bigdamnhero

Got it in one. Thank you Sir!

HD has started locking up on me and I'm not sure why. I reinstalled the most current version (Build 20230715) and updated my Java (version 8 Update 381). I can open existing characters or open new ones just fine. But when I go to try and select/add a Power or Talent, everything freezes up and I have to use Task Manager to close out. (I'm on a Windows machine.) I can add Skills just fine - it seems to be anytime it's trying to open another window that's causing the problem? Help me Mister Wizard!

That fixed it - thanks again!

Huh - same file, new problem. When I open either of the two HKAs (claws & sting) and click the Add Modifier button, nothing happens? The problem doesn't seem to happen with other Powers, and doesn't seem to happen on other characters aside from those made from this same template. I didn't notice if it was doing that before or not. Sorry.

trace.log

Yep, that did the trick. Thanks again, and Happy New Year!

Here ya' go. Thanks Dan.

trace.logVenom Enhanced Xenovore.hdc

Hey all. I have a .hdc file I created that won't open and locks up HD when I try. I can open other files, including ones I created the same day as ProblemChild.hdc*, so I'm guessing it's a corrupted file or something? Any suggestions where to look or how to fix it, other than starting over from scratch? Thanks,

* That's not the actual file name, but now I want to create a villain named Problem Child...

From last night's historical fantasy game. As part of their efforts to build an alliance against the evil Prince Kor, Our Heroes have been trying to facilitate a marriage between the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, and Princess Zoe Porphyrogenita, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor. Things are going well, until Robert, King of the Franks shows up...

GM: The French King looks around the room, spots the beautiful Princess Zoe, and makes a beeline over to start chatting her up.

Geralt: (Irish Holy Warrior) Oh hell no! I step between them and politely suggest to King Robert that this isn't the Princess he's looking for.

GM: Great, make me a High Society Roll to see how badly you step in it.

[Geralt rolls a natural 18]

[headdesk]

Geralt: (angrily) "What do you think you're doing trying to make time with the Emperor's betrothed!?!?"

...followed by an exchange of Who Do You Think You Are's and Don't You Know Who I Am's, ending in...

Geralt: ...And I deck him!

And that, children, is how in 1001 France declared war on Ireland and sat out the war against the Antichrist.

Meanwhile, back on topic...

On 2/12/2018 at 12:07 PM, Cassandra said:

Quark the TV Series comes to mind.

Really? I have vaguely-fond memories of that show, but I don't recall it being particularly high-powered? What about it says GalChamps to you?

On 2/12/2018 at 1:48 PM, Steve said:

What kind of point level are you thinking of for the PCs?

 

If they have a patron, like being members of an organization like the Green Lantern Corp, that gives a slightly different feel than something more free-wheeling like Guardians of the Galaxy.

Both good questions; both TBD.

I kindof see two different ways we could go: either the PCs are established space heroes, possibly part of an existing organization; or they're Earth heroes who've been zapped into outer space and are trying to figure things out. Either could be fun, but two very different games. That's actually the first conversation I intend to have with my players.

On 2/12/2018 at 2:21 PM, RDU Neil said:

When I have played around with "Galactic" type games, I tend to see them come out in two different modes...

1) sci-fi super heroes, or...

2) new gods

A good distinction. Personally most of the new gods stuff never really appealed to me except as interesting one-offs, so I'm leaning towards the former. I've done high-level games before, so I'm not worried about keeping it balanced - you just have to make sure the advanced alien tech is 1) more powerful than Earth tech, but 2) not powerful enough to overshadow the PCs.

On 2/12/2018 at 4:11 PM, DShomshak said:

If you want "tongue in cheek," then use Harry Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero as a model for the space marines. (There will of course be space marines.)

Heh, there's one I haven't read in awhile - good suggestion!

On 2/12/2018 at 5:58 PM, dsatow said:

Currently printing, the Royals from Marvel is at the cosmic level.  Several of the last Justice League events and the Universe smashing event in Marvel are Cosmic level.  Though to be honest, I am kind of tiring of reading cosmic level crisis-es in comics.  They tend to constantly seem to tumble the power orders of each respective universe and add something to top it just for sake of topping it.

Yeah, particularly in mainstream comics, the constant cosmos-shattering events get tedious after awhile.

On 2/12/2018 at 6:54 PM, Steve said:

A lot of mileage could be had with a team composed of CU Empyreans from Earth wandering the galaxy looking for trouble. Maybe some of the other races in the galaxy have their own versions of Empyreans.

Nice idea. I'm probably not going to use the CU straight up, but I'll definitely be pulling bits from it!

