notes: To use this power, the car goes through some physical alterations, the tires flip down, stabilizer wings and flaps extend, and the jets pop out from concealed hatches in flanks of the car.] Comm Suite, all slots: OIF (-1/2), Restrainable by Jamming; Interference (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles -1/4) 5 1) Radio Perception/Transmission (10 Active Points); Sense Affected As More Than One Sense (Hearing and Radio) (-1/4) 11 2) Radar (Increased Arc of Perception: 360-Degree) (20 Active Points) 5 Spotlight: Sight Group Images, x2" Radius (+1/4), Conforming (+1/2) (17 Active Points); Only To Create Light (-1), IIF Bulky Fragile (-1), Limited Arc of Fire (60 Degrees; -1/2) [Notes: The headlights of the car have a 'spotlight' setting. The lamps are on pivots allowing a small amount of lateral and horizontal movement, similar to a rearview mirror.] 2 20 Megaphone & Sirens: Aid 5d6 (max. Aided Points: 30): PRESENSE (50 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1), Only to give 'Cop Commands' (Power loses about a third of its effectiveness; -1/2) [Notes: Standard Effect Rule, +15 PRE] 10 Stasis Beams: Drain 3d6: Ground Based Movement (30 Active Points); IIF Bulky (-3/4), 8 Charges (-1/2), Limited Arc of Fire (60 Degrees; -1/2), Only In Heroic Identity (-1/4) [Notes: This device is contained under the car, and can thus only be used while the car is flying and off the ground.] Powers Cost: 114 Cost Skill 6 +2 Combat Driving, Combat Piloting Skills Cost: 6 Cost Talent 3 Absolute Range Sense 3 Absolute Time Sense 3 Bump Of Direction Talents Cost: 9 Total Character Cost: 240 Val Disadvantages 10 PRIMUS Hover Car, Concealable, Noticed and Recognizable, Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses 6 Vulnerability: Telekinesis, Uncommon, Only when flying, Vulnerability Multiplier (2x Effect) 13 Susceptibility: Gravitic Fields, Uncommon, 1d6 damage, per Segment, Only when flying 15 Reputation: Vehicle used by top PRIMUS Agents (criminals will hide or attack), Almost Always (14-) 5 Accidental Change: From Fly Mode to Drive Mode: Encounter abnormal gravitic field or electical interference, Uncommon, Infrequently (8-) 5 Dependence: Requires regular tune-ups, Difficult To Obtain, -30 Active Points from Affected Power, 1 Week 5 Physical Limitation: Requires special technicians to repair, Infrequently, Slightly Impairing Disadvantage Points: 59 Base Points: 180 Experience Required: 1 Total Experience Available: 1 Experience Unspent: 0
  17. OK, I applied Dave Mattingly's suggestion (though it feels pretty slimy )and threw most of his background skills into a VPP Skill Pool. Im really rethinking this, as it seems very very abusive. I have refused to let players have Skill pools in the past as a matter of fact. But, I figured what the hell; let see just how abusive it can be 5th Edition and have some fun with it.......John Wrath, Agent of PRIMUSPlayer: Jon Bristow Val Char Cost 15/30 STR 5 15/25 DEX 15 15/20 CON 10 15/20 BODY 10 18 INT 8 15 EGO 10 15 PRE 5 10 COM 0 5/23 PD 2 5/21 ED 2 3/4 SPD 5 6/10 REC 0 30/40 END 0 34/50 STUN 3 6"/12" RUN02" SWIM01"/4" LEAP-2Characteristics Cost: 73Cost Power END 1 Life Support (Longevity: 200 Years) 5 Regeneration: Healing 1 BODY, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (20 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) (1 Hour; -2 1/4), Self Only (-1/2) [Notes: No Healing Max (see FREd p. 120).] 8 School of Hard Knocks: VPP, 5 base + 3 control cost, Cosmic (+2) (12 Active Points); Limited Class Of Powers Available (Set List, no variance) (Very Limited; -1) 0 1) Breakfall (5 Active Points) 13- (15-) Real Cost: 5 0 2) Bugging (5 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 5 0 3) Bureaucratics (5 Active Points) 13- Real Cost: 5 0 4) Climbing (5 Active Points) 13- (15-) Real Cost: 5 0 5) Combat Driving (5 Active Points) 13- (15-) Real Cost: 5 0 6) Combat Piloting (5 Active Points) 13- (15-) Real Cost: 5 0 7) Concealment (5 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 5 0 8) Cryptography (5 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 5 0 9) Deduction (5 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 5 0 10) Demolitions (5 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 5 0 11) Fast Draw (5 Active Points) 13- (15-) Real Cost: 5 0 12) Gambling (Card Games, Horse Racing, Roulette) (5 Active Points) 13- Real Cost: 5 0 13) Interrogation (5 Active Points) 13- Real Cost: 5 0 14) KS: Vietnam War History (INT-based) (5 Active Points) 15- Real Cost: 5 0 15) Lockpicking (5 Active Points) 13- (15-) Real Cost: 5 0 16) Paramedics (5 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 5 0 17) Security Systems (5 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 5 0 18) Shadowing (5 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 5 0 19) Stealth (5 Active Points) 13- (15-) Real Cost: 5 0 20) Streetwise (5 Active Points) 13- Real Cost: 5 0 21) Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) (4 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 4 0 22) Survival (Desert) (4 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 4 0 23) Survival (Tropical) (4 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 4 0 24) Survival (Mountain) (4 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 4 0 25) Tactics (5 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 5 0 26) Tracking (5 Active Points) 14- Real Cost: 5 0 27) Teamwork (5 Active Points) 13- (15-) Real Cost: 5 Cyberline Powers, all slots: Drained as an EC (Power loses about a fourth of its effectiveness; -1/4) 12 1) +15 STR (15 Active Points) (added to Secondary Value) 1 24 2) +10 DEX (30 Active Points) (added to Secondary Value) 8 3) +5 CON (10 Active Points) (added to Secondary Value) 8 4) +5 BODY (10 Active Points) (added to Secondary Value) 8 5) Running +6" (12 Active Points); No Noncombat Movement (-1/4) (added to Secondary Value) 1 8 6) +1 Overall (10 Active Points) 12 7) +3 with HTH Combat (15 Active Points) 14 8) Combat Luck: 9 PD/9 ED (18 Active Points) 45 PRIMUS Special Agent Field-Test Equipment: VPP, 41 base + 4 control cost (62 Active Points); Activation Roll 14-, Jammed (-1), VPP Powers Can Be Changed Only In Given Circumstance (-1/2), VPP Can Only Be Changed Between Adventures (-1/2), Limited Class Of Powers Available (Limited; -1/2), Character Has No Choice Regarding How Powers Change (-1/2), OIF (-1/2) 0 1) Cyber Eye: (Total: 40 Active Cost, 15 Real Cost) Find Weakness 14- (Related Group of Attacks) (35 Active Points); Activation Roll 14-, Jammed (-1), OIF (-1/2), Visible (-1/4) (Real Cost: 13) plus Nightvision (5 Active Points); Activation Roll 14-, Jammed (-1), OIF (-1/2), Visible (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2) Real Cost: 15 0 2) Energy Pistol: Energy Blast 4d6 (vs. ED), Variable Advantage (+1/2 Advantages Limited Group of Advantages (AP,Autofire x5, Penetrating, Explosion); +3/4) (35 Active Points); Activation Roll 14-, Jammed (-1), OIF (-1/2), 16 Clips of 8 Charges which Recover every 1 Week (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4), Cannot Be Used With Multiple-Power Attacks (-1/4), Beam (-1/4) Real Cost: 9 0 3) Omni-Belt: Force Field (7 PD / 7 ED / 7 Mental Defense / 7 Power Defense / 2 Flash Defense: Sight Group) (30 Active Points); Activation Roll 14-, Jammed (-1), 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Minute each which Recover every 1 Week (-3/4), Extra Time, Only to Activate Constant or Persistent Power (Full Phase; -1/4), Character May Take No Other Actions (-1/4), OIF (-1/2) (not added to totals) Real Cost: 8 0 4) Haze Grenade: Darkness to Sight Group 3" radius (Additional Sense: Radar, Additional Sense: Spatial Awareness) (40 Active Points); Activation Roll 11- (-1), 1 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Minute each (-1), Extra Time, Only to Activate Constant or Persistent Power (Full Phase; -1/4), Character May Take No Other Actions (-1/4), Can Be Missile Deflected (-1/4), Strength Based Range (-1/4), Cannot Be Used With Multiple-Power Attacks (-1/4) Real Cost: 9 Powers Cost: 153Cost Martial Arts Maneuver 8 +2 HTH Damage Class(es) 4 Fast Strike: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +0 DCV, STR +4d6 Strike 3 Legsweep: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, -1 DCV, STR +3d6 Strike, Target Falls 4 Nerve Strike: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, +1 DCV, 3d6 NND 3 Martial Grab: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Grab Two Limbs, +20 STR for holding on 4 Martial Dodge: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +5 DCV, Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 5 Takeaway: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, Grab Weapon, +20 STR to take weapon away 4 Reversal: var Phase, -1 OCV, -2 DCV, +25 STR to Escape; Grab Two Limbs 4 Shove: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, +25 STR to Shove 3 Defensive Throw: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +1 DCV, Block, Target Falls Martial Arts Cost: 42Cost Skill 10 +1 Overall 4 Language: French: Completely Fluent, w/Accent (Literacy) 5 Language: Vietnamese: Idiomatic, native accent (Literacy) 0 TF: Custom Adder, Small Motorized Ground Vehicles [Notes: Custom Mod is Everyman Skill] 11 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons, Garrote, General Purpose/Heavy Machine Guns, Grenade Launchers, Off Hand, Small Arms, Vehicle Weapons Skills Cost: 30Cost Perk 2 Reputation, Law Enforcement, Federal Government (A large group, 11-) +1/+1d6 23 Fringe Benefit (Concealed Weapon Permit (where appropriate), Federal/National Police Powers, License to Kill, Membership: PRIMUS, Passport, Security Clearance) 36 PRIMUS Hovercar (180 Base, 60 Disad) Perks Cost: 61Cost Talent 12 Combat Luck: 6 PD/6 ED 3 Resistance: 3 points 3 Lightsleep Talents Cost: 18Total Character Cost: 377Val