Zeropoint

Re: The 3 sense groups rule

The US military is developing a microwave "pain beam" which heats the target's skin to uncomfortable temperatures (a bit of an understatement, that) in a second or two, with no lasting damage. This would seem to indicate that "invisible vs. touch" would be inappropriate for microwave attacks.

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Re: WWYCD? #80: Future Hope or Hellspawn?

Special Agent Trent:

"What the...? With who? I bet SHE'D be surprised to hear that. Now, get out of my...

"Oh, great, another one. Who? I should be so lucky. Are you two it, or is anyone else going to be invading my...Hey! HEY! Not in my apartment! Oh, for--THAT'S IT!"

One psychokinetic brawl later...

"I don't think I'm getting the security deposit back."

Basically, the idea that Trent would be conceiving children any time in the near future will seem completely ridiculous to him, so he'll reject the idea that either of these kids are his. Even if they are, well, if they're going to go ripping through time, teleporting into his apartment in the middle of the night, and starting super-fights in his bedroom, they can solve their own frelling paradoxes. Darn supers; nothing but trouble.

Zeropoint

Re: Power Armor as a separate entity

For anyone who's interested, the "rough draft" version of my Ocelot servopanzer writeup is now posted in the Star Hero forum, as promised.

Zeropoint

As promised, here is a first-draft writeup of the Ocelot servopanzer from GOO's excellent Centauri Knights book (special thanks to Surbrook and his BESM to HERO conversion notes):

Size 2 (1.6 hexes tall by 0.8 wide) (5 points)

+5 STR (25 STR total) (5 points)

+10 DEX (20 total) (30 points)

+3 BODY (15 total) (3 points)

+9 DEF (11 total) (27 points)

+1 SPD (4 total) (10 points)

-2" Swimming (can't swim) (-2 points)

+3" Running, No Turn Mode (+1/4), Sideways Maneuverability (+1/4) (9" total) (15 points)

9" Leaping (9 points)

Enhanced Perception: +4 to Hearing rolls (4 points)

High Range Radio Perception (12 points)

Night Vision (5 points)

Infrared Perception (5 points)

Lasercomm: Mind Link, any willing target (15 AP), OIF Bulky (-1), Only with other vehicles with the same mind link (-1), Affected as radio and hearing groups, not mental (-1/4), Must maintain LOS (-1/2) (4 points)

LIfe Support: self-contained breathing (10 points)

Diminished eating (1 point)

Safe Envirionments: low pressure, vacuum, high pressure, intense cold, intense heat (7 points)

Extra Limbs: two legs, two arms (5 points)

IR Stealth: Change Environment: -3 to Infrared Perception PER rolls, 1" radius (14 base points), Persistent (+1/2), Reduced endurance (0 END, +1/2),. Inherent (+1/4) (32 AP), Always On (-1/2), No Range (-1/2), Self Only (-1/2) (13 points)

Radar Spoofing: Radio Group Images, -5 to PER rolls, 1" radius, Mega-area (1"=1 km; +1/4) (31 AP), No Range (-1/2) Set Effect: up to 6 images of target vehicle (-1), Limited Effect: radar only (-1/4) (11 points)

Total point value: 179/5 = 36 points

The Ocelot is an older model, obsolete by today's stardards, but still in fairly wide use. Its most notable feature, other than its sheer size, is that the operator's arms are not contained in the suit's arms, but in a pair of "master arms" extending from its torso, whose motions are mimiced on a larger scale by the "slave arms"

A few notes on my design thoughts:

25 STR might seem low for a suit of power armor, but that gives a lift capacity of 800 kg, which is MORE than the BESM version, which can lift "about 1/2 tonne."

I'm assuming that the character wearing it will, for DEX and SPD, use the lower of his or the suit's values. For most characters, this shouldn't be a problem.

The suit is supposed to have food, water, and power supplies for about a day of operation. As far as I could tell, that wouldn't be worth anything as a limitation, so I left it off.

The IR Stealth is a little off; it costs 13 points, as opposed to 6 points for a +3 to the Stealth skill, but ONLY applies to watchers using Infrared Perception. I guess it applies to Concealment as well, which makes it come out about even, although it still has a narrower application.

The ECM should probably be some kind of INFRARED spoofing, but I just gave it the system from UV until I have a better idea of how I'm going to handle guided projectiles in the game.

There are no weapons listed. This is partly because the Ocelot has no built-in weapons, and partly because I just haven't gotten around to writing up its standard loadout yet, and wanted to get this posted tonight. It normally carries a big harmonic knife (aka vibroblade) and a hand-held 25mm autocannon or missle launcher.

I welcome any comments, critiques, or suggestions that you might have.