On 2/12/2018 at 7:22 PM, Lord Liaden said:

BDH, do "relevant Hero books" include the Star Hero line? Scourges Of The Galaxy includes details and NPCs from the Church of the Infinite Dark, and a time-traveling future version of Tateklys, who would make fine foils for GC PCs.

 

From other games, I would suggest Rifts Conversion Book Two: Pantheons of the Megaverse from Palladium Games. Mythic gods from multiple pantheons wielding sci-fi ultratech, interacting with superhumans and aliens. Aliens and cosmic entities masquerading as gods. Ignoring the system, the book is a goldmine of innovative and bizarre ideas. Some of them are horrific, others quite comical. (Personal fave touch is the god Hermes' man-portable rail gun, which he calls "the Herminator.")

Yeah, I have all the SH books. Good suggestions!

On 2/13/2018 at 10:15 AM, massey said:

One thing I'd suggest to keep superheroes "super" is to steal something from the old Mayfair DC Heroes game....

I like that way of looking at it!  I plan to have a fair amount of variation in tech levels, so spaceships from Race X might be mook eggshells; ships from Race Y might be roughly as powerful as the PCs; whereas ships from Race Z can smack them around like chumps. I figure that will allow me to mix up the types of stories we tell.

On 2/13/2018 at 2:35 PM, DShomshak said:

At risk of immodesty, I'll suggest my Spells of the Devachan mini-supplement (available through the HERO store!)

I don't think I have that one...yet!

On 2/13/2018 at 2:47 PM, steriaca said:

Othoe it has more of a fantasy feal than anything else, have you thought about Masters of the Universe ?

I hadn't, but yeah there could be some good material there.

Thanks again, all. Keep it coming if you have more ideas.

OK, I'll bite. (I've derailed enough threads in my day...)

On 2/13/2018 at 11:01 AM, RDU Neil said:

With your explanation, that Superboy and Monel are still godlike, even vs. magically advanced technology of the future... well then I really want to know why a) anything at all is a challenge for them? Why do they need a Legion when they are so unstoppable?

Powerful isn't the same as unstoppable, let alone godlike. In most "Earth-bound" superhero settings, conventional military forces aren't normally a big challenge to powerful superheroes. But in large numbers, they can still wear the heroes down until they run out of END. And there are always specialty units with advanced/heavy weapons that are powerful enough to at least get a few good licks in. (Sure Superman could take out a tank battalion with ease, but he also knows if he does it's just a matter of time until someone breaks out the kryptonite.) Even if none of that exists and military forces are no threat at all to the supers, well there are still super Bad Guys, or else what's the point? A galactic game has even more possibilities because of different tech levels; the PCs may be able to punch through a Xenovore ship with ease, but try that against a Malvan ship and they're going to get spanked.

On 2/13/2018 at 11:01 AM, RDU Neil said:

b ) why haven't those powerful characters become galactic rulers, since nothing can stop them... benevolent gods?

Again, powerful isn't unstoppable. But that aside, maybe because they're wise enough to realize that might doesn't make right, that power corrupts, and that benevolent dictatorships rarely stay that way for long. To use the classic example, Superman doesn't take over the world because he recognizes that just because he has the power to force others to do his bidding, doesn't mean he has the moral right to do so. He believes that democracy, while far from perfect, has proven a far better method of improving the human condition than any autocracy ever tried. And more practically, he knows that if he tried, every other super in the world would join forces to stop him, and even he's not THAT powerful.

There's already a genre term for beings who think their powers give them a right to dictate how everyone else should live - they're called supervillains.

On 2/13/2018 at 11:01 AM, RDU Neil said:

c) why isn't society not vastly more weird and warped if such powerful beings existed...as people worship them, institutions and societies grow up around them... or d) how is the Legion allowed to exist I the first place, what keeps them in check, and if they have the power to keep them in check, why do you need a Legion?

Those are fair questions, but they're not exactly new: they've been explored in numerous comic titles, mostly awful Iron Age drek and Zach Snyder movies. If that's what you want to play, fine, but I find them extremely tedious myself.

On 2/13/2018 at 11:01 AM, RDU Neil said:

It all spirals into "This just doesn't make sense."

 

Social order would collapse and change into something unrecognizable in very short order if metahumans were real, especially if Superman or that level of power in a single individual actually existed.

[shrug] I could poke the same holes in just about any fictional world, including yours. It's all just a matter of what assumptions you make, and what things you're willing to handwave in order to play the kind of game you want.

On 2/14/2018 at 6:31 AM, RDU Neil said:

So many genre conventions are immediately called into question by the mechanics of Hero... the rest start to fall, if you think even remotely critically about them.