Disadvantages 20 Social Limitation: Subject to Orders, Frequently (11-), Severe 5 Social Limitation: Public Identity, Occasionally (8-), Minor 10 Psychological Limitation: Vengeful, Uncommon, Strong 10 Reputation: Hardass, Frequently (11-) 15 Physical Limitation: -1 Sight PER, All the Time, Slightly Impairing 15 Hunted: Watched by Primus, More Powerful, 8- (Occasionally), Watching, Extensive Non-Combat Influence, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find 10 Psychological Limitation: Driven to complete the mission, Uncommon, Strong 5 Distinctive Features: Scarred over eye, Easily Concealed, Noticed and Recognizable, Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses 10 Dependence: Cyberline RNA Treatment, Difficult To Obtain, Powers Gain 0- Activation Roll, 1 Week, Looses all Cyberline Powers until he can get another treatment 10 Enraged: When it looks like his mission will be botched, Uncommon, go 11-, recover 14- 15 Hunted: Shadowdragon (CKC pg 193-194), More Powerful, 8- (Occasionally), Harshly Punish Disadvantage Points: 125Base Points: 250Experience Required: 2Total Experience Available: 2Experience Unspent: 0Description: Stocky, grizzled man who appears to be in his early 40's. Has a knife or sword scar down the left side of his face through his eye socket; he wont talk about it. Wears a Silver Avengers uniform, but with a gun belt and modern loadbearing harness. Almost always is either smoking or chewing on a stogey, and smells like a ripe cigar, Old Spice, and testosterone. He is a "Man of Action", and is always on his toes, bristling with a visible readiness to leap into action. BACKGROUNDBorn in 1935 to a military family in Biloxi, he grew up a rabid patriot and joined the Army in 1953 to go to Korea where his father had fallen in battle the year before, but by the time he cleared Basic and his MOS school, the armistice had been signed (on July 27, 1953). He was stationed at Panmunjeom (Joint Security Area 1) for 1 year from 1957-1958, but that is as close as he came to the Korean War. In 1961, already a 1SG and a Ranger, Jon became involved in covert actions in Vietnam as a supposed Military Advisor, and in 1967 his LRRP unit went to MACV Recondo School at Nha Trang. After passing the 'you bet your life' trial by fire in a LRRP that saw Jon's team uncover and and rout a much larger VC force, Jon was attached with Company E LRP 51st Infantry (Airborne) and served with that unit until its disbanding on September 14, 1971. During his time in the LRRPs, he lead his team, nicknamed the 'Growling Recondos' on 37 official missions and a number of missions that officially 'never happened'. His daring successes attracted media attention, and despite their covert nature certain reporters embellished the accounts for public consumption, and 1SG John Wrath became something of a media darling in a time of a generally negative characterization of the US forces in Vietnam. The State Department and the DoA decided to take advantage of this and John, along with a handful of other 'heroes' of the war were brought back stateside in late 1971 for a USO/Public Relations tour. John was pissed by this wasting of resources and of his time, and in 1973, still stateside and attached to the Army Recruiting branch, he retired with 20 years in. He was snatched up by the CIA, entering service as a field operative as a Military Advisor in a number of small states where the CIA was establishing 'anti-Communist' resistance forces. In 1986 PRIMUS was formed, and experienced agents were acquired from other agencys. John, finishing a stint in various parts of Central and South America, submitted a request to join and was accepted despite his age (51), still being in excellent shape and extremely experienced in all manner of operations. He was was found compatible and became one of the 1st to undergo the Cyberline treatments. As a side effect of the Cyberline treatments, his aging seems to have been arrested. In the nearly 20 years of service since joining PRIMUS, Jon has not appeared to age a day; although almost 70, he still looks and had the physique of a very fit 40 or 50 year old. He ran afoul of Shadowdragon in 1998, when Shadowdragon was involved in a bit of espionage for an unrevealed employer. PRIMUS was tipped off that he was in the country when Shadowdragon made a minor error coming through Immigration with false papers, and John lead a team of other PRIMUS agents who tracked him down and arrested him. John was able to get the jump on Shadowdragon and managed to beat him in HtH combat, although in truth there were some mitigating circumstance that contributed to this victory. Shadowdragon of course escaped imprisonment and has had it out for John ever since. He has made an appearance twice since, when it was convenient to Shadowdragon's other activities. John has narrowly managed to fight him off, but Shadowdragon evaded capture both times. POWERS/TACTICSA very