Warp9

Re: Natural Powers VS equipment question Nothing stops Red Man from spending the rest of his remaining points on other abilities. The problem is that he's already wasted a number of his points on abilities that everybody else can get for free. So he can be a mentalist, but he'll be a weaker mentalist than the other character who spent most of his points on mental abilities. And remember that the radio ear-plug is an extreme example. Most other items have a number of limitations that you'd probably have to also buy off. A gun would probably have: "real weapon," beam weapon, charges, STR min, as well as OAF. In the end, you probably wouldn't get a big discount on this ability. So you'd probably end up spending a big chunck of your points to duplicate things that everybody else can do already (for free). Yes there are other options: But I am concerned that: "No points charged for real tech" screws over those whose abilities can be copied by others for free. And it seems like the resoruce points could end up in violation of common sense very easily.

Re: Natural Powers VS equipment question Those sound like some good suggestions. The "All things that cost points should be purchased with a cost divisor of 1/3 or 1/5 to represent their actual value in a setting where equipment can often rival those abilities directly (e.g. guns vs. fireball)" sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. I still think that buying off the limitations might be more mechanically consistant with the Hero System. After all a dependable IIF is very close to a natural ability in most cases, whereas a bulky and obvious focus is far different from a natural ability.

Re: Natural Powers VS equipment question I would still go for the character whose powers could not be duplicated technologically. And I'd laugh at all the characters who spend their points to do the things that my character can do for free. If everybody and his dog has a jet pack, then flight is no longer a big deal in that campaign. You are also failing to take into account a number of little limitations which would probably apply to a real-world jet pack which would make it cheaper, so there would be more limitations to buy off in order to get your own flight abilities. Maybe I haven't been clear enough. I will state things a bit differently: A character who can naturally hear radio much spend his precious character points for the ability. It's unfair to this character for other characters to simply buy a radio with money, thus acquiring the same ability without spending any character points. Do you agree or disagree with the above statement?

Re: Natural Powers VS equipment question

Re: Natural Powers VS equipment question Part of the problem here would involve the layering of armor. If you can have your internalized 12PD/12ED and then also get kevlar for free (for a total of +24PD/+24ED) there would be a problem. There would have to be some sort of restriction to stop this kind of thing from happening. The most obvious options to me are: (1) not allow characters to use the option for armor. or (2) have armor layering rules and count the characters with internalized armor as "already armored." Finally, while the +12 PD / +12 ED armor with an OIF comes out to 24 real points, you forgot to add on some of the other probable limitations such as "real armor" and "mass." With these factored in a character will have more limitations to pay off and will not be able to buy the armor for 12 points.

Re: Natural Powers VS equipment question I was also thinking of a character relying on a Force Field and Ego Attacks, why couldn't he go out and also get some equipment as well? It seems to me that, in a game where PCs can pick up technology for free, everybody is going to be a "real tech equipped gadgeteer" in addition to whatever else they can do. The only guy who is not likely to have night vision goggles is the guy who paid his own points to have night vision. The mentalist could have a nice rifle, kevlar armor, IR goggles, radio equipment, as well as his mental powers. Basically he could do every thing Red Man can do, but without paying any points, plus he'll also have his own mental abilities. Most of the time the mentalist still comes out ahead.

Re: Natural Powers VS equipment question Thanks OddHat, those are all good points. I do have some comments though. . . . That was the intention. IMO a natural ability has a big advantage over an OAF (that type of focus is fairly limiting). On the other hand, there is not that much of a difference between the natural ability and the IIF. Considering that all Red Man's abilities could be gained without spending any points at all, I'm not sure how efficient he really is. If I were playing in such a game, I'd rather spend my points on some kind of abilities that can't be simulated, and then copy all of Red Man's abilities for free. My character would be able to do everything that Red Man can do (with the help of some equipment), plus a whole bunch more stuff that Red Man would have no hope of copying. I think I'd be getting the better deal in that situation. Resource points sound like a cool option, they would definitely be worth considering. When we are talking about 50 points of "free" real world equipment at any time as a base line, is that 50 active points, or 50 real points? I would assume "real" points, but it would make quite a bit of difference if we were talking about active points here. Even though the concept of Resource points is a very good idea, and something which I may use for my game, it still seems like it could cause problems. If a game is going to be more gritty and revolve to a large extent around money and material possessions, then IMO any sort of arbitrary limits can cause problems with game consistancy.