I've found exactly the opposite: quantifying things like that put limits on things. "Am I strong enough to rip open a tank?" [checks the numbers] "Nope, I guess not." "But the Hulk can do it!" "Well, I guess you're not the Hulk..."

On 2/14/2018 at 6:49 AM, RDU Neil said:

I get this argument, but to me that is a really limited view of what "hero" means.  Is a hero only the one who supports the status-quo of a mid-20th Century America? What about the hero who fights for the disadvantaged members of society who are being abused by a corrupt law enforcement system? Take that to the level of a god-like character of Superman or whoever... why isn't he a hero for overthrowing 40,000 years of human "civilization" that only exists by having an expendable workforce to exploit, and instead ushers in a era of peace and prosperity for all under a benevolent dictatorship? Seems pretty heroic to me.

Again, the whole point of Superman is that he has faith in humanity to find their own path, and he's read enough history to know that by becoming an autocrat he would inevitably become autocratic and tyrannical. He sees his primary job as preventing other supers from trying exactly that trick.

Honestly, RDU Neil, I get your points, and if that's the game you and your players wanted to play, fine. But as far as I'm concerned, your "hero" became a straight-up villain by the 3rd paragraph when he decided that he had the moral right to force his beliefs on other people.

Huh, actually defeating and overthrowing your "hero" sounds like a solid concept for a GC campaign...

On 2/14/2018 at 6:49 AM, RDU Neil said:

And yes, when it comes to the science, there isn't a need to have it all detailed out like true physics, but being extremely consistent (like Star Wars is not... I rather groan at all the absurd inconsistencies in Star Wars 'science' all the time)... where as B-5 (great show... terrible acting... but great show) really worked hard to be internally consistent with its demonstrations of science and super-science. It doesn't have to be perfect, but the effort needs to be there.

In the Star Wars game I just finished, the GM actually had a lot of fun simulating SW "physics." Space has a down, you see, which is why most planets only seem to be habitable in a very small zone, because if you move too far from the poles, you'll fall off.

Again, it all depends on whether you want to play science fiction vs. space fantasy (Star Wars) vs. superheroes in space (GC). I'm not one of one of those gamers who thinks realism is a 4-letter word, or needs to be put in scare quotes. I've played plenty of "real world plus ____" games that were a ton of fun. But generally realism (or the lack thereof) should drive the needs of the story, not the other way around. especially in any kind of SF setting, where much of the world works however you want it to work. If you want to tell a story about superheroes who are powerful, but not godlike, who are strong enough to treat most conventional militaries as a mook fight, but there are still plenty of beings/things that can challenge them...then you just set your campaign guidelines accordingly. There's nothing wrong with the take you chose to pursue, but it's by no means the only valid take.

18 hours ago, Ninja-Bear said:

BDH I see no problem allowing the alchemist to buy a level or two for accuracy. She is practicing right? Now if she went from inept to Batman level accuracy then I would have a problem. ?

Yes, but she wants to buy them as an item, rather than CSLs/PSLs themselves. She's not trying to munchkin, it just fits the character better: why spend hours practicing to get better when you can invent a gadget that will do it for you?

On 2/12/2018 at 12:06 PM, Cassandra said:

If your paying points for it you don't kneed to by WF: Slings unless you want to use someone else's sling.

True. But the player would also like to use the sling normally, ie throw lead shot at people. I could make him pay points to add an RKA slot outside his VPP, but it seems simplest and cheapest to just take a 1pt WF.

On 2/12/2018 at 4:00 PM, Surrealone said:

Does the alchemist have the equivalent of a quiver ... to make potion vials/bottles instantly-accessible/ready much like a quiver makes arrows instantly-accessible/ready for the archer?  If so, then it would make sense to treat them in a consistent manner with Fast Draw ... but if not, you have a solid place on which to hang your hat for treating them differently.  

That's a fair point. The alchemist has described it as a coat-of-many-pockets-type thing, but it might be worth clarifying that in more detail.

On 2/12/2018 at 4:03 PM, Cassandra said:

You could just treat this as a Special Effect and not take any limitations.

...

Maybe had a slot with Variable Special Effects [Any].

I'm not quite sure what you mean here? The sfx is still: alchemical potion/item.

On 2/14/2018 at 3:11 PM, Sean Waters said:

Would you not just purchase the potions without 'range limited by STR' if that is a limitation or full 'ranged' if that is an advantage?  That copes with the range issues and makes the cost of it part of the cost of the potions: I don't know whether the character pays points for the potions or whether you use the point cost to set a manufacturing cost in 'game gold' - if so perhaps they need a stabilising component in the potion to deal with the extra stress of being flung further?