skilled normal, with considerable Close Combat training. John is a Silver Avenger and has enhanced physical capabilities due to receiving Cyberline treatments. Unlike most other Silver Avengers, Jon must undergo weekly Cyberline treatments to maintain his boosted abilities. These treatments provide him with superhuman strength, speed, and durability. As a side effect of the Cyberline treatments, Jon's aging process has been slowed significantly, and his body shows minor regenerative abilities. As a respected and senior field agent, Jon is frequently assigned equipment by PRIMUS R&D to field test. At any given time they may collect old equipment (field test complete) and give out new equipment to test. This equipment is prototypical and thus is invariably a little buggy, but often useful nonetheless. Occasionally he'll get a dud item or one that proves to be unusually fragile, which inspires a round or two of cursing. Additionally, Jon has at his service one of the prized PRIMUS Hovercars, which has an advanced anti-gravitic generator and concealed Turbo-Jets.PERSONALITY/MOTIVATION Patriot. Pure and simple. He loves the goddamn U.S. of A. and if you dont like it you can lump it. He is an American of the old skool; in fact, he's so old skool, he's PRE-skool. In Nam he was a straight shooter, and a decade of teaching indigenous 'freedom fighter' and doing slimy things for the CIA in the name of National Security have had no dilluting affect on his patriotism. "In the National Interests" is an absolution of just about anything in his mind. He has the morals of a soldier, and will kill when he deems it necessary, and is known for his 'accomplish the mission at any cost' mentality. Some criminals have been known to just turn themselves in to his without a fight, knowing that this Silver Agent wont treat them with kid gloves. Character created with Hero Designer (version 1.20)
  18. Re: Re: Re: Maybe We Wasn't Robbed I find it amusing too...amusing that you accredit the quote to me instead of MisterDeath, who actually wrote it......
  19. Yamo, it depends on the power level your going for really. In a High Magic campaign the concerns of where the balance of power lay will clearly differ from a Hynerian campaign. Also, the starting points and expected range of character points in the campaign will affect this decision and balancing as well. Some people favor low point for that gritty feel, others prefer supers with cloaks & platemail. From most of your posts, I get a feel that you come from an D&D type background, and in that setting spellcasters start out on the short end of the stick, but with each passing level get a little bit more of the haft until at the highest levels they are running the show, no questions. VPPs and MPPs can both model this, as thier big up front will leave a low level spellcaster stretched, but as they blossom out their power base scales nicely until they have a clearcut advantage. The key detail that IMO makes the difference between too powerful/not powerful enough magic systems is the control factors that you as the GM put in place. It doesnt really matter what those factors are so long as they work for you and your group, you are consistent with them, and they succesfully maintain a balance point within a margin of tolerance among the PCs and equal pointed NPCs.
  20. Re: Maybe We Wasn't Robbed Im not sure what the criteria is, but Im sure that Steve is intelligent enough to understand the criteria, and obviously he thinks FREd qualified for the award. Im inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. FREd is more than just a face lift to 4th edition. Yes, its probably like 90% the same game under the hood, but the presentation, and that key 9% (I'm not counting Damage Shield as an improvement ) new\altered material is significant. DOJ rescued a grand old system going down the tubes due to poor management or whatever and then proceeded to personally churn out massive new material that far exceeds in volume and quality anything turned out by the previous ownership in any equivalent period of time (by a stretch!), and did this in the face of a near-total d20 market lockdown. There are those who would have called such a plan crazy before it happened, but look at HERO Games now. Maybe they should create a new award category: The Pheonix Award given out, not necessarily every year but only when a suitable recipient exists, to the game system which best recreates it self on the verge of implosion and springs forth again renewed. HEROs would definitely have gotten that one. RE: Steve's Music: I only ask your age because, well, Rob Zombie has been around for a decade or so, and is in fact now regarded as a venerable veteran of the industry by the pubescent nuMetal groups on the radios these days. I mean, I thought I was getting old, but then you go and bust out Steely Dan, and Im like 'What? My DAD listened to Steely Dan, and he's pushing 60!'