What I’m about to suggest may already be covered somewhere, and I’m hoping that some one has already tried it. In considering methods for character generation for my Mimm campaign (see the “Other Genres†forum), I have been looking at the options for equipment. IMO it is more “realistic†to allow characters to pick up equipment without paying points for it. One of the problems with this method is that it cheats those who pay points to have similar natural abilities. But I have an idea to get around that problem. Since you can effectively get the focus for free, why not “spot†the characters the points for the focus, and then just allow the characters to buy off the focus limitation? For example, lets say that there are Radio Ear plugs in my game which allow characters to have Radio Perception through an IIF without paying any points. If the character had to spend his points on a focus, it would look like this: Radio Perception (8 base points) IIF –--- Actual Cost 6 points. (There is a difference of 2 points between the focus and the full ability) Since I’m already “giving away†the 6 points for the focus, I’m suggesting that I allow people who want Radio Perception as a natural ability to get it for 2 points (which is what it would take to buy off the focus limitation). Has anybody used this method? If so how did it work out?

Re: Mimm (sci-fantasy game) Thanks. Yes, probably. It is conceivable that a face to face game might take place, there are a number of Hero Gamers that live in the Tampa area who might be interested. But my main focus is the virtual angle. I agree that face to face games have many advantages, on the other hand, virtual games have advantages as well. One of the main things I like is that there does not have to be a set group. For example, maybe some of the PCs will be on the side of the Empire, while some of the others may favor independence for Mimm, and others may fan the flames of war while selling weapons to both sides. I personally feel that having the PCs on various sides makes for a very interesting game. Outside of equipment, I’d likely be using more of the rules from a “heroic†game. I want more of a “gritty†feel than would be had by most super-hero games. And I’m not even really dedicated to the super-heroic method of buying items. It sort of depends on the reaction I get to the concept in this thread. The “super-heroic†method gives more freedom to the PCs in terms of the ability to design their own items, and it makes things easier for me (I don’t have to design equipment lists). The PCs will be very important on a local level, but not on a “world level.†Of course that is in terms of "power level," rather than ability to impact the course of history. The PCs may have access to equipment and powers that the average people do not, but it is a big universe and there are also many others who have even greater technology and/or powers. Some times even the most humble characters can have a major impact on the world (just ask Frodo about that). Also part of the concept of “uniqueness†comes down to how each character is built. It is very possible that one of the PCs could be the best chess player on Mimm, and maybe even the best chess player in the whole Galaxy. I’d say that would be very "unique," but probably not in exactly the way you intended when asking the question.

