actingkeith

Re: Does anyone have any idea why this is legal? As an aside, consider the Megascale "house rule" that I use when I'm running a game. It has to do with hex sizes and Heisenberg. And I use house rule in quotes because I'm not sure that it's a rule as much as a logical extension of the rules that already exist. When you teleport on a normal scale, you show up in a specific hex. But where in that hex do you show up exactly? The answer to the question, on a normal scale is that it doesn't matter because the 1"=2m hex is the smallest quantum of distance/area we've got. On a Megascale T-port, in my games, it does matter. I tell my players that if they use Megascale T-port, they will show up somewhere (in some semi-random 1"=2m hex) in that enlarged hex. It's a lot like the Positional Uncertainty limitation on movement powers from way back when. I would make the same ruling on the Megascale Targeting Clairsentience. Sure you can see into that 10,000km hex and target it... but you can only target the whole hex. When you move, you move somewhere/semi-randomly into that hex. I've found that this inherent limitation to Megascale curtails a lot of the things you're concerned about... Peace, -keith, but not the cool one

Re: The Seduction Skill as a "Lab" I have always, when buying 'hot' sports cars with points, purchased a Seduction Skill with the car to simulate how attractive a hot car makes a person (note that this also includes limos). And when I have a character who is Bruce Wayne-ish, I always buy a Seduction Lab for the house. It's usually a nice room with a pool table, a huge plasma TV, a wet bar, interesting selections in a bookcase, a sunken floor with a really comfortable conversation pit and central fireplace, and a nice sound system as its Special Effect. It can also include a butler/maid/servant who is respectful... It's the room that makes people say to themselves "this guy is freakin' cool... I want to be his friend." Truth is that in the game, that's what Seduction Skill is... Peace, Keith

Re: The Interogation Skill as a "Lab" Back on topic... You can have anything you want in the room. The "stuff" is just a Special Effect, and as such is completely up to you. The Game Effect is locked in by what you pay points for - in your case an 11- Complimentary Skill Roll for Interrogation. Anything else is color, and with HERO you can paint with all the colors you want. My recommendation is to match the 'stuff' in the room with the overall concept of the persons who will be using the room. Peace, -keith

Re: Marine Corps Martial Arts Program I think what he was probably saying was (scratching his head in confusion) "...I, I, I just don't get it...it's weird..." <<<>>> One of the guys in my unit had previously been an Army Ranger with service in the Granada invasion (1982). When asked why he changed services, his response was to tell a story about how his Ranger unit (30 guys) was pinned down they called for help... and what showed up was a squad of Marines (a dozen guys)... the Marines ran, laughing and yelping straight into the assault and wiped out the opposition (which turned out to be a platoon-sized unit of about 50 guys) in a matter of minutes. He said it was the joy-filled laughing and yelping that sent a chill down his spine and made him realize that the marines were a different breed. He said he needed to find out what that was all about. <<<>>> It's weird. Marines are weird. Peace, -k

Re: Marine Corps Martial Arts Program

Re: Marine Corps Martial Arts Program

Re: What does "Overall" not cover? I love Overall Levels. Out of Combat Time, they're awesome. One of the things that you need to keep in mind during Combat is that, like any other kind of Level, you can only allocate them to one purpose per Phase. So, for example, if the GM asks you to make a PER Roll, and you use them there, you can't, in that same Phase, use them for OCV, DCV, Dive for Cover... nothing. It makes it very tactically important to juggle them well. Cheers,

Re: What is Munchkin?

Re: Why should I buy Champions? Like others who've posted on your thread, I've been playing this gaming system all during it's evolution. I have a thought about one of your critiques about the speed of combat... It probably the most often voiced criticism of the game. Most long-time HERO gamers know that Combat Speed is the biggest hurdle to recruiting new insane-fanatics. It will run slowly under a great many conditions, and it can be frustrating. The main thing that slows combat, IMO, is a lack of familiarity and comfort with the rules of combat by everyone involved. While the basics of combat are relatively simple, the variations are many. Getting your players familiar enough with their characters' combat style (and the accompanying rules) so that they can know their characters' Combat Values is the first goal. Having the GM or another player help calculate a character's Combat Values every time that character is supposed to act is really slooowwwww. Combat speeds up markedly when the GM only has to worry about counting off time and controlling the bad guys. It speeds up even more when the GM doesn't have to worry about counting off time because the players are so familiar with the way things are supposed to go that everyone helps manage the Speed Chart. Once everyone in the gaming group (or at least most of them) become comfortable with the combat rules, the GM only has to manage combats, not direct them. That stuff takes time, and it's not an insignificant hurdle. But once you get past that, the power of the flexibility of HERO system rules really starts to shine on through... then you're hooked. Peace, Keith