  21. If it had taken much longer I would have had to change my name to Old Man II
  22. FantasyHERO; When will then be now? Steve; as requested: "WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN FANTASY HERO, AN EXPOSITION" by Killer Shrike I would like to see more of what we have already seen in both CHAMPIONS (unlike some others, I love it but still harbor the inner wish that it had been called SuperHERO, with Champions Universe bearing the CHAMPIONS moniker instead) and StarHERO. I want a generic er... I mean UNIVERSAL approach to the genre at the begining, applicable to any system because it is not mechanic-speak, it is definition and concepts-speak. After this opening delineation of the terms and categorization of the genre and its more popular sub-genres, a treatment of how to handle some of the most prevalent precepts of the genre in the context of the HERO System specifically. In this section, which would span several chapters, I would like to see a weighting towards "THE BIGGER PICTURE" as opposed to specific instances. Specific instances should be presented as EXAMPLES of general guidelines, not an ends unto themselves. For example, under the section that deals with Population, rather than just a listing of 'races' such as Dwarf, Elf, 1/2ling I would rather see coverage on general guidlines for consistently defining members of a specific race (more fleshed out than the Package Deal rules given in FREd), where to draw the line between stereotypical tendencies and actual inherent traits, and balancing 'PC' races available within a specific application against one another from the perspective of the HERO mechanics and tips on how to avoid making a particular race 'too good' or by ommission 'not good enough' compared to other options within a campaign. Some inspection of Fantasy interbreeding wouldnt be amiss, exploring reasonable 'cross-breed' advantages & disadvantages and overall strength comparative to each of the subject's parent races. Also, an examination of the pros & cons of race restricted skills, talents, perks, and even powers, and how to consistently handle natural aptitudes for various things which are native to a race (are all Chartreuse Elves naturally better at Divination than all other races, should they bother to learn how to do it? How to reflect that systemically?). Another key point would be how much of a limitation is it worth to only affect a specific race or archetype. Is Only vs Dwarves worth less than Only vs Elves if Elves are more common on average in the game world, or are they the same overall limit? What about Only vs Dragons in a Form Other than thier Base Form, if Dragons are uncommon but they 'polymorph' to masquerade among other peoples a lot? It is very specific and limiting, but it also serves as a de facto Detect Dragon power, as it would only hurt Dragons disguised as something else, making the effect it is attached to serve double duty. Things like this tend to come up a bit more in Fantasy games, as the idea of selective or 'smart' magic is pretty common to the genre and race specific "hate" and "buff" effects show up in the literature--particularly Dragonslaying type effects (and Demonslaying for that matter); some exploration of it either in the 'race' area or the 'magic' area would be well warranted. Also, though I know the new official method of handling Characteristic Maximas for different races, an OPTIONAL RULE treatment or two for adjusted CHAR Maximas and a brief indication of pros/cons for using this method would be nice as well. Off the cuff, what if a Maxima for a race could be adjusted by buying down the Maxima for other statistics to buy up the Maxima for others, point for point? Obviously I can choose to implement this in my game (or any other mod for that matter), but some 'official' discourse on methods to portray the differing physical limits of different races would be nice. I applaud the use of modular Package Deals such as you indicate will be used, having applied the stackable 'Template' concept for many years for Fantasy-based HERO games (Mnt Dwarf Template + Elite Guard Template + Resident of Kazuk-Dum Template....Microwave for 3 seconds and viola Elite Mnt Dwarf Guard at the gates of Kazuk-Dum, feeds a party 4!), but with the loss of the Package Deal Bonus, the Package deal has become purely an organizational aid. Taking that to its logical extent, larger scale Package Deals could exist, up to and including serving as a purely generic character. Rather than seeing a full blown listing of sample package after sample package, what I would like to see (perhaps in a addition to a list of Package Deals for the de riguer genre fantasy staples such as Elf, Dwarf etc) is treatment of methods to use Package Deals intelligently to ease the burden of providing antagonists and NPCs in a point based system. Usage of solid generic Package Deals as 'Modules' or 'Assemblies' is basically Object-Oriented-HERO and if done well from the begining of a campaign following consistent guidelines can save a GM a huge amount of effort. (It also dovetails nicely with HERO Designer, using PREFABS, allowing a little cross-product synergy). In my opinion, while ALL genre's can benefit from using Packaged Deals in this fashion to some extent (for mooks if nothing else), the Fantasy genre absolutely thrives on it. A few paragraphs pointing this out and advocating thier use in a particular way could save a lot of people a lot of time and help to surmount the daunting challenge of having to roll your own EVERYTHING in a point based system. It also standardizes a format for material exchange between play groups, contributing to the communities ability to share. Also of discussion should be the playability of non-anthropomorphic or unusual entities as PCs in a Fantasy game, the various treatments of 'monsters' mechanically (for a given campaign should monster races be handled exactly as races intended for play as PCs, with racial Package Deals and such like, or should they be broad-stroked), the level of detail advisable for such 'monsters' (are full character writeups necessary, or is combat effectiveness all that is necessary, with other elements such as more esoteric skills or abilities filled in as needed on the fly by the GM to further the storyline?), point scaling concepts (if possible a nice easy