Hi All. I am considering starting up a new campaign, but before getting too far along, it would be nice to get some feedback on the concepts involved. So any input that you can give would be appreciated. This campaign takes place on a frontier world which is on the edge of a galactic empire. The feel I’m going for in the game is based on several sources. It draws a bit from Star Wars, a bit from WH40K, a bit from Call of Cthulu, and a bit from the old west. As is common in many “star empire†type games, there are a collection of beings who ruled the galaxy long before modern times, and have since vanished (but not without leaving behind some interesting artifacts). These forerunners are called the “Old Ones†in my game; these ancients are mostly an unknown factor, but there is definitely a “Lovecraftian†vibe to them. There is a theme of moving (over time) from a galaxy controlled by “extra-cosmic horrors†to a galaxy run by more mundane entities (like humans). Over the eons, the more bizarre entities have become less visible, whereas, in modern days, creatures with “more respect for the laws of nature†have dominated the field. The game starts toward the end of the 36th century (3584), where humans have moved out into space and encountered a number of other high-tech creatures. The Empire has been at war for 200 years, and is currently in a stage of expansion, and also re-expansion into old territories. One such “old†territory is the Mimm system, specifically the 2nd planet of the Mimm system (the planet is technically called “Mimm II,†but it is usually referred to as Mimm) Mimm was first colonized by the Empire in 2900, but contact with Mimm was lost during a major war which put a great deal of stress on the Empire. Technical Note: there is no “FTL radio†in my universe (at least as far as the current levels of technology in concerned), the only way to get messages across space (fast) is to carry the messages on ships which are capable of making hyper-space jumps. So, when a net-work of jump-gates goes down, contact with the related worlds will be lost. After the war, the Empire is again expanding. Mimm has just been re-discovered in 3564, and re-acquired by the Empire. Because Mimm is on the edge of the Empire, the technology level is much lower than at the heart of the Empire, and the technology that the average person has access to is actually more like 1970s Earth. The PCs will have access to higher levels of technology (or possibly be bizarre aliens with para-human abilities) than most people around them. So the game could almost seem like a “super-hero†setting in some ways. Given the setting, I am considering treating high-tech items as “unique artifacts†and having everybody build their equipment, just like they would in a super-hero setting. But I am also considering other options as well. As far as the goals/motivations of the PCs go, there is much for them to do on Mimm. Often times the only justice to be had on a frontier world may have to be given out by the PCs. And during the long separation during the war, the original colonists no longer feel that they are citizens of the Empire. They feel that they should be considered independent, but the Empire disagrees. There is a growing threat of war between the colonists and the Empire. No matter which side they are on, war will make life interesting for the PCs. There is also still much exploration to be done. Mimm has been the site of alien activity over the ages, and there are all sorts of wonders left behind in the ancient ruins. One of the reasons that the Empire is interested in Mimm is due to the concentration of artifacts left by the Old Ones. Finally there is an element of tension between the more primitive aliens, and the more advanced humans. Some of the aliens want to take over control of the world (or at least get as much power as possible), and are increasingly willing to resort to terrorist methods in order to achieve their goals. Eventually, when I get around to actually running the game, I’ll be using a mixture of technologies. Probably mainly Play by Post and PBEM, for the non-combat stuff, and chat technology in order to resolve combat. Although I am mainly looking for feedback at this time, if you are interested in playing in the game, it is not too early to let me know. Anyway, here are some URLs related to my game: The first is the URL for the Mimm Time Line. http://www.siliconstorm.net/games/mimm/knights/timeline.html The second URL is a link to the “campaign trailer†http://www.siliconstorm.net/games/mimm/mimmintro.html The first link is probably the most important data wise. But the second link might be interesting to look at as well. And thanks in advance for any feedback. . . .

Re: Are there ever too many points? I agree. Of course, I've never liked hard point caps anyway.

Re: Are there ever too many points? Sorry. I shouldn't have assumed that it was your game.

Re: Are there ever too many points?

Re: Are there ever too many points? You gave a (-1/2) for "Not in Red Sun system?" If I were GMing that character would I would presonally roll all the above limitations into a single limitation: (-1/4) powers subject to stellar objects which means that they don't work in a red sun system, and they fade if not close to a yellow star.

Re: Magic & Cyberware How would you deal with SR Initiation? the magic attribute goes up, but (as I remember it) essence stays the same.

Re: Foci BTW, thanks for the info

Re: Foci

Re: Foci You may be correct here. But I am not familiar with the rule. I understand that you could X2 per 5 points with followers and stuff like that, but I never knew that it applied to personal powers (even personal powers with a "focus" limitation). Could you give me a specific cite from 5th Main Rule Book?

Re: Foci JmOz is correct. The answer to your question is covered in the main book. Look at the section under "Power Modifiers on Multipowers," and specifically the sub-heading "Varying Limitations."

Re: Hero System is Just Alright With Me I think that it is well put together. Is "realistic," in this case, meant to mean our common experience here on this planet? Or is it meant to mean anything that might be possible in this reality?

Re: Polishing The HERO System Good point.

Re: Polishing The HERO System

Re: Polishing The HERO System

Re: Polishing The HERO System As I've said before, Hero, as a generic system IMO should not cater too much to a specific setting. Changing the Hero system because of "Big skill rolls in superhero games" would be doing exactly that. Your first solution (making skills 11 + STAT/10) doesn't do much besides hide the problem. A person with a high enough stat will still go from 11- to 15- at a cost of 1 point. The 6 + STAT/5 might work better, depending on how you implemented it. The real problem is that STATS have nothing at all to do with skills at a 1 or 2 point level, and then suddenly kick in at a 3 point level. If having a high DEX helps me climb, then why should it have no impact at the 1 or 2 point level? And, if I have a 10 DEX why should I get exactly the same roll (11-) for 2 points that I get for 3 points? My solution would be to make it so that, if a skill is based off of a STAT it should always be based on the stat, even at a 1 or 2 point level.

Re: Your house rules you do NOT want to see as system rules