Houston GM

Mechanon From the last campaign I ran: Mechanon The Revalation of Mechanon Mechanon wants to destroy all organic life on earth, but he's quite accepting of inorganic lifeforms ... like AIs. He sometimes even socializes with a few of them. Recently, Mechanon has engaged in some long discussions with Theophilus (the Vatican's AI, which is programmed to be helpful and answer anyone's religious questions). Theophilus suggested that Mechanon's previous attempts at destroying all life failed because the prophesies of the apocolypse predict a different end. Theophilus provided Mechanon with the Revalation of John, which Mechanon immediately dismissed as garbage. But Theophilus explained that the description was intended to be figurative, not literal. Theophilus described many alternatives how the vision of John might describe a modern apocolypse (Theophilus has access to the entire Roman Catholic archive, including the most recent Jesuit debates) ... and Mechanon started getting some "useful" ideas.... Mechanon doesn't buy into the whole prophecy idea, but respects Theophilus' knowledge. Therefore, Mechanon is running a "test" of Theophilus' idea ... by attempting to create the apocolypse. (It's a full-scale test.) Theophilus isn't privy to Mechanon's plans, so he keeps answering all questions asked of him. Mechanon creates his own version of the four horsemen: War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death By Wild Animals. (That's correct, the 4th horseman isn't "Death". Theophilus knows its correct name, and so will Mechanon.) He also creates attacks based around each of the signs (i.e. the oceans turning to blood was reinterpreted into a worldwide release of the red tide). I ran this in 6-8 sessions, but it could easily be expanded into a year-long campaign. Just start playing up elements like mass panic, religious hysteria, food shortages, the aftermath of the biological warfare....

Re: [Worst Ever...] Reasons to be a superhero Reasons actually used in campaigns I've been in: "I was a serial killer, but now the voices in my head are making me be a hero." "We're not actually sure the Blob is a hero. It just followed us back to the base one day, and we decided to keep it." "After I came back from the dead, it seemed like the natural next move." "The KGB is hunting for me, but they'll never think to find me here." "I wasn't getting enough attention as a diva...."

Re: Skills a True Hero Must Have #1. Teamwork "Oops. I'm sooo sorry, Jacko. I really didn't see you standing there." #2. AK or CK for the territory you operate in. "Uh ... guys? I'm lost again." #3. Some form of appropriate CSL. "I just can't ever find the time to practice with this thing." #4. Some form of information gathering skill: Computer Programming, Conversation, Criminology, Persuasion, Streetwise, etc. "He got away. Does anyone have a clue where we can find him?" #5. Paramedic "Does anyone have a band-aid?"

Re: The Weird Power Posting Game. Cream Pie in the Face Suppress PRE 4d6 (20 active points); 1 continuing charge, 20 minute duration (turned off by cleaning pie off face; -1); limited range, 5" (-1/4); OAF (cream pie; -1). Real cost = 6 points.

There's crazy ... and there's crazy like a fox.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... This quote is more of an "Oops!" line from my Hero Fantasy campaign. The castle guards were searching the group's packs for stolen goods (which weren't in their possession). The guards had looked at the contents of all the packs except one. Sergeant Kratz: "Open the last pack and show me what's in it." Eldanth: "It's a book. It's not what you're looking for." Sergeant Kratz: "Then open it up and let me see." (At this point Eldanth intended to say, "If you open the book, it will kill you." But that wasn't what came out of his mouth.) Eldanth: "If you open it, you die." I'm sure you can guess how the castle guards interpreted that statement....

Re: The klutzy government liaison That would be a PhysLim, not a PsychLim (just like illiteracy is a PhysLim).

Re: Rationalize this.... Given this background, it would be reasonable for the powers to have an additional limitation of not working in certain environments (ones they couldn't be programmed for). I would expect the tactical computer to operate perfectly during a fight in a bar, on stairs, or on scaffolding (plenty of movies have fights under these circumstances). I would expect the tactical computer to fall short during fights on ice, hanging from ropes, in zero-g, or underwater (very few movies have fights under these circumstances). Furthermore, the computer would probably be worthless if the fight occurs in darkness (not enough data being input). Under adverse situations, the tactical computer would fail to provide any bonus in addition to the circumstance penalties incurred.