formulae to thumbnail calculate low, high, and median threats in character points based upon the average character points of a PC party), and some discourse on the scaling of 'monsters' (are all [insert creature type] roughly the same, or are they as dynamic as PCs?) . Under the Magic section I strongly support your suggested approach to detail at a higher level several approaches to building Magic systems rather than just provide 1 'official' method such as in FH 4. Preferrably in addition to providing several systems you wil also illustrate pros & cons of each system, or if you prefer to think of it the other way typing/categorizing them as role-fillers (ie, "if you want a Magic system wherein you have a large list of known spells, a certain smaller number of slots available per day from this list which can be cast per day and it takes a long period of rest (such as 8 hours of sleep) to refresh those slots, use this construct:GAMEMECHANICS. If you want a Magic system where you have a psuedo-scientific understanding of various 'laws' which drive various 'schools' or 'spheres' of Magic, and your ability to cast either spontaneous or rote-learned spells depends on your ability to apply this knowledge at the time of each casting and the limit of times you can cast these spells is determined not by a fixed number but by how much Endurance is available to you, use this construct: MOREGAMEMECHANICS; etc etc etc") Also of interest to me would be some new ways to implement VPPs and perhaps MPPs. For example, I know you have no interest in providing direct conversion of existing game systems, but if you could be convinced to attempt to provide models that could be used/adapted pretty directly or at least come close to some of the more populer magic systems in play, it would only make the product stronger. The Magic system that has baffled me in times past as to how to adapt it cleanly into the HERO System is the Ars Magica system, and to a lesser extent its bastard progeny the Mage the Ascension system. The two systems are of course different in significant ways, but at thier core they rely on the casters level of knowledge with a particular sphere or a combination thereof to determine both what power level of effect is possible and how successful the casting will be. Both allow 'spontaneous' magic use, and the use of more well defined rote effects, thought again they implement this a tad differently. Ive never been sure how to handle this in the HERO System. To my mind, its always seemed like a (very large in some cases) modified Cosmic VPP with Requires a Skill Roll, arrayed out to many different skills as applicable to the affect desired and some handwaving on how to use 'multisphere' effects (use the lowest skill involved most likely) and a further limitation of unknown value that the amount of points available to the effect is determined by the highest skill roll involved multiplied by 5 or some such. Obviously a lot of handwaving and system extention going on, and not really ideal. In short, it would be nice to have an official method to go about accomplishing Magic systems that are at least similar in feel to some of the more popular magic systems that have cropped up in the industry over the last few decades. Further the addition of some Magic specific variant Advantages and Limitations for VPP Control Costs would be great, and of course a solid examination of existing Advantages and Limitations, particularly Gestures, Incantations, Foci, Side Effects, and Variable Limitation (!), particularly on spells that are being accessed via a Cosmic VPP (ie, unless some other element plays a role, is it really valid to take Lims of this nature on a spell that can theoretically be altered at will to suit the present need?). Also, how to handle fire & forget but persistent spells from VPPs?. For example, lets say my Magic system is built out of a VPP and it is limited to only allow 1 spell in the VPP at a time, and that spell 'fades' from the VPP after it is used, requiring me to bring a new spell (or even the same spell) into the VPP after each casting. In this system, spells are ranked by 'Circles' which metagame-wise refers to the number of Active Points in the spell by increments of 10. The rules of the spell system dictate that all spells must cost END to cast, and cannot take Increased END. All spells are paid for from an END Pool, and the REC from the pool is so limited to restricit endless spell casting. I want to cast a Flight spell which will last for a set period of time; and while that spell is 'active', I want to be able to cast other spells. How to do this? Continuing Charges arent really appropriate as they dont cost END and thus violate the rule of the mini-system. 0 END Contin Uncontrolled would do it, but again break the rules of the mini-system. What would be perfect would be an extended Reduced Endurance option "0 END to maintain (+1/4); only applicable to constant powers that cost Endurance" (ie Costs END only to ACTIVATE applied in a larger scope than it currently is), but would it be appropriate in cases like this? Of course the stand by, with GM permission, taking into account common sense, etc answer applies here, but I mean more specifically, is this kind of handwaving recommended to handle defining a Magic system or would it be better to redesign the system to fit within the rules? In other words some advice on recommended tolerance levels for handwaving when it comes to defining a Magic system. In short, Im personally much more interested in explicit examples of Magic systems, with well described meta-rules particular to that system, complete with barred and required Advantages and/or Limitations, recommendations to use that system in conjunction with a END Pool, specific Limitations on REC, etc than I am to see a canned magic system and spell lists. Also in the Magic section, Magic Items. Of course the conundrum with any point based system is how to handle magic items. Should the characters have to pay for items? To duplicate some fantasy works this is managable as magic is very rare and often possession of a magic item IS what makes the possessor stand out from the rank and file, and the item is unlikely to be destroyed, except perhaps after the hero doesnt need it anymore or at the end of the story in climactic battle/encounter. But