 

If they are paying the cost of the potions then they can limit the cost (at least partially) by having the range element limited by focus: if not they should be able to use a sling staff (or whatever) for whatever they would normally pay to buy it and be proficient in it.

Good points. But I don't think the Range By STR is as big an issue for the player as the lack of accuracy. Sorry if I didn't make that clear before.

On 2/14/2018 at 3:11 PM, Sean Waters said:

As for accuracy, potions splash: buy that sucker with a 2m radius AoE.  Makes more sense than suddenly becoming more dexterous.

Yeah, we talked about that too, but that would mean either reducing the Base Cost of the attacks or buying up the VPP Control Cost. The player doesn't want to do the former, and isn't yet ready to do the latter.

Thanks again for the comments, everyone. Sorry I've been so spotty is replying.

5 hours ago, Ninja-Bear said:

Hmmm forgot about Paul praying and at midnight an earthquake shook open the jailhouse.

Yeah, I think that's the one the Alchemist's player was trying to remember.

22 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

I will pull out of this line of debate so as not to derail the thread too far from BDH's request.

(Longer reply when I have more time, but for now...)

Actually I’m enjoying the discussion, so derail away. 

Speaking of Marvel's Cosmic stories, I did come across this:

I'm thinking of running a Galactic Champions-esque game for my next campaign. I say "-esque" because I'm not sure how much of the actual GC/Champions Beyond setting I'll be using; like most games I run, it'll likely wind up being a mishmash of stuff from whatever source material strikes my fancy. In terms of tone, I'm thinking of a somewhat tongue-in-cheek game ala Thor Ragnarok & Guardians of the Galaxy.

I've never run a GC game before, and aside from this thread last year there really isn't a lot of GC discussion here. Any suggestions for material from other games/systems that might have some useful stuff? (I already have all the relevant Hero books.)

And in terms of source material, any good suggestions beyond the obvious: Legion of Super-Heroers, Green Lantern Corps, and the various Marvel "cosmic" titles?

Thanks all for the comments, and sorry to open a thread and then ghost it.

On 2/7/2018 at 3:30 AM, Doc Democracy said:

You considered her constructing a device that resembles a sling but for the purpose of throwing potions?  That would be +STR, only for throwing, OAF.

Yeah, you're right that's probably the most accurate description of a sling. Not what the character needs most, tho.

On 2/7/2018 at 4:54 AM, Hyper-Man said:

If rubber is available then a slingshot would be a cool way to increase accuracy and range.

True, but not in the 11th Century.

On 2/7/2018 at 10:19 PM, Surrealone said:

There is, however, a noteworthy exception: the staff sling.  This is effectively a lever with a pocket in which to place an object to be flung -- something that's light, simple, easy to use, and reliable ... without needing nearly the release timing and specialized practice/knowledge required for an actual sling.  Throwing Skill Levels (aka PSLs for Range Mods when throwing) on an OAF sound just fine to me.

Actually a staff sling was specifically what the player & I were thinking of. I went with the more generic "sling" for discussion purposes because...reasons? Reasons that may or may not have made sense at the time? (I honestly have no idea.)

On 2/7/2018 at 10:19 PM, Surrealone said:

I would allow Fast Draw to be used to get the staff sling, sling, or whatnot out quickly, but I would NOT allow it to be used to speed reloads, since its use in speeding reloads is for magazine changes (not single-shot reloads) ... and staff slings, slings, and the like are not magazine-fed.

 

The CSL depends. If the staff sling, sling, or whatnot is only usable for throwing potions because of its construction, then I think it's a 2pt CSL ... but if it can also be used to lob ammunition used to do damage, then I think it's a 3pt CSL for a tight list consisting of potions from the VPP, sling stones, and other ammunition suitable for a sling (cast lead balls are, for example, ideal ... and presumably this alchemist does things with lead, right?!)

Good point about Fast Draw. Although Ultimate Skill (p179) does specifically state that a character with a strung & readied bow can use Fast Draw to draw & fire an arrow. And I've been letting the archer use Fast Draw that way, so it would seem to make sense to allow the slinger do the same?

Spot-on about the CSL - thanks!

On 2/7/2018 at 10:19 PM, Surrealone said:

P.S. Notice I avoided use of the word 'clips' when talking about Fast Draw since, as a firearm instructor, it pains me to see a magazine improperly called a clip. You have no idea how badly I loathe the 'Clips' portion of the 'Charges' RAW. Here's why: )

Yeah, I hear you. Tho personally, that's one fight I gave up on looong ago.  