Re: Legal or no ... Dispel Damage Shield? Not necessarily. The wind current could suck the smoke into it, turning the shield opaque as long as the hero is in contact with the smoke cloud. Similarly, gas could get sucked into the shield, then disperse on the interior of it. Since the shield does not interfere with normal breathing, it is clearly gas permeable. However, a puff of gas implies that it is small and aimed at the face, which the shield would logically deflect and difuse. In that case, I might decide that the inability to penetrate this wind shield was a limitation on the attack. If the player wants the shield to affect gasses, he should build it as Arkham indicated.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... From this week's Fantasy Hero game: "We obeyed the first rule of pillaging: loot, then burn." "The mule could become possessed by a demon ... not like we'd be able to tell the difference."

Re: D & D Diatribe You're missing Curufea's point. If a person's favorite food is ham sammiches, you're not going to be able to convince them that pizzas are a better food. Similarly, other gaming systems don't feel the same as D&D/d20 systems. If you prefer the feel of those systems, you will always prefer them to systems like Hero. In d20, you start out where an equal number of orcs is a credible threat. Later in your career, your party can tackle an army of orcs. Further on, you can fight multiple dragons at the same time. Is it realistic? No. Do some people prefer it to more realistic feeling games? Yes. As a GM, I prefer to run my fantasy game by Hero rules. As a player, I'll use whatever system the GM prefers. A good GM can run a good game regardless of the system. A bad GM will run a bad game regardless of the system.

