Tempuswolf

Originally posted by Mayday

Ares was played by Kevin Smith, who died in a car accident. Sob.

I thought he fell in China on a movie set.

Oh, Google says Michael Gordon Woolvedt is Harper from Andromeda.

Originally posted by Killer Shrike

Aside from Arsenio, Ive never heard of any of these people

Eads is Nick from CSI? Ted Raimi was the comic relief on Xena, can't remember the name, also on Seaquest DSV. Can't place the other guy.

My character is a kid, I sorta based him on the claymation Mike from Gary & Mike so live action would be a young Harland Williams, but good-looking . Mr. Williams would have many long hours in the make-up, my character is blue too.

Originally posted by tkdguy

Youe best bet would be to get a book on Tai Chi with photos. Try to do a web search like martialinfo.com which may lead you to many martial arts links.

Thanks, the "Ask The Experts" on martialinfo.com was great. Seven different POVs certainly broadens my understanding of Tai Ch'i Ch'uan.

Originally posted by Agent X

Yes, but I believe Killer Shrike was victim of a typo. After all, the Flash is the Big Red Cheese Whiz

chuckle:p

Does anyone know enough about Tai Ch'i Ch'uan to connect some of the poetic mnemonics for the postures to the 12 manuevers for Tai Ch'i Ch'uan in UMA? The manuvers are:

Block, Disarm, Escaping Throw, Grab, Joint Break, Palm Slap, Kick, Root, Shove, Strike, Sword Finger, and Throw

Some of the posture names are:

Part the Wild Horse's Mane, White Crane Spreads Its Wings, Playing the Lute, Grasping the Swallow's Tail, Single Whip, Wave Hands Like Clouds, High Pat Horse, Double Bees Buzzing at Ears, Snake Creeps Down & Golden Cockerel Stands on One Leg, Work at the Shuttles, Jade Girl Sinks Needle Into the Sea

Does Supergirl Count?

There was a Supergirl in of all places the Viper sourcebook in 4th Ed, Viperia!

I don't remember her motivations but I don't think they included Truth, Justice, nor the American Way.

Easy enough to spot with the Champions on the cover whooping the SAS' collective butt. (Or should I say about to whoop )

Re: Re: Reversal of Polarity

Originally posted by Xandarr

I think you're possibly introducing some confusion here by removing the 9 from the skill roll this way.

This was to more closely resemble to D20's system of Die Roll + Ranks + Char Modifier vs. Difficulty Class. I like your system since it makes use of the number spat out by software geared for the normal rolling method and since the ugliness of the critical success goes away mostly.

Originally posted by Xandarr

Granted, this is an extreme example. Using the half-method, keep the target number at 21, and instead Sherlock's base skill is cut in half from 17 down to 9 (rounded up in favor of the player). Adding 4 for the previous bonuses gives a base of 13+3d6 to hit a 21. The player needs to roll 8 or better. Slightly better odds than the +10 method. Either way is good, depending on how much math you want to do.

I think that the skill modifiers are halved too. From above a 17- with +4 skill mods becomes 21- for normal skill success. Critical would be 10-. Using the symmetric rule, this becomes 11+ which would take 21/2 = 10 1/2 over your Target Number of 21.

I'm looking forward to springing this new skill method on my charges next time I GM. Thanks, Xandarr.

Reversal of Polarity

There are alot of alternate methods. I use

Die Roll + OCV >= 10 + DCV

It's symmetric (easy to remember) and there's no subtraction (microseconds slower than addition).

You can use the fact that the bell curve for probabilities on 3d6 is symmetric to "reverse the polarity" on all your die rolls. The chance to roll a number N or less is equal to the probability to roll the number, twenty-one minus N, or more.

P(N-)=P((21-N)+)

For example, P(3-)=P(18+) only one chance in 216 rolling the 3 or rolling the 18. Likewise, P(18-)=P(3+), 100%, any roll you make is going to be 18 or less as well as 3 or greater. In the middle, P(10-) is 1/2, half the rolls are 10 or less, and P(11+) again 1/2, half the rolls are 11 or more.