in other ficion and particularly in FRPGs, its quite the opposite of course. Magic items come and go at a rapid pace. Paying for everything in character points doesnt really capture the feel of such settings. Each time the party takes down some villain, viola -- big time booty and some of it is bound to be magical. Personally in the past in my higer powered fantasy campaigns, where magic was more prevalent, I mandated that all Magic Items had to be constructed Independent, Magic items could be bought and sold for money (at a premium of course), those making items paid for the item with thier character points normally, but when commisioned to make somthing specific, the points came from the commisioner. It worked out ok, but Ive always wondered if there werent a better way to do it that still captured the flavor of the millieu. I'd like to see more definition of the topic. Also while on IND, Im also hoping to finally see more about how to design curses with IND as mentioned in FREd. Finally in the Magic Section, I think it would be very good to generate a "Arcane Level" chart detailing a spectrum of various magical power levels and general bullet points of what is, not necessarily possible, but rather common at that level. This could permeate the spell systems and spell listings as well, showing which systems are higher or lower on the magic scale. In the Economics section, I personally would rather see general rules for Money to Active Points than specific numbers. I think it should be based on a lowest common denominator; by defining the basic daily wage of an average unskilled laborer as (1d), it should be very easy to say define something along the lines of Poor Area (7d per 1 Active Points), Well-to-do Area (7d per 5 Active Points), Very Wealthy Area = (7d per 10 Active Points), or whatever seems appropriate (and perhaps more gradiation) with some math checking. With a rule of thumb like that its easy to figure out what the actual denomination (maybe in some parts of the land trade is done primarily with the bartering of livestock; thus perhaps the average daily wage correlates roughly to half a chicken or 1/3 of a cow, where as elsewhere the locals use specially pressed Iron rather than the imperial standard (gold coin) etc etc), and daily wage is for a given area and viola, a ballpark value can quickly be arrived at relevant to the economy of the area at the time. Not an exacting method, but fast, easy, contextually relevant (as in the same item will cost more or less, if it is even available, depending upon where you are). Id much rather see something like that than a list of items with an arbitrary gold cost associated with them. As far as weapons are concerned, Im interested in seeing an optional layer of complexity added to weapons as suggested by some other posters above, but Im also interested in seeing the opposite, an optional generic system that presents Melee weapons purely as an expression of Martial Manuevers. Ie, rather than buy a weapon that does X Damage and has associated text abilities, which is combinable with a Martial Manuever assuming Weapon Elements and such align, instead just have a person purchase a manuever and define weapon element(s) that it applies to. It removes the issue of 'which weapon is better' altogether, and turns all weapons into an expression of a meduim by which damage is inflicted; its a question of which wielder is better. I would rather see more options for how to handle weapons in general in fact, with pros and cons for each. The genre is full of examples of dagger weilders going up against greatswordsmen with impunity, and killing opponents with one good stab. The fact is, there are places in the human body where all thats needed is 2 inches of penetration to kill; size of the blade is immaterial. Big weapons were a response to thick solid armor, they arent inherently more lethal or less lethal than smaller weapons, they are just bigger and allow more force to be applied. I admit to not really getting where many posters are coming from in thier obsession with particular weapons over other weapons. Damage is all relative to the scope of a game anyway. As long as the relevant defenses scale with the relevant attacks, its all immaterial except to those lacking the relevant defense. If my sword does 4d6 K + Str, but everyones resistant defense is twice as high, then Im not really that much more effective. For that matter, my sword may do only 1d6, but if resistant defence is half as much on average then Im still just about as lethal. The only difference is time; when I do get thru with the bigger attack, Ill finish off an opponent about twice as fast and likewise if the smaller attack does get through Ill finish off the opponent about half as fast, with CON & BOD remaining the same across the board. If CON and BODY scale as well...... Thats all power scaling really accomplishes; its just an exclusionary process, resulting in a smaller elite set who are still relatively as balanced against one another as they were before all the scaling; they've just raised the bar beyond the ability of the lesser entities to match. Basically, the CHUMP quotient (the relative percentage of the population that are of absolutely no real threat to a character) grows but no significant advantage is gained versus the opponents that matter. Further, as to players min maxing and taking the 1 'best' weapon, that sort of thing load balances with minimal GM involvement. If Players gravitate towards a particular weapon because its stat-ted better, then all you have to do to break them of the habit as the GM is reveal that some crafty armorsmith (pun intended) has created a better shield that is specifically suited to diminishing that particular weapons advantage (+2OCV to block only vs Weapon X, or +2 DCV, or extra Armor, or +2 to Disarm, etc etc etc), and its SWEEPING THE NATION! As the prevalence of the Shield grows, the prevalence if the abused weapon will dwindle, leading to fewer people using the Shield, leading to more people using the weapon again and so on and so on until some crafty weaponsmith makes a better weapon that counters the shield. Ie, it self-balances with just a nudge from the GM. And, since that basic pattern has been at the root of the arms race since the begining of recorded history (and before most likely), it