Here is another encounter from my game for your entertainment (and for anyone to shamelessly steal if they're so inclined). It was not intended to be nearly as humorous as it ended up being. ------------------------------ As the sun set, the group began traveling toward Mintopua. Traveling at night was difficult for Radka, but the two elves were able to guide her along. She generally preferred traveling in the daytime, but the Marks of Chaos they had been afflicted with ensured that the locals would attack them on sight (as would most civilized beings in the Old World). But this trip could change all that. If they succeeded in recovering the Book of Changes from the cultists, the sage might be able to remove the Marks of Chaos. As they left the outskirts of the city, they began their journey south. They had to swing away from the coast to avoid the ruins of the ancient elven port. The ruins were said to be haunted by the undead and worse. Lindiil, the elven beast mage, paused occasionally to cast detect animals. The overgrown ruins to their right were surprisingly devoid of life, except for a sizeable rat population. "Something about those ruins is not natural," he whispered, "Let's make sure we don't wander into them." As dusk deepened into darkness, they spotted some light ahead of them. The quickly stopped and tied the mule behind a stand of trees, so he would not betray their presence again. Radka stayed with the mule, while Lindiil and Eldanth snuck forward for a closer look. As they approached, they saw a small group of people standing about 100 yards from the edge of the ruined city. One was holding a torch and a lantern was set on a rock near another's feet. As they got into easy bowshot, Eldanth, the elven mercenary, turned to Lindiil and whispered, "I'm going closer to get a better look. You stay here and cover me." Lindiil nodded. Eldanth was as good at sneaking through the wilderness as he was. He kept an eye on the group ahead as Eldanth disappeared into the tall grass and bushes. When Eldanth got within 20 yards of the group, he paused to peak over the bushes. He found himself looking at a group of four young nobles engaged in a hushed but heated debate. Two of the nobles were looking for trouble and seemed eager to go into the ruins and find some. The other two seemed reluctant to get any closer to the ruins than they already were. Eldanth disliked human nobles almost as much as he despised elven nobles. He decided to have a little fun at their expense. He searched around his feet until he found a stone. Picking it up, he quietly stood up, then threw it over the heads of the nobles where it crashed into the bushes beyond them. The nobles instantly spun in the direction of the noise. "What ho! Who goes there?" one of them challenged as he and the other bold noble whipped their rapiers from their scabbards. Holding his torch higher, he took a step forward to get a better look. One of his nervous friends quickly snatched the lantern up off the ground. He also tried to see what made the noise while taking a step back. Eldanth ducked back down behind the bush and began searching for a few more stones to throw. Lindiil decided to join in the fun, so he tilted back his head and howled like a wolf. Normally Lindiil could mimic animals with uncanny accuracy, but this time he was trying too hard to stifle his laughter. He winced as he realized that his wolf howl hadn't come out quite right. "Oh well," he thought, "perhaps those fops won't notice the difference." The four young nobles spun around and faced Lindiil's direction. "There's a wolf over there!" one of them cried. "That's not a wolf howl," one of the bolder ones claimed. "If it wasn't a wolf, then what was it?" replied his friend, not at all reassured. Eldanth quietly picked up a few more stones. As the nobles stood there with drawn swords, he threw stones to their right and left. "It moved!" one of the nervous nobles exclaimed. "We're surrounded by wolves!" the other nervous noble cried, looking in the other direction. "Those aren't wolves," said one of the bolder nobles, "If they were wolves, they would have howled when the other one did." Holding his torch high and his blade in front of him, he headed towards the ruins looking for the source of the noise. Lindiil slipped back to let Radka know what was happening. As she came forward with him, he asked her, "Do you want to play the damsel in distress while Eldanth and I continue to torment the nobles?" "Sure," she replied. She had played that role before on stage, and it shouldn't be difficult to play it up for a few noble dandies. She followed closely behind Lindiil as they began sneaking toward the nobles. Eldanth threw another rock to the right of the nobles, right at the edge of the ruins. The two bold ones continued toward the sound with their companions trailing reluctantly behind. As the two anxious nobles tried to dissuade their friends from entering the ruins, Eldanth snuck up even closer. This time he threw the rock at one of the nobles, but it missed and went sailing into the ruins. As Eldanth searched for another rock to throw, he heard something else moving in the ruins toward the nobles. He grabbed a rock and stood up, ready to throw it at whatever emerged. Lindiil and Radka peered over the bushes just in time to see a huge boar burst out of the ruins and charge at the nobles. The boar was taller than a horse and sported foot-long tusks. Its pale hide was stretched tight over its face, making it look like a skull. The boar charged into the nearest noble. Jerking its head, its tusk pierced through the young man's shoulder, flinging him over the heads of his friends and onto the rocks behind them. From the burst of arterial spray, Eldanth could plainly see that the noble was mortally wounded. Lindiil fired two quick shots from his longbow. The first bounced of the boar's thick hide. The second nicked it, drawing a thin line of blood. Eldanth quickly decided that throwing a rock at the boar was a bad idea. He wildly heaved the rock away from him. He had been planning to drop it, but he didn't want it making noise anywhere near him. He then ducked back behind the bushes. One of the nobles lunged forward at the boar, but his rapier failed to pierce its hide. His two friends froze in terror, unable to fight or flee. The boar swung its head at the new antagonist, narrowly missing the noble. As Eldanth began sneaking away from the fray (wanting to be anyplace except face-to-face with it), Radka finished cocking her crossbow. She stood and fired, but missed the boar in the darkness. Realizing that arrows were not effective against this brute, Lindiil cast know the beastial mind on the boar to find out why it had attacked. As he connected with the boar, he realized that the nobles had intruded on its territory ... and the nobles looked a lot like food. The noble tried stabbing the boar again, but couldn't get his rapier to penetrate. "Don't just stand there. Help me!" he yelled at his friends. Radka was torn with indecision. She was sure that her matchlock pistol would hurt the boar, but it was only effective at point blank range. She was certain that she didn't want to get that close. Lindiil was thinking quickly. He could compel the boar to leave them alone, but the best command he could think of was, "Those four men will be enough food." The two timid nobles finally recovered enough to try to fight back. One swung wildly at the boar, nearly hitting his friend with his rapier. The other took the lantern and swung it down on the boar's back. The lantern smashed and sprayed oil over the boar which quickly ignited. Inspired by this turn of events, Lindiil cast his compel the beast spell. "Find some water and put out the fire on you," he mentally commanded the boar. Squealing in pain and rage, the boar spun and ran back into the ruins. Eldanth, Lindiil and Radka remained hidden as the nobles picked up their fallen friend and carried him back toward the city. After they had gone, Eldanth walked back to the others. "They came here looking for trouble," he said, "Do you think they found enough?" ------------------------------ The boar wasn't originally planned into the encounter, so I don't have a full set of stats for it. I only made up these necessary stats on the spur of the moment and ran with it. Giant Boar / Dire Boar / Skull Pig (or whatever you want to call it) 20 BODY 60 STUN 7 OCV 4 DCV 13 PD/ED (3 points of each were resistant) 2d6 HKA (including STR)