That's where the formula for the "to hit" roll above comes from. Normally,

Die Roll <= 11 + OCV - DCV

but that probability is the same as

Die Roll >= 21 - (11 + OCV - DCV)

Die Roll >= 10 - OCV + DCV

Die Roll + OCV >= 10 + DCV

This form also has the advantage of being virtually the same as the 3000 lb gorilla's BAB(OCV) and AC(DCV), so it may ease the strain of redocrination of players imported from the jungles of Deetwentie.

You can reverse the polarity for all you rolls in Hero using the symmetry rule P(N-)=P((21-N)+). The familiar 8-, 11-, 14- become the slightly strange 13+, 10+, 7+. For skill checks, the ease of use gets a bit gummy (unless you are coming from D20 in which case it is pretty natural).

Normally,

Die Roll <= 9 + CHAR/5 + Levels

so using P(N-)=P((21-N)+)

Die Roll >= 21 - (9 + CHAR/5 + Levels)

Die Roll + (CHAR/5 + Levels) >= 12

So add your levels and your innate ability to do the skill to your 3d6 roll and beat a 12. The GM can adjust the difficulty of the task up or down, by either giving you a bonus or penalty to your roll or moving the target number 12 up or down. A Familiarity is a 8- or 13+, so Die Roll -1 >= 12.

The only place where reversing the polarity becomes more trouble than its worth, is when you have skills with critical checks, ie you need a 12- to make the skill roll normally but special benefits ensue if you get 6-. The rather arcane formula for this condition is (someone check my math here):

Die Roll + (CHAR/5 + Levels)/2 >= 16.5

So a total reversal of polarity does have some pitfalls.

EDIT: What Intrope said. I am a slow typer.

Originally posted by Jhamin

Superman can survive in all kinds of weird environments, ...

After reading your reply, I think the connotation of the word "inherent" meaning intrinsic or essential, but not necessarily unassailable, maybe what is causing my confusion. If the advantage was called Unquenchable or Inviolable, the examples you described follow more naturally.

I've been wondering about Inherent as well after seeing it applied to Full Life Support in the UNTIL Superpowers Database (Cosmic Form pg. 41). Cloggable gills sounds more like the Restrainable Limitation than the lack of the Inherent Advantage. Special effects-wise as well why would some innate abilities like one's CON be on the adjustment power chopping block and but Extra Limbs not be? And what is the difference FX-wise between an Inherent power and the non-Inherent version, like Inherent LS vs. non-Inherent LS, Inherent CON vs. non-Inherent CON, or Inherent DR vs. non-Inherent DR?

Thanks for the input. I neglected to mention this was a superheroic campaign. I think I'll suggest a Drain vs. Running or vs. Feet FX for his gun multipower and PRE attacks with Covered manuever to get his opponents in the mood.

How do you simulate the "pot shots at the feet get them a'moving" schtick? A Pre Attack or Mind Control? A player brought me a Usable on Others, 10" Running, Ranged, Not Vs. Fully Resistant Def in his gun multipower which just seems strange since this would get Godzilla to move if he didn't have every point of PD/ED resistant and even if the UOO Not Vs. X conditions were expanded this would still make snail suddenly very fast. I want to tell him no but I want to give him an alternative. He at first wanted a DEX-based Mind Control (that I couldn't even get my head around).

The FAQ states that in general only STR, a weapon, or some killing attacks can be used with the Move By manuever. Hero System 5th says thats Hand-To-Hand Attacks are "in essence" a Limited form of STR.

Can HA be used with a Move By when it isn't defined as a weapon, for example say the Hyperkinetic Strike HA +9d6 from the Dimensional Innovator Set of Champions' Quick Superhuman Generator?

If the answer is yes, would the HA be halved, like STR gets halved, when calculating damage for a Move By?