Grailknight

Re: Oihid

I totally disagree. Mere possession of Megascale movement doesn't automatically make one a speedster any more than a 2d6 EB AoE Megascale make a character a Weapon of Mass Destruction. So you can break every window in a 10 mile radius? Big deal. It merely means he gets from City A to City B quickly. The Megascale rules are quite clear that you can't use Magascale to do Move By/Throughs. The essence of a speedster is using their velocity as both attack and defense; it's not characterized simply by high DEX ' date=' movement, or SPD. Even scalability doesn't overcome these weaknesses of Megascale. Whether you move 100 meters or 100000 kilometers per Phase, Megascale still doesn't get you on target.[/quote']

 

I apologize for my lack of clarity. I should have said that Megascale makes a character a speedster in the plot device/transportation sense. It does not make one a combat speedster. My point about scalability is that it DOES eliminate the inaccuracy of megascale and it does it within the written rules. Whether you or I would allow either method is another topic for discussion. I gave my fix, which is purely my house rule, but I would like to hear yours. As an aside, most of the speedsters presented to me use the martial arts method. Is this the method you use with Z'lf? I'd like to play with you guys some time but that's a long drive just to game.

Re: Oihid

Megascale is on of the best things to happen to in 5th overall but I hate how it is applied to movement powers.

Problem 1- It's cheaper than the old way. This problem was actually caused by 4th Ed and megascale was the 5th fix. Under Hero 1-3, Adders did not affect the END cost of a power. This allowed most characters to take 4-8x times on their movement powers and speedsters to to take 16-64x without raising the END cost to unsustainable levels. Any character who takes Megascale is automatically a speedster. Megascale also benefits excessively from the removal of minimum cost levels in movement powers.

Problem 2- The "less control" problem is nonexsistent. Megascale is only 1'" to 1 km by default. If you're willing to accept a slight cost increase set your first breakpoint at 10" and buy scalable. Now you get right where you need to go at hypersonic speeds. Running was always problematical because it has no turn mode by default.

The fix I've used, and YMMV, is to make the first level of Megascale cost +1/2 and to start at a straight 10x multiplier. Scalable is free.

Checked the FAQ's and didn't see anything so here goes

1- Gossamer buys an entangle 4 Def and 4 die entangle with Cumlative at base level. If she hits a target repeatedly does she get to add the Body of the entangles rolled until she reaches a max of 8 body?

2- If so can you purchase higher level of cumulative to make the Max Body higher?

3- Could you use this to restore Body to an entangle that has been damaged by an attack?

4-Can you buy personal immunity to your entangle to simulate the following

a- The ability of the entangler to affect the target bypassing the entangle while the entangle still stops all other attacks?

b- The ability to Pass freely through walls you made with your entangles?

Re: Does Hero System "break" at higher levels, and if so, at what level?

The system doesn't break but it does change focus. As you reach higher and higher power levels, the starting point starts to become insignificant. In my experience this is more a problem in low pt games than in higher because Characteristics are really the most powerful aspects of Hero.

The villainess Delirium hits a pc with an 8d6 cumulative mental illusion with a 96pt. effect maximum. She manages to strike 4 times for 28,30,22 and 31 pts and achieves her max effect. The pc's inner demons manifest and attack him using the cause stun option. How much damage do they strike for? 6d6 or 19d6?

Re: Power Defence... Ugg

Every living thing tries to maintain its form and resists attempts to alter it. If you use this rationale,( I do.) then there is no problem with broad effect power def.

Re: Need Help From LSH Fans: Nemesis Kid writeup

Two points

Nemesis Kid did not gain enough power for an automatic victory over his opponent. His powers would be enough to win if he used them correctly(and he almost always did) but he could be suprised by outside factors. Creative use of the environment might let you beat him but creative use of your powers wasn't any help.

He doesn't get the same powers each time he faces the same opponent. His powers changed without his control but he did instinctively know how to use them.

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

Damage Reduction under 5th covers Adjustment powers if it is bought as resistant.

Re: Best New GC Master Villain

I actually favor Firewing and Maraud. It's not hard to design a scenario with either as a "hero" revitalizing their fading races. Firewing is powerful enogh already, but Maraud would only need a martial arts package to make him truly fearsome.

