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Re: Knowledge Skills in the Future I've always considered research to be one of those special (non-combat) skill areas vital to almost any career, from detective to journalist to historian to scientist. Franklin

Three-point combat skill levels can be purchased for "three maneuvers." Can one of those three maneuvers be the basic Strike? (For ex.: +4 levels w/ Block, Grab, and Strike.) And if not, why not? Thanks in advance! Franklin

Re: How to Know if You're a Redneck Jedi Heh. Nope, 'cuz the Sith (and the Imperials) are the bad guys (which makes 'em all Yankees!), and the Rebs (with the Jedi) are the good guys. Heck, another word for "Alliance" is "Confederation" (and thus "Confederacy")! Franklin

Something has always bugged me about UNTIL, the global "good guy" super-agency in the Champions Universe: Why is it part of the UN? Y'see, the United Nations was never intended to be any kind of supra-governmental body, just a global forum for the nations of the world. If supers really did come into existence, and a global law enforcement agency had to be created as a result, logically this global cop force should be formed as part of whatever global police force may already exist. And as it so happens, we do have such an international police agency (albeit non-super-powered): Interpol. Why did the original writers use the UN? Why didn't they use Interpol? Thoughts? Thanks! Franklin

This is something that has bugged me for quite a while. According to the write-up for Damage Reduction, the limitations "Stun only" and "Body only" are officially worth -1/2. And yet, according to the underlying rules, this should not be (as illustrated below)... Damage Reduction does two things: It reduces the amount of STUN your character takes It reduces the amount of BODY your character takes (There is NO number three!) Now, according to the standard explanation of "Limited Power", something which reduces the effectiveness of a Power by half is worth a -1 (not just a -1/2). If Damage Reduction does just two things, then it follows that eliminating one of those two things is reducing its power by half, yes? (2 minus 1 is 1; 1 is half of 2.) So, why is it that these two "standard" limitations for Damage Reduction are officially worth only -1/2, when the underlying rules justify they're being worth a full -1? I'm posting this in "Discussion" (instead of "Rules Questions") since I want to be able to reply to whatever responses I may receive. Thanks, Franklin

Re: If You Had To Play a Marvel Character… My gut call is for Spiderman. However, be advised, my inner munchkin is already plotting revenge against the GM, for when the GM (inevitably) uses Peter's horrific and well-known "[x]d6 Unluck, only in Secret ID" against me... Franklin

Re: If You Had To Play a DC Character… I want to say I'd pick Batman, because he is (in my opinion) the coolest, and the most believable. Unfortunately, my inner munchkin is screaming, "Superman! SUPERMAN! SU! PER! MAN!!!!" Franklin

Re: Danger Sense vs. Invisibility (and vice versa) OK, now this exception I could go for. A very limited case (vs. Spidey only), with an excellent justification (knowledge of how Spidey's senses work). Thanks! Franklin

This is why I've never permitted Invisibility to be purchased specifically against Danger Sense. By the same token, however, I require Danger Sense to be defined as being in one of my campaign's Sense Groups (Sight; Hearing; Smell/Taste; Touch; Radio; Mental; Mystic); usually, it's defined as part of the Mental or Mystic Sense Groups. Now, I will permit an Invisibility vs. the entire sense group to counter the relevant Danger Sense, but that's in keeping with the special effects defined for the Danger Sense and for the Invisibility... How do you usually handle this type of dilemna? Thanks, Franklin

Re: The Things I Learned Playing A Villain... Sure, if you're traditional and use water. I recommend using ammonia or nitric acid... Franklin

Re: Duke (art and characters) Truer words were never spoken. Franklin

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Five-to-one, the elf's accepted a "contract" on the dwarf. Franklin

Re: Funny game voices Different voices. Sound effects, too...oh, OK, lots of sound effects. (glances at players from gaming group) *sigh* All right, "so many funny voices and sound effects, you'd think he was channeling Billy Crystal and Robin Williams both!" Franklin

Haymaker in 5E I've been thinking of a "house rule" for my campaign, giving the 5E Haymaker the "x1.5" multiplier (with a minimum boost of +4 DCs), and keeping the "it's not just for bricks!" aspect. Thoughts? Thanks in advance! Franklin