Zeropoint

Re: What Would Your Character Do? #69

For Special Agent Trent, this hits close to home: he got his powers (which he sees as a curse) from a Viper experiment. He would, of course, turn the files over to the FBI, and volunteer for the task force dealing with the situation. Unless ordered otherwise, he'd tell the heroic teens what was happening.

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Re: What would your character do? #70

Special Agent Trent: get Greg to a hospital ASAP, preferably one with experience in super-medicine. Next, contact the local authorities on the occult and exchange information. He'd also check the FBI's database for information on the demon. Then he'd tag along with whoever was hunting the demon, and complain about super-phenomenon interfering with his life.

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Re: What would your character do? #71

Special Agent Trent would spend the first day cursing supers, superpowers, and general weirdness in every way he could think of, then suffer through an uncomfortable night. The next morning, priorities would seem much clearer, and he'd start looking for humans in South America, where he'd set himself up as a "lawgiver" type. Why South America? Because they've got coffee.

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Re: What are the most annoying player habits!

In the first episode of Dirty Pair Flash, Kei and Yuri destroy several city blocks just by running away from the bad guys. I find that impressive.

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Re: Power Armor as a separate entity

My gut instinct tells me to go with the Vehicle route, and thanks to your encouragement, that's what I'll do. I'll post my first writeup in the Star Hero forum when it's done (probably Monday).

Thanks!

Zeropoint

Re: Stretching And Senses

Two variants of this question:

First, what's the best way to model an amorphous character whose entire surface is an optical sensing organ? 360-degree sight is obvious, but he should logically be able to see if he slips a tendril under a door or around a corner. (I suppose this is no different than sticking your head around a corner, in that it is part of you and can be attacked.)

Second, a cyborg character who has cameras on extendible probes. I'm thinking that limited Clarisentience in a Focus would be the best. If it was a Breakable focus, the camera could be shot off without damaging the character (and not getting damaged is the whole point, after all).

I guess you could just carry a mirror on a stick.

Zeropoint

Re: Why is there no Temperature level 0?

Not only is zero not an advanced concept, but trying to do math -WITHOUT- it is just confusing...

 

Looking at that FAQ, when they subtracted 2 from 2 to get -1, I just had to stop and reboot my brain for a second - cause I got stuck in a system crash over trying to get that to flow smoothly in my head...

Honestly, Zero ranks with Fire and the Wheel in terms of significant inventions.

I'm dead serious.

Zeropoint

Re: Why is there no Temperature level 0?

There has to be a temperature level zero--the temperature level system is CLEARLY designed with the assumption that a level zero (known as "just right") exists. Why it was removed, and its existence denied, is beyond me, but temperature level zero definitely exists in my games.

Don't stress about it. Make the obvious correction and move on.

Zeropoint

I'm trying to write up a Hero System conversion of the BESM setting "Centauri Knights", and I'm having a little trouble with the power armor. Specifically, BESM-style power armor is treated as a vehicle, with its own hit points. Damage getting through the suit's defenses is applied to the suit, not the character, unless the suit has a Defect which causes the character to take damage as well.

This makes some sense, as the suits in question should have internal components which can be damaged, and in doing so, soak up damage that would otherwise affect the character wearing it. I'm not sure what the best way to model this in Hero is.

My first thought, for simplicity's sake, is to use a super-hero style writeup, with some extra BODY in the OIF power armor. My second thought is a Breakable Focus...hmm, combine that with some damage reduction to simulate the suit soaking damage, and it just might work. (side note: Fred claims that Breakable and Unbreakable both have advantages and disadvantages that balance out--I'm not seeing it. What reason, other than properly modeling source material, is there to make a focus Breakable? What are the disadvantages of Unbreakable?)

My third thought is to make the suit as a Vehicle, so that it will in fact have its own hit points, and will reflect the fact that it is something the characters are wearing, rather than part of them. It also means that the players can actually afford to own a servopanzer on a reasonable point budget. This adds a lot of complication, though.

Has anyone out there done any non-superhero power armor? I'd be quite grateful if I could get some suggestions.

Zeropoint

Re: Would your character...

Special Agent Trent: He would use "it would reflect poorly on the Bureau" as an excuse to refuse.

Icefox (ninja-esque MA with minor ice powers): Would be caught completely off-guard, and would refuse once he regained his composure--politely, and thanking the questioner for the implied compliment.

Golem (shapeshifter): "...You realize that, technically, I'm naked NOW." (it's so inconvenient to wear real clothing when it's only going to get damaged or abandoned) Actually, Golem might consider it, seeing as how he'd probably use a form that no one would recognize and that he wouldn't have to use again.

The Wraith: Would turn invisible/desolid without comment.

For the most part, I wouldn't be comfortable with this, and that aspect of me is also a part of my characters.