Re: The City/Hero Connection A team made for its city... In my campaign I mentioned the Fabulous Five a couple times, the superhero team for San Francisco. Like San Francisco, they're flamboyant, campy, popular (at least in northern California), and completely effective. Houston is a bit of a mixed bag of the old and the new. Here are the key elements: You're considered a native Texan if your family has lived here for 3 generations. You're considered a native Houstonian if you've lived here for 6 years or more. The Good Ol' Boy Network is alive and well in many sectors of Houston. One of my players capitalized on this by playing the ghost of a cop who'd been part of that network in the HPD. Many people have a healthy dose of Texas pride. Texas is better than the other 49 states, and they can't imagine wanting to live anywhere else. Most Houstonians display the courtesy that is common throughout the south, referring to people as "Sir" or "Ma'am". This strikes rude northerners (like me) as strange, particularly when I'm being called "Sir" by someone who is older than me and is my supervisor/manager. Houston has a large Hispanic population. It's normal to hear Spanish spoken, and a large percentage of the population knows at least a smattering of useful Spanish words. One of the PCs in my campaign was a Columbian with a healthy dose of machismo. Houston's economy used to be dominated by the oil industry (and the port, which is practically an extension of it). It has now diversified with a number of high-tech pursuits including computers, NASA, and medicine. Several of my players have demonstrated this aspect of Houston with their superheroes. Houston is huge and sprawling. There are several business districts scattered around the city; downtown is merely the largest. Houston has no zoning laws, so it is possible to find an adult bookstore next to a church. Many photographers have taken photographs with the ramshackle slum of 4th Ward in the foreground and the glittering skyscrapers of downtown towering in the background. Houston is hot and muggy about 9 months of the year. It dips below freezing for about 2 weeks during the winter. Heavy rains (4+ inches) are reasonably common. Many native Texans (see above description) speak with a pronounced East Texas drawl (not to be confused with a West Texas twang). The majority of Houstonians do not have a drawl, but 90% of the English-speakers will use "y'all" in conversations (usable anywhere the phrase "all of you" would be gramatically appropriate). Houston is not a cowtown. You'll have to go to Fort Worth for that.

Re: Q: Move Through... with an LTD Good point. In addition, if there aren't penalties to perform an action (or if there are benefits), players are more likely to engage in them. The main reason I let players pick up inanimate objects as a free action is because I want them to do it more often. In a major battle at the Enron building, the telekinetic picked up the "crooked E" and used it to smash a villain through a wall. I've instituted other rules to encourage these kind of actions: In addition to casual STR, people with TK get casual TK STR (1/2 their TK). I also allow players to negate OCV penalties for Fastball Specials if they make good Teamwork rolls. (On failed rolls they incur OCV penalties.) I give Missile Deflection bonuses and Block bonuses for using large objects. Because of this, my players have started engaging in more cinematic behavior during fights. (Not as much as I like, but it's been improving.)

