CleverName

Steve, how big a part is the UNTIL DATABASE conceit going to play in the book? While, I've never loved UNTIL* I think that some useful "non-gamespeak" jargon could be helpful in our games. For example, it often hard to rate the power level of villians (and their powers) in a particular game without breaking into gamespeak. This supplement might give us a related set of terminology -- like the overall powerlevels in CKC. class 1 powers = less than 40 AP class 2 powers = 40-54 AP class 3 powers = 55-74 AP etc. (You can probably come up with something better.) So when Sapphire says, "Dr. Destroyer's left nostril beam is a class 5 lazer blast!" it means something both in-game, and gives a game mechanic foundation as well. * I'm still looking forward to the book, I personally find superpowers more believable than a coherant UN organization...

I don't think it is necessary to have a variaable power scale for each example power -- lising 40/60/80 Active point levels for Sensory powers would seem to be a waste, for example. I do think that it make great sense for attack and defense powers -- using the AP examples currently in champions would seem to be the ticket.

First of all I think organizing by SFX is a great idea. While I can understand wanting to save space for powers and more powers, I think a section at the end of the book giving examples of using the powers to build a power framework would be an invaluable lesson and resource for the newbies. AND I think a master list of powers with costs, etc. would be a wonderful resource for the rest of us when we are running VPPs.

MAGIC I would have to agree than in the magic systems chapter I would like to see the possibility of creating magic users that have larger repertoires of spells that what most power frameworks/VPPs seem to be capable of delivering. A more freeform, Ars Magica/ Mage school would be great too, but that sounds like another book to me. XP/Power Progression HERO has the most transparent XP system on the market, much to its favor. It’s weakest link is in the matter of handling the progression of power in a long-running FH campaign. If the GM is too strict, the characters tend to grow together – their skills and stats begin to conform and overlap. (I can’t buy any more STR, so I guess I’ll pick up that lockpicking skill too, etc.) I’d like to see Promotion of Mookism What I mean by this is that many HERO fans (esp. newbie GMs) get too hung up on figuring out point values of every shopkeeper, orc, and tin can when they just don’t need to. When the players run into the 5 goblins that are not meant to pose a real challenge for the players, DON’T BOTHER POINT BALANCING THE MOOKS! It’s a waste of time being that anal with HERO. Realism I agree about the exhaustive rules on weapons. But, I’d like to see some crossover with UMA on styles and some optional “realistic†rules. For example, armor does not make you clumsy, it makes you exhausted (armor should cost END to maneuver in).