Re: Villains, Vandals, and Vermin: Who should be in it?

I'd like to see a villain team made up up the last survivors of the collapses of the previous HERO universes. They could include older heros and villains powered up by the interdimensional rift they came thru with slight personality twists.

Re: Galactic Champions

Just got the book on thursday and finally have been able to read it. Overall, I rate it an A-. My main disapointment is as usual the Champions team themselves. I like Charm, Gavis Gan and Rampart but the others seem so bland/poorly designed that the overall effect is spoiled.

Defender-Power Armor character with mimimal Def and miniscule Stun. At least give the man some Stun and Rec aid drugs in the armor so he can wake up to see the second punch coming. To be fair taking the delayed phase off the VPP would fix this.

Firedancer-CVK and no offense but KA's if opponent has an enhanced sense

Bulletproof-No offense to speak of.

Sage-Frail but that's fixable but too boring to make it worth the trouble.

Thalya-Interesting character but is neither fish nor fowl. This lady need to find a sensei to teach her some martial arts. Or frequent the same gun shops that Charm does.

Charm and Gavis Gan are cool concepts and interesting writeups. I can use them with minor tweaks.

Starguard-Interesting take on GL Corps.

The Villains

Mechanon- Picking up the torch from Destroyer and Takofanes. Probalby too powerful to be used as is but definitely a threat to the Whole Galaxy.

Slug and Sovreign are credible threats

Arcane is as weak as you can possibly be and still have a 250pt VPP. That said he HAS A 250 PT VPP and a team of competent supers. My inner munchkin was giddy at the thought of using him but I have a hard time running my villains as incompetent and so he has to go.

The Sword of Ackaal is an excellent example hero team

The Solo villains are well done as a whole but shouldn't Firewing and SuperNova be up with the Master Villains. They both have the power and the scope. I love Maraud and Overrider and will use them asap.

Re: Newbie Question on XP Points

The best way I've used for spending Xp was pretty simple. Think of something you imagine you character can do that he /she can't currently manage and then begin to build that ability. Maybe the first time you "learn" this new stunt it'll have disads that limit its usefullness or availability but as you get more Xp you can buy it to how you finally envision it.

Hope this helps and Welcome to Hero.

Re: Some Basic Entangle Questions

Welcome to Hero!

1) Using casual Str is a 0-phase action. The use of normal Str is either a Full or Half Phase action depending on whether you break the entangle or not.

If you merely reduce the entangle to 0 Body you have a Half Phase left, if you do twice the entangle's CURRENT Body then you have a Full Phase. (5th page 283)

2) Takes no Damage means that the entangle does not block damage from incoming attacks against the entangle character nor is it damaged by them. Only attacks which target the entangle do damage to it and these attacks have a -3 Ocv penalty.

Hope this helps and keep the questions coming!

Re: The Last Hurrah (adventure for your use)

Lighten up guys,

Crackerjack is making a mistake but its more from lack of information than political bias. Reagan was the best of our recent presidents and is seen by some as the founder of the current Republican Party line but that line has gone further right and gotten more bipartisan than it ever was. From a teenager's point of view, politics from the 50's on all blur together. I may have disagreed with Reagan's economics but I don't think he was a hawk and he definitely wouldn't be part of party to such actions.

This scenario, while interesting, hasn't been plausible since the Cuban Missle Crisis. If you want to criticise him do it for lack of research not politics.

Re: Champions vs. Mechanon

Minor quibbles with an otherwise excellent example

1-Mechanon should fly, he has the power at 0 END and it really changes the battle when people can't reach him. At the very least he should brace with it.

2-Lady Liberty should have been blind when she awoke, you take the effects of a mpa all at once.

Re: Upon Further Review: The Champions

He doesn"t have to metagame. Just flying and using his overall levels for DCV will beat them.

Re: Upon Further Review: The Champions

I ran this scenario with my players when Champions was first published and The Champions never survived beyond turn 2 of combat. 5th ed Mechanon can fly (couldn't in any previous version) thus relegating Ironclad and Knighthawk to much lesser roles, Witchcraft is ineffective and Sapphire can't hit him if he fights with his levels defensively. As Intrope has pointed out, the damage from 18d6 plus knockback will one-shot everyone except Ironclad. This isn't to say that Mechanon is too powerful because he isn't. He's the weakest of the 5th edition mastervillains with the possible exception of the Warlord. The Champions could take him if they had a few more levels and they have a slight chance in an indoor scenario as written but my money's on Mechanon.