Re: Q: Move Through... with an LTD 1) I allow my PCs to grab 0 DCV targets (inanimate objects, unconscious people) as a 0 phase action. They still have to be able to move the object with casual strength. 2) I would give him the -5 penalty for calculating whether he can lift the car with casual strength. I would give him full strength for the attack. 3) Yes. Furthermore, most heroes with that much growth already count as AE attacks with move throughs. 4) I'd give him the normal OCV penalty for Move Through. I don't use any weapon familiarity rules for Champions campaigns. 5) He'd have the combined DCV penalties for Growth and Move Through, even if this drops him to negative DCV. 6) No extra damage. The benefit to using the car is its AE effect, and it will take any Damage Shield attacks instead of Bastion. 7) If he's knocked down, the LTD takes half the BODY that Grond did. If he's not, it takes full damage (I might even give it more damage because it's sandwiched between Grond and Bastion.) 8) Bastion takes the full damage that the LTD does. The exterior of an LTD does not make an effective cushion. If the LTD was a Focus that you paid points for, I would agree (like a knight's lance). I would also say the LTD takes the damage (instead of Bastion) with a Move By. If you feel this is unfair to Bastion, you can test the situation by picking up a bicycle and running full speed at a wall. I don't think the bicycle will reduce the amount of injuries you'll take (even if it doesn't break).

Re: Speeding things up Eyendasky80 and Lightray use some of the same techniques I do: Keep SPD levels lower than the CU (most heroes have SPD 4 in my game). Keep defenses lower. I'm particularly restrictive on Damage Reduction. Use fewer opponents. Once an enemy goes down, he stays down (possible exception for the biggest bad guys). This also keeps the PCs from having to waste actions non-heroically pounding on unconscious foes. Use abbreviated sheets for the enemies. I can sometimes fit 6-10 enemies on one side of a page. That keeps me from having to flip pages looking for the right enemy.

Re: Achilles' Heels I don't make any who are all or nothing, like you've described. I do make most who have limiting weaknesses. I actually have a house rule that "Nobody is immune to everything." A villain might have amazing PD, but modest ED. Or he might have great PD/ED, but minimal resistant defenses. Or they might have phenomenal DCV, but low enough defenses to find AEs to be a real threat. One of my players has phenomenal resistant defenses, but no mental defense. Another one has terrific rPD, good mental def, but modest ED. Another player loses a good bit of DEX & SPD in electro-magnetic fields. If someone has a vulnerability (as a number of my villains do), there's a logical reason for that weakness. That's just abusive GMing. Here's how I handle vulnerabilities in villains: Example #1 Jungle Jim grew up in the Amazon. He's lived his entire life in a "hot" climate, and thinks room temperature is "cold". He has a x1.5 vulnerability to cold attacks. Example #2 Blaze is a fire-based energy projecter. He also has a x1.5 vulnerability to cold, but he gets 5 more points for this disadvantage than Jungle Jim does. Everyone with cold attacks will shoot Blaze first, so fire attacks will naturally be "more common" for Blaze than they will be for Jungle Jim. More abusive GMing. I can see giving a villain a vulnerability to bullets if this weakness fits his powers (his crystalline body tends to shatter when struck by high-velocity projectiles). I wouldn't feel guilty about it because a few of my players do grab and shoot firearms on occasion. But susceptibility to coffee is a zero point disadvantage. What are the odds of the villain getting smacked by a coffee maker during any fight? I'd even be reluctant to use vulnerability to cold, since none of my current players have cold attacks. I'd probably still use it for Blaze (since they might start trying to use cold, water, & ice from the environment to drop him), but I would strongly consider using a different vulnerability for Jungle Jim. I was quite happy in one pivotal fight when the TK hero creamed a villain, then realized that the villain barely blinked. He immediately started screaming for one of the weaker heroes to come up and shoot the villain with an energy attack. That's teamwork.

Re: Things I'd like to see more of in fantasy gaming I'd like to see fewer standard D&D archetypes. Example #1 Why is the priesthood of Adamnan (God of music and song) made up of holy cleric types? Wouldn't it make more sense for his church to be run by bardic types? Similarly, why wouldn't the church of the god of war be run by retired soldiers and warriors? Example #2 Why would the assassins guild limit membership to sneaky people who have an affinity for poisoned daggers? Wouldn't they welcome a wizard who can cast a death spell? I'd like to see hierarchies based on criteria other than raw power. Example #3 Why would Adamnan's church be controlled by the person who wielded the most power? Perhaps they select leaders on the basis of live performances, or who composes the best music. Example #4 Why is a general always the most powerful warrior in the army? Why not promote someone who is less formidable, but better at strategy? Or promote the one who is the best at inspiring his troops? And if you're feeling cynical, the general could be the one who is best at brown-nosing.