Re: block use Clarification about what please Not really. Here's the basic Step-by-Step: 1. Attacker, who is in range to deliver an HtH attack declares his intention to attack Defender 2. Before Attacker Rolls his Attack Roll, Defender delcares his Block 3. Defender rolls an 'attack' with Defender's OCV vs Attacker's OCV. 4. If the roll succeeds, Attacker's attack is Blocked, and he doesn't even get to roll. 5. If anyone else tries to attack Defender with a Blockable attack, Defender can keep Blocking, with a -2 cumulative penalty for each attack after the first (ie -2 to OCV on the 2nd attack, -4 on the 3rd, etc) until such a time that Defender fails a Block roll... at and after which time, Defender may not Block further attack attempts until his next Phase (or more correctly until his next Abortable Segment) It does a lot more than that... and that's what I think you're missing. AoE also makes an attack unBlockable by definition. Now, while there may be some Special Effects bases for modifying the general rule, you need to keep in mind that those will be exceptions to the rule that AoEs are not Blockable. This is almost completely untrue. That would probably depend completely on the Special Effect of the Power. I would say that Autofire is fairly priced for the effect it has... especially when END cost is taken into account (and note that Reduced END for Autofire attacks is doubled) You could do that too, but what you give up in that instance is the additional damage from STR, which should not be discounted... you'd be better off buying it HtH (or HKA), Autofire, 1/2 END, AE Radius, Personal Immunity. (keep in mind that the Radius for AoE is determined by the Active Points of the Power, not counting the AoE, so the more Advantages you have before the AoE the better. Hope this helps, -keith

Re: block use It is my understanding that the Mechanic vs an AoE attack is not Block... it's Dive for Cover. So I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around your problem with not being able to Block such an attack. One of the reasons to buy an AoE attack is specifically to make the attack un-Block-able. Others include 'Attacking a DCV of 3' and 'Hitting Lots of Mooks.' And one thing I'd like to point out as people discussion how advantageous something like an AoE, Autofire, HtH (or HKA) might be, remember that you're talking about some serious cost... especially when you consider the effects of END cost on the character for an Autofire attack. One of the Amazing things about HERO's point-based game design is that stuff that costs about the same... tends, in the long run, to be equivalently effective in the game. So if you're concerned about how 'effective' a certain design tactic is... odds are you're not looking closely enough at the detriments of that tactic. Peace, Keith

Re: Missile Deflection - Can someone explain this? Neither is Reflection... I'm beginning to see everything more clearly now. I've already Rep'ed Hyperman for his contribution to my opinions. I thank everyone for their input. I was just trying to wrap my mind around the whole thing. It makes sense now, from a Rules standpoint at least. And I tend to be a big believer in the Rules... Peace, Keith

Re: Missile Deflection - Can someone explain this? So... a Fastball Special, a guy following a ballistic trajectory, is considered controlled movement but a Maverick missile isn't? a guy leaping through the air to perform a Move-Through, following a ballistic trajectory, is controlled, but laser beam, moving at the speed of light is fair game? ...

Greetings all, For the first time in my 25 years of playing HERO games, I'm playing a character with Missile Deflection/Reflection. Since I don't tend to pay attention to stuff I don't use, I've never paid much attention to this power (it was actually a skill the last time I looked at it... how long ago was that?). So I started looking into it, and I have become baffled to the point of anger. I'm hoping that someone with wisdom and insight can explain this to me before I jump... Looking at the FAQ, I find this jewel: So, it would seem that a person thrown as a "fastball special" is somehow not the same as a person being thrown 'willie-nilly'? And a character flying through the air using leaping (or falling) is not the same as a big rock, that is flung (or dropped). I mean, if you can Missile Deflect a frickin' laser beam and you can Deflect a 12 ton catapult stone (with a STR of 45), why the heck can't you Deflect a 400kg guy being thrown at you with his fist out? What? Serious Rep to anyone who can defend this crap. Peace, Keith

Re: Door opened in an airplane in flight. What next? Yes they did. As I recall, a bullet hole... any hole smaller than about 30cm in diameter for that matter, had no significant 'vaccuum' affect on the cabin. Holes larger than that (larger than the size of a plane window) had distructive affects on the fuselage. Large openings, like the door coming off, tended to explode the fuselage around opening. There was a plane a couple of years back that had a large part of the starboard side of the plane blown off... it landed in Hawaii with a big gaping wound. I don't know what game effect you want... but I'm sure that you could justify just about anything you wanted. Peace, -keith

Re: Weird Desolid Question Yes.