Re: WWYCD: Illegal Worker Most of my characters would react the same way: Help the illegal super to become a legal immigrant. Obviously, he (or she) is the kind of immigrant we'd WANT to keep, if he's a superhero! Of course, many of my characters would also insist that the ex-illegal suffer consequences for his lawbreaking..."Community service" sounds about right. Franklin

Re: Systems Operation In my campaign, all of the CHAR-based skills are 3/2 skills (i.e.: I discarded the concept of "category" 2/2 skills), and I use the relevant Background skills (KS and/or PS) for documenting which "categories" said 3/2 skills work with. To answer your question specifically, I use Systems Operation as written in 5E, as a 3/2 skill. I also encourage the acquisition and use of systems familiarities (which I've begun to consider "promoting" to a specific subcategory of PS, such as I've done with TFs and WFs). Hope this helps! Franklin

Re: WWYCD: Snakes on the Plane!

For whatever reason, the heroes are travelling aboard a civilian commercial airliner across the Pacific Ocean. About halfway to their next destination, suddenly, hundreds of poisonous snakes slither into the passenger compartment! What do your heroes do?!? Notes: First of all, I did not see this idea already posted on this forum. If someone else has already done so and I just missed your message thread, please accept my apologies. Second, this little thought experiment has as one of its underlying presumptions that the heroes in question do have Secret IDs. Heroes with a Public ID obviously have nothing to risk (well, other than their own lives), and heroes with neither a Secret ID nor a Public ID just have a little risk (to their personal/social lives, that is). Thanks! Franklin

I wrote: To which you replied:

According to 5E, pg. 77, someone buying Hardened Defenses must specify which one attack Advantage will be neutralized by the Hardened Defenses, when an attack power has more than one of the listed Advantages. Thus, if I am reading that correctly, if I say "This Hardened Defenses stops Penetrating" then the Hardened Defenses is no good at all against a power with both Armor-Piercing and Indirect (as neither of those are Penetrating). Shouldn't that read that the purchaser chooses in what order those three attack Advantages will be neutralized? (E.g.: "This Hardened Defenses neutralizes Penetrating first, then Armor-Piercing, and then Indirect, as applicable.") Thanks, Franklin

Re: I can't wrap my head around a.... Just a couple of things, for me: Mimes In the first Batman movie, when those mimes showed up on the steps of Gotham City Hall, I knew something evil was about to happen! More seriously: Wuxia (Especially if the GM and/or Player tries to argue the wuxia PC's powers are not magic! Franklin

Re: [GM Help Needed] Superhero Mysteries I'd recommend you spend $13 to get this. As soon as I get a new job and I get my first paycheck' date=' I'm buying it for myself. I don't know yet if it adequately covers running mysteries in a [b']superhero[/b] environment, but I'd be surprised if it didn't help you in general. Over on the Pyramid newsgroups, Lisa Steele (the author of the above reference) is one of the persons there whose writings I pay attention to, as her comments have consistently proven themselves to be worth reading. Other than that, I'd suggest wasting a weekend watching The Mystery Channel (presuming your cable/satellite TV provider carries that channel). Hope this helps! Franklin

Re: WWYCD 101:A question of faith Precisely! Franklin

Re: WWYCD 101:A question of faith AMEN! Franklin

Re: WWYCD 101:A question of faith Ref. #1: Ref. #2: By the dictates of logic, these two points negate one another. If the heroes do not have any substantive evidence to back the elders' claims of the "necessity" of this sacrifice, then there is in fact no gambling at all. Furthermore, it appears to me that you may be operating under the misaprehension that my characters have doubts about the principles of Right and Wrong, Good vs. Evil, and/or the Sanctity of Life. They (and their player) have no such doubts. "We hold these Truths to be Self-Evident, that all (Persons) are endowed by their Creator with certain Unalienable Rights, and that among these are: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." When you get right down to it, you either stand for something or against it. I stand for Life. I stand for Good. I stand for Being a Hero. Franklin