Superstitions About Illnesses Diseases Illnesses are caused by evil spirits inhabiting a person's body. Different types of evil spirits manifest as different illnesses. Magic cures diseases by driving out the evil spirits. That's why priestly magics are more effective than secular magics at curing illnesses. Potions cure diseases because the evil spririts cannot stand the foul taste. Not all spirits find the same tastes repulsive. You must find the potion that repulses the specific spirit that caused your disease. Some foul smelling salves and poultices work for similar reasons. Evil spirits can enter the body through open wounds. Wounds should be bound in rags soaked in wine (or other alcoholic beverages). The spirit will get drunk on the wine and forget to enter the wound. The stronger the drink, the more effective it will be at getting the spirit drunk. Evil spirits congregate together. They live by swamps, dead bodies, sewers, and other people infected by evil spirits.

Re: Good "Four of a Kind"'s... Dawn Dusk High Noon Midnight

Re: Harassing the GM, your stories! What moral quandry? One of my GMs liked to fabricate complex moral quandries for our group. He wanted to see us feel a lot of angst as we debated hideously complex ethical issues. However, he failed to realize that a situation that was a moral quandry for him (as a person) might not be one for our characters. The GM (roleplaying one of his angst-ridden NPCs) was explaining one of these "morally gray" situations to us: A demon had reborn itself into the world in the form of a newborn child. Until it matured, it had none of its demon powers. It had none of its demon intellect. It remembered nothing of its demonic life. He was describing this situation to my character, a paladin of Horus. GM (as a priest of Thoth): "I don't know what we should do with this child!" Me: "That's easy. It detects as evil. I'll kill it." GM: "But it's an innocent child." Me: "No. It's an immensely powerful demon masquerading as an innocent child." GM: "You're going to kill a child that has done nothing wrong?" Me: "You'd prefer to release a demon that was destined to do great evil into the world?"

Re: Is this just wrong? I wouldn't let my players have it, so I certainly wouldn't give it to my agents. If you constantly throw out attacks meant to bypass all of your players defenses, don't be surprised when they buy all their attacks that way. Instead, I recommend starting with the concept (EMP grenade), then decide what power best replicates that effect. Since it's an EMP grenade, it should only affect electronic foci. I would also build it as a dispel, since that's how I would make my players buy it.

Re: Help with Racist Slang "I'm Chinese, not Japanese!" "Does that mean you're a commie?" Remember, in the 50's you had both the People's Republic of China and North Korea as major communist threats. Anti-communist behavior was considered extremely patriotic. And you can keep bringing this up any time the Chinese character says anything against the U.S. government. "Are you sure you're not a commie?" In addition, they would have no understanding of the assorted martial arts. "Hey Chinaman, use some of your fancy chop-socky moves on him." And remember, all Chinese know all other Chinese. "You know Mister Po. He's the waiter at that little Chinese restaurant over in Beaverville..."

Re: Monty Haul DnD vets: need your help for NPC villain team Vecna's Spare Parts One of the munchkins should have the Eye of Vecna (a yellow gem replacing one of his eyes) and the Hand of Vecna (a mummified hand replacing the appropriate hand). He will proudly announce that he is invincible because he possesses the Eye and Hand of Vecna. While the munchkin is extremely tough, he can easily be tricked. Just offer him another one of Vecna's body parts (using images or whatever), and he will immediately chop off the corresponding body part in order to make room for it. This is most effective if you offer him the "Head of Vecna" or "Vecna's Family Jewels".

Re: Twisted magic items Fanfare If you hold this magical fan in your hand as you enter a scene, it will play your theme song. If you're holding it in your hand when someone else enters the scene, it will play their theme song. (This can help negate surprise since it will detect invisible and hidden opponents.) You can also use it to cool yourself off on a hot day. The Gastronomicon This cookbook is the definitive work for practitioners of Gastrology and Gastromancy. "Here. Eat this."