Zeropoint

Re: Magnatism and other Elemental Telekinesis

The thing that makes it seem strange is continuing to take damage each phase. Setting a huge boulder onto a car, for instance, should damage the car no matter how gently you set it there. It shouldn't continue to eat into the car over time.

Of course, this assumes a static load. If the car is driving around with a boulder on it, or if it's sitting on the deck of a rolling ship, or some such situation, it would make sense for the car to take further damage as it moved. I suppose progressive failure would also explain continuing damage.

I just realized that by these rules, placing a 100 Kg object on a normal person will kill them in a few minutes--2d6 Normal damage has a 22.2% chance of doing 3 Body (and a 2.8% chance of doing 4 Body), so a character in that situation would be taking roughly 3 Body per Turn. This would likely be fatal in less than two minutes.

Still, the rule is simple, meshes well with the other game mechanics, and (mostly) produces results that work well in the game.

Zeropoint

Re: Dependence: A useless Catagory of Disads?

It was my understanding that prolonged lack of sleep was fatal, but it took something like two weeks of NO sleep at all, which is very hard to accomplish. As I mentioned in another thread, I have fallen asleep while marching.

On the other hand, I've read of people sufferring from insomnia who have gone years without sleep. I suppose it's possible that whatever abnormality prevents them from sleeping also grants Life Support: Need Not Sleep.

I can tell you this much for certain: a person can easily survive on grossly inadequate amounts of sleep.

Zeropoint

Re: Challenge Talent Build: Sleep with Eyes Open

Well, it was only for a few seconds. I'm sure I would have veered off eventually. Or, maybe bumping into someone woke me up. I don't remember it all that well (go figure).

It was a little creepy to discover that my body was doing things while I wasn't there. Maybe this means that "sleep" is a more complicated state than we normally recognize.

Zeropoint

Re: Challenge Talent Build: Sleep with Eyes Open

Heh. I've slept while marching. That's an interesting experience.

Zeropoint

Re: Miniaturized Manufacturing Units?

Yeah, I'm about a fifth of the way through Quicksilver and I'm still looking for a plot. The characterization is interesting, and I suppose that when you've got three thousand pages to tell your story, you can afford to spend some time setting up...but I'd like to see some evidence that the story is going somewhere.

I'm getting suspicious of Enoch Root, though. Is it possible that he's the same Root that shows up in Cryptonomicon?

Zeropoint

Re: Divine Powers

I remember hearing about someone using a VPP with No Conscious Control to model a god's acting for his follower. The god picks what powers the follower gets, and when. The follower simply trusts his god to give him what he needs.

You could also use Luck--not every instance of divine intervention needs to be flashy.

Zeropoint

Re: Code VS Killing Poll

For the record: although I'm in the "heroes, super or otherwise, can kill when necessary" camp, I thought that the Punisher movie depicted not a hero, but a serial killer. Yes, those people had commited serious crimes, including murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Yes, they were likely to do so again. And yes, Castle had a very intense personal reason to desire their deaths.

None of this changes the fact that when he killed them, they did not pose a clear and present danger to anyone (well, the Russion did, but that's beside the point). This moves the killings from justifiable homicide to murder, in my mind.

Hmm...now I'm wondering about clear but non-present danger. Is that enough to justify killing, as in the Superman/Zod incident?

Zeropoint

Re: Code VS Killing Poll

I'd phrase that as "the necessary choice isn't the comfortable choice", myself. Maybe I'm using "right" differently than everyone else.

Zeropoint

Re: Code VS Killing Poll

How can the necessary choice not be the right choice?

Re: Code VS Killing Poll

To the "heroes never kill" crowd: is it ABSOLUTELY impossible for a hero to face a situation where killing is necessary? Not all superhumans are granted powers that let them neutralize opponents without injuring them. Is it heroic to let a hundred innocent people die horrible deaths because you refused to kill one villain? One person?

Scenario: you are a police officer, responding to reports of a crazed individual on a killing spree. You have found him, and have him at gunpoint, but he is determined to take as many people with him as possible and curently swinging his shotgun toward a cornered citizen. You know that he's perfectly capable of killing; he's done it several times in the last twenty minutes. You know, based on your own shooting skills, that you probably can't hit the shotgun or his arms from where you're standing, but you have a very good chance of making a torso shot. You have perhaps half a second to make your choice.

Are you telling me that a "hero" should let that citizen die?

Sometimes--not so often for supers, but it can still happen--you find a situtation, where, given your avaiable tools, you must choose between killing the villain and letting innocents die. In my mind, a hero should be able to accept the social, legal, and psychological consequences, and do what is necessary.

Zeropoint

Re: Easiest way to do this....?

If this is for a superheroic campaign, you could just define the sword as an inaccessible focus.

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