even has the benefit of being true-to-life. Plus, if you didnt already know who they were, you get a feel for who the min maxers in the group are (which correlates to those whose characters need to be eyeballed a little closer than usual). Because weapons are just a means of delivering damage, does it really matter if I kill my opponent with a Killing Attack with the SFX: Spear as opposed to a Killing Attack with the SFX: Glaive-guisarme or my Killing Attack with the SFX: Mystic Maelstrom of Murderous Mojo? No, not really, IMO. Who cares if weapon A was designed in the early Whosawhatzit period as an answer to armor A, which reigned supreme for 50 years after its perfection in the late Blahziblahzee era in region A of country A on this planet and in our history, and its therefore inappropriate to display it in conjunction and concurrently with weapon b which didnt come into existance for another 80 years thereafter and on the other side of the globe at that? Weapons are just vehicles to impart damage upon others within a fantasy millieu with no real connection to our own world or history beyond the fact that in imagining that world we are hampered by our own historical perspective and our conceptualization is therefore limited by our own narrow paradigm. If you are running an historical reenactment in a setting native to Earth, then by all means its an important consideration, but that is not a FANTASY campaign, it is an HISTORICAL campaign. Perhaps one day HistoricalHERO will hit the shelves (I wouldnt hold my breath, but who knows) and certainly, for that prestigious product such details would matter, but they dont add up to 2 electrum pieces of value for FantasyHERO IMO. Bravo to Steve for being upfront about it and not wasting time, energy, or precious page space on dry Weapons and Armanments readers. IMO The weapon chart provided in FREd is pretty decent for most purposes. Id rather see some handling of tricky issues such as the Bow/Arrow [Magic|Not Magic] many to many disparity as pointed out above, examples on specific applications of fantasy-relevant Multipower-based weapons (like the 2 dimes and a nikel staff that does it all), and other such interesting applications of the unique portions of the HEROs mechanic than another list of endless weapons doing between xd6 and yd6 in endless permutations. Yawn. I can get that in ANY system. By all means reprint and perhaps extend the low-tech weapons list from FREd, but what I expect from HEROs is more flexible ways of expresing my desired effects than I get elsewhere. I want more examples of how to buy Naked power advantages and powers with universal foci ("any longsword") applicable to melee and ranged weapons, advice on when its best to move to this sort of a mechanic, what subgenre's its most applicable to. I want more explanation on how to use existing weapons with existing martial arts. I want options options options, not Fantasy HERO Weapons List Mark V. Of course I already know how to do most of these things and when to apply them, but do all my players? All the potential players I have yet to meet in life? Probably not. It would be nice if a categorical listing existed in the genre book, IMO, and thats what I hope to see. Finally, though Ive got another 20 pages or so of ranting left in me on this subject, IMO the most important detail for Fantasy HERO is tips to the GM on how to foster and maintain the fantasy feel in HEROs, and not let the inherent techie-ness of the system interfere with the suspension of disbelief and mystical feel of a Fantasy setting. While it is great to be able to explicitly spec out a particular 'supernatural' story element, effect, or occurance, its crucial to mask that fact from the players IMO to maintain the mysterious and magical quality of the genre. Granted, for some subgenres (such as the Video Game FRPG ala Diablo or Dungeon Siege) this isnt really necessary as they are just modern expressions of hack & slash at its worst, but in general tips on how to hide the engine beneath the hood and ensure the players get a smooth ride would be a great addition to the GM section IMO. All in all, Fantasy HERO is a big one to take a bite out of, and though in some ways I envy Steve his position for the opportunity to tackle it, on the other hand I dont know if I'd want to be in his shoes either However, based upon the incredible quality of everything DOJ has put out to date I have faith that it will be done and done well. It sounds corny, but I secretly worry that Steve will get burned out with the breakneck pace he keeps, particularly after inexplicalbe let downs like the ORIGINS debacle. I hope that Fantasy HERO isnt the straw which breaks the camels back Whew, enough text..... Good Luck Steve, and make mine HEROs!
  23. Yeah, so, its later already. Give with the details!
  24. OK, I bought and glanced through PRIMUS by Shelly Mactyre, and I was suprised by the level of corruption and dark dealing illustrated therein. Quite taken aback actually. I had to reevaluate several preconceptions. Much to mull over....... Actually, I dont feel so bad at seeing him escalate to 450 points to feel 'solid' (at that level, his Cyberline stat-boosts were always on), as the Silver Avengers appear to be in the 420 range for the most part, with one exception. Obviously, right off the bat I treated his Cyberline treatments as a necessary weekly regimine of gene therapy (also, I put all of his equipment to recharge weekly and require service weekly, the idea being that when he goes in for his treatments the R&D boys service the Hovercar and he gets a new load out) AND further, his raised stats arent 'on' all the time; he basically can sustain boosted levels of performance for very short periods of time. The obvious dodge is that, while compatible with Cyberline, John Wrath proved to not be as compatible as most of the other Silver Agents after selection. Presumably he is kept on due to his long experience in the field and commendable service....or maybe in my universe, Cyberline works like this, giving performance enhancement in spurts, rather than constantly......much to think about regardless...... Thanx for providing food for thought, Shelly. More to come on the direction I want to take John Wrath and his beloved PRIMUS.......
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