On 2/8/2018 at 12:31 PM, dsatow said:

I see the same problem in game with the words "CON stunned" and Stunned...

Oddly, despite playing Champions since 3ed, I had never even heard the phase "CON stunned" until I started hanging out on these boards. [shrug]

On 2/8/2018 at 12:48 PM, Cassandra said:

What kind of attacks were you thinking of using?

The main "throw it at the target" attacks the PCs has are:

• Cocktails of Molotav: 1d6 RKA, 4m Radius, Uncontrolled & Sticky
• Phantom Wound: 4d6 Mental Blast, ACV (OCV vs DCV)
• Flash Bomb: 7d6 Flash vs Sight & Hearing
• Smoke Bomb: Darkness vs Sight, 8, Radius

It's not a quote per se, but throwing miniature cow patties at the Antichrist's emissary while he's trying to speechify was definitely the best "statement" of the evening.

On 2/9/2018 at 6:11 AM, Ninja-Bear said:

Very cool!! I also like your use of three 6’s and three 1’s too!

Thanks. I always try to make such things memorable!

Hi Gang. Looking for a sanity check/2nd opinions here. A PC in my low/historical fantasy campaign is an alchemist, whose attacks mainly consist of throwing potions, etc at people. The alchemical powers are built as a VPP. Her effectiveness has been somewhat limited by her having a low Range By STR, and a not-terribly-high OCV. She could of course buy some CSLs, and we'll get to that, but the player thought it would be fun to have the PC build some kind of sling and use that to throw her potions etc. I like the concept because 1) funny, 2) it should make her more on par with the other PCs, and 3) the other PCs would love the idea because it means they're less likely to be hit by one of her missed throws! (Which are also funny, but...)

So, a few questions. Keep in mind this is a heroic game where the PCs do not pay character points for normal weapons.

1. Assuming the character bought 1pt Weapon Familiarity with slings, would you let her use a regular sling to throw her alchemical potions and the like? If so, what effect would that have? Obviously it wouldn't add damage, so does it add range? OCV? Subtract from Range Mods? Or if the sling has to be modified somewhat to be able to throw potions - so that she couldn't just pick up any sling, but would have to work on it for an hour or two - would you charge points for that or just handwave it as a roleplaying beat?

2. The player wants to be able to modify an existing (normal) sling so that it's optimized for throwing potions, and also makes it more accurate at range. I could do this as a Naked Advantage, but I'm thinking the easiest way is to buy PSLs vs. RMods, with an OAF: Sling. Does that sound kosher?

3. The character also wants to buy Fast Draw so she can reload the sling as a free action. Would you buy Fast Draw with slings, and then could she use Fast Draw to hand-throw potions? Or buy Fast Draw with her Alchemy VPP, and then could she use Fast Draw when reloading regular sling stones? Or would you lump them together under one Fast Draw?

4. Lastly, the character has just enough XP left over to throw a CSL on top of the pile. So is that a 2pt CSL with a single attack (sling)? Or a 3 point CSL with a tight list of attacks (her Alchemy VPP)?

Just looking for some thoughts. Thanks in advance for the input!

On 2/3/2018 at 9:24 PM, Sociotard said:

Because the criteria seem to exclude what most of the genre uses for stakes. 

I think that's precisely the point.

Lastly, if anyone ever needs some longships, here are the maps I made. The large (40-oar) and medium (32-oar) ships spread over 2 pages; the small (20-oar) ship fits on one page. And then I have some "fleet scale" longships. I can't remember where I found the actual clip art I used for those ships.

Longships.pdf

Last pic shows the Danish ship. The Danish crew is mostly gone at this point except for one last, badly hammered squad. King Olaf himself is here, having just cut down the Danish captain. Thyri, in full Berserker mode, has charged ahead of her allies and is caught between two squads of Olaf's troops. (Don't worry, she'll be fine!) The Turkish sorcerer is seen in the top left.

At the top is the ship of newly-arrived reinforcements. Note the reinforcements are already wounded from previous fights they've been in off-camera.

Two shots of Olaf's ship. The PCs' forces have mostly swept the rear (right in the picture) of the ship clear of enemy troops, except for one squad of Olaf's Berserks (grey), and a squad of Danes (brown disk) whose minds have been fogged by an enemy spell and have turned to attack the PCs' troops.

In the bow (2nd pic) Geralt comes to the aid of some of his troops who are being cut down by one of Olaf's barbarian captains. Behind him, two of the few remaining Danish squads hold off the young Russian Prince Yaroslav and some of Olaf's forces.