Re: Mind Trap: How To Build It?

Sorry, forgot my books at a friend's but was able to open HD in another window so... Looks like Mind Scan is out [not an attack power so no DS and you did say you wanted this legal]. Will think more about this tomorrow night but I've got a 12 hr workday startin in 6 hrs.

Re: Mind Trap: How To Build It?

On second thought, what you really want is a Mind Link damage shield.

Re: Mind Trap: How To Build It?

You need Damage Shield with Usable against others with you retaining control and a limitation to make you the only target. Or if you're the Gm just use Damage Shield and make the rest plot device special effect

Re: I've Gone Totaly Mental!

This really isn't anything new since this change was made in 4th ED to make Mental powers more effective without being all or nothing. Still, its galling to have normals shake off your mind control after 1 turn and long term effects are nearly impossible with straight Mental powers. I've used several fixes to get around this over the years.

Option 1: Use the 2x effect for noncombat suprise rules on mental powers as if they were standard attacks. This allows even low powered Mentalists to be fearsome in the right setting.

Option 2: Use the campaign variant rules that say that all normals take 2x effect from all powers, while PC's and powerful NPC's get 1/2 damage reduction from all REAL technology and weapons. My favorite as characters can be worldbeaters without climbing to 20+ DC powers.

Option 3: Use the old rules for mental powers [ 1x,2x,3x and 4x EGO ] but double the cost of Reduced END for Mental powers[ ala autofire ] and require that framework slots be maintained. This makes it harder to get the big effects but there are NO breakout rolls, once you've got they're yours.

Re: Gundam SEED

The US DVD release is scheduled to begin this winter. If you want the import series check it out at sasavcd.com. Be warned this site has a large ADULT focus and should probalby not be viewed from work.

Re: Dark Champions

That kind of ubercompetent polymath is as much a part of the greater genre as the normal-caught-up-in-matter-not-of-their-own-design' date=' and a part no less interesting. I think the full range of what the genre can be should be a part of the core book. Appropriately presented as such, of course, rather than as part of a hodgepodge 'supragenre' presentation.[/quote']

 

I have no problem with such characters in principle given a closed universe or limited crossover with more 4-color campaigns. The problem is that HoJ and Panathanos were more than capabale of killing most if not all of the 4th Ed villains including the worldbeating threats. Why didn't govt agencies hire Panathanos to take down supervillains covertly? In a DC setting, government black ops would be perfectly in genre and while it might be interesting to see your vigilante pc's try to save a bad guy, too many would look the other way or cheer or maybe even help. If they could only do these killings from very stealthy ambushes then that would be one thing, but no 4th ed villain without area affects could take these guys in a straight up one on one fight.

Re: Dark Champions

Actually, IMO, the Power levels in Dark Champions were about right if you consider Harbringer and Panathanos as the equivalents of Dr Destroyer and Takofanes for the genre. The Skill level abuses however should be reined in.

By this I mean no 27-30 DEX Characters with 4+ levels in weapon, range, combat and HIT LOCATION as part of large teams or even as Solo Villains.

Re: VPPs and Limitations

An example to show why I don't allow lim on Var Pools

Mage 1: 50 pt Cosmic Pool with 1/2 variable limitations on powers. Cost 100 pts. May use up to 75 active pts with -1 limitations that are Always on all powers.

Mage 2: 50 pt Cosmic Pool. Cost 125 pts. If limitations are allowed may use 100 pts of powers using the same lims as Mage 1 because lims aren't being halved. May have no lims on powers at any time. May have limited and unlimited powers at same time.

Which character would you rather be? I choose option 2 every time.

The Var Lim Limitation implies that being able to switch lims for the situation makes them only 1/2 value. What would you give as a value for Var Lim that aren't halved and can be turned off? I'd say that was a net advantage because you get free pts at the minimal risk of losing an attack and can eliminate the risk at any time.