Re: Megascale and Hyperdrive

Re: Stupid firearms question

Re: New Player freaks the heck out of me. I have a perspective that I'd like to share, oddly enough it has a great deal to do with a paradigm shift... I took a look at this character build, and it's clear that this guy has the wrong paradigm with respect to the relation between his character, his character's avatar, and HERO design philosophy. First, the rules definition is that a Focus must be able to be taken away from a character. It must be easy to take away from the character; a single Turn of non-combat for an Innaccessible Focus, and a Takeaway, in-combat maneuver for a Accessible one. As a result, the Avatar cannot be built as a Focus, let alone an Independent one. But I see what he's trying to do, and I think there's a way to fix it. I'd build the character with magick-based powers with a limitation only when Mind Linked to Avatar (-1/4). I'd build the Avatar as an AI (and thus an NPC) with a high enough EGO that it won't need any programs. I'd also build the AI without a Focus, making, therefore, intangible, unseeable, and undetectable... unless some other character has the ability to see such things. Build the Avatar with a Mind Link (Psychic Bond) to the character and enough mental and power defenses that it's basically invulnerable to manipulations by others unless it's specifically targeted by those who know about such things. This way, the Avatar can talk to the character whenever it wants. It can have information that the character doesn't have and can dispense it as needed. It can even have powers that the charcter doesn't have (like the power to put the character through Seekings). I think that if you try to build the character that way, the character will come back to earth while still maintaining the spirit what the player is envisioning. Of course, if what the player is envisioning is the Power that comes with all those points... your problem has nothing to do with the character build, and everything to do with the player. Hope that helps, -keith

Re: WWYD if you could recieve ONE super power Hey! that's not a Peace Maker power... That's more like a "Path to peace through engendering a growing mutual understanding amongst mankind if only mankind wanted true peace and understanding rather than selfish world domination which is much more likely to be what it actually wants" power... The power I want: Major Mental Transform, Improved Results Group (Anything +1), Completely Invisible Effect ...is a Peace Maker power... don't give them a choice. Cheers, -k

Re: WWYD if you could recieve ONE super power Tough question... There are so many that I want. I'm going to just declare that a Dr. Strange type Magic VPP would be out, so... Major Mental Transform, Improved Results Group (Anything +1), Completely Invisible Effect Peace, -k

Re: Point Efficiency vs. Concept While I guess that that's a way to look at it, I was looking at it another way... A guy who's superhuman, decides that he wants to try to pass as human and misdirect people who might seek to thwart him in his heroic activities... so he invents a persona "super-power-armor-guy" in an effort to get everyone to believe that all his powers come from the power armor. That way, he can live a 'normal' life with no one suspecting that he's truly a freakin' mutant freak. I remember reading one of the X-Men comics... Waaaayyy back in the foggy past... the first time that everyone learned that Wolverine's claws were not part of his suit... the team was captured and all the muties were restrained in such a way as to thwart their mutant powers... Wolvie pops his claws and slices through his and everyone else's bond... Jean says something like 'I thought those were part of your costime' (which had been removed) He answered something like 'yeah... you and everyone else... for just such an emergency' The team was saved and they conquered all. So, that's what I was thinking about when I said I thought it was a good concept. I still think that it's a good concept. Cheers, -k

Re: Point Efficiency vs. Concept You mentioned that your friend thought it was a ludicrous way to build a character, but you didn't share with us what his objection(s) was(were)... I'm confused by your post because I can't understand why anyone would object to such a nice, well conceived concept. The title of your post seems to indicate that maybe you weren't as 'efficient' with your points as you could have been... my answer to that is 'so'? Now, don't get me wrong. I am a point efficiency person. But everything starts with a concept. If your concept is good and solid that's all that really matters. If your good, solid concept lends itself to an 'efficient' character design, hooray for you. And keep in mind that, for the most part, it's the weaknesses and inefficiencies of a character, not its strengths, that tend to make characters playable. The true beauty of (meta/super)humanity is in its flaws, not its perfections. Peace, -k

Re: 25th Anniversary Special Edition Now In Store! The book is paid for... The last phase of my master plan for world domination will begin as soon as it arrives! MmuuuhhahaHAHAAHAHAAAAAAAAA! Excitedly, -k

Re: How to do: Twins All of this is true... First, my apologies for the tone... I have no excuse and no other real explanation other than the fact that the 'build it backwards' mantra is a personal thing I have (it's one of the reasons I an a HERO fanatic)... and sometimes my fanaticism comes across *** both preachy and too strong. Thanks for calling me on it. -keith