DasBroot

And when in doubt there's always Transform: Sick Target into Healthy Target (end condition getting sick again).

 

Or RKA, AoE, Indirect (full), limited target: Cancer Cells (or disease of choice) only (though that won't reverse the characteristic loss - which is realistic, to be honest - kill the disease, hope the body can naturally heal itself once it's gone).

Even less when you add the +10 body needed to kill said target (22 total to 'destroy'.  People are a LOT tougher than most walls in Hero ... they're actually tougher than most vehicles. A city bus (12.5 tons), a private jet, yacht, and any non-armored car all clock in at less than 22 body + pd (with most cars coming in at 17-18).

 

Mitigated in most games by 'faceless mooks die at 0 body unless the heroes actively try not to kill them' but not by the rule as written.

I think the rule is that the wall adds its PD/ED and body to the target behind it IF the attack is enough to overcome the wall in the first place.

 

You would think that would be somewhere under Wall in Champions Complete but it's actually under Barrier (which the text say function as regular walls... maybe it's repeated in 6e under Walls or taking damage?).

 

 

Attacks treat Barriers like real walls (see Breaking Things,

page 142), so attacks that fail to penetrate a Barrier don’t

continue beyond it or pass any damage through to targets on the

opposite side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indeed. My spider-like homages always have stretching in addition to entangle and such - it's an easier and more effective way to use the Disarm action at range against someone (by yanking the gun out of their hand) than trying to mess with telekinesis.

There's also Snap Shot for ranged attacks from cover; that doesn't have particularly difficult modifiers (-1 OCV). A strafe moving 3m-9m would also only get a -1 OCV.

 

True, but it's -10 if you do a 60 meter jump (120 jump move, 60 m half-phase - 60 AP) whereas the Street Fighter style helicopter kick is -2.  Extreme, yes, but both can end you in cover (the kick is silly but rule legal) if you plot it out so the Strafe is paying an incredible -8 further penalty to inflict full damage (and the kick can apparently get around part of it's reduced damage by buying HA).

 

Snap shot, though, is pretty neat and overlooked in my games.

 

edit: No it's not. I just re-read it.  Sheesh.  You'd be better off doing a 6 meter strafe starting and ending behind whatever cover you started from.  No being exposed for an entire segment. Though it wouldn't be too bad if you went at the end of a common combat turn - like phase 4.  You're exposed for all of 5 but not a lot of people act on it and you're back in cover by 6.

 

Still... yeah. Strafe for a -1 penalty instead.

I've read it but I remember absolutely nothing about it besides reading it.  It's like a book black hole in my mind - I can give a rough synopsis of pretty much any number of the hundreds of other books I've read (especially all the pulp fantasy consumed as a teenager)  - but not that one.  

 

Only the book in the Pern series I read comes close to lack of detail .... something about dragons, hyperspace flight (?), and burning threads that were bad if they hit the ground?

 

Heck, I'll submit it - Haven't read (or retained) the Pern series, and have only read one Shannara novel (Wishsong).

So, umm, how would you model all the things the T-X does to control non-sentient machines in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines?  Or do you simply not let that kind of ability exist in your world(s) due to GM Fiat?

 

Powers with Manifest and Limited power from a Control Machinery VPP?

 

That sentry turret you took over off screen?  Manifest of a triggered blast power. Uncontrolled so you can use the slot for something else once you set it.  Taking over the security cameras? Clairvoyance (limited power: existing security infrastructure).  Remotely commanding the toaster to make you breakfast? Transform Bread to Cooked Bread (LP: existing toaster).

 

(Or an energy HKA no strength since we know toasters love to burn the bread)

 

And most importantly just a Power roll with the pool for anything that doesn't really affect anything (like the toaster, really - it was just there as an example for something more useful than a toaster ) .  Go ahead and remotely turn the wipers on - as long as it doesn't obscure vision (flash attack).

 

Reprogramming an AI with an EGO (the T-800) is flat out mind control, though, complete with break out roll.

 

edit: Also, if someone wanted to make a true technopath I'd work with them and make sure more enemy robots than not were AI controlled automatons instead of dumb ones and give the enemy power suit an AI every so often.  It's the other half of the equation - let players be cool so long as it doesn't ruin the experience for the table at large.

Huh. Hadn't realised they removed that - I've been using AP/10 = BOD as well.  Weird.  So this thing:

 

15 Mine is the Flashlight That Holds up the Heavens: Multipower, 30-point reserve, (30 Active Points); all slots OAF Durable (Flashlight; -1)   1f 3 1f 3 1f 1 1f 2 1f 0 1f 1 1f 3

 

Could hold up the Statue of Liberty for 7 segments?

 

And I applaud your quality of players. Mileage varies. 

Spidey's bread and butter is dealing with Obvious Foci but it's funny... as written Entangle is a lot more binary than when he uses it - you get the entire target.

 

Which is fine, but can be dull - just like Englobing everything that moves.  I think it's one of those situations where I'd create extra slots in a multipower that are purposely different/weaker than they could be.

 

Web someone's eyes? An argument can be made for Flash but that wears off on it's own.  Entangle that blocks sight with a limitation that it only blocks sight and a reasonable body / pd score for being so small?  That's sight blocking and forces them to deal with it.

 

Same with targeting focuses - an entangle that only affects Obvious foci is categorically weaker than its base power but it's a lot more fun / genre appropriate to see Hammer Guy try to free his hammer, fail, and start swinging ineffectively with his fist (or the entangled weapon as an improvised weapon).

 

Called shots can sort of do these things but the extra limited slots do them better (no OCV penalty, etc).

I know it's been debated a *lot* but I've always felt that the powers work on machine class *minds*.  No mind (ego), no telepathy or mind control - turning a car on maximum overdrive style is better done with telekinesis, transform, summon or something.

 

It's not what most players sign on for with that power, though: They want to read the hard drive of the villains PC or turn the bases defense mechanisms against the bad guy.

 

Personally if I were to make a technopath I'd put a few creative drains, telekinetic tricks,  or transforms in a pool to represent 'messing' with a non-sentient machine and save the full on mind control for AI/Computer.

I guess what confuses me is that there's already a mechanic in the game that allows move-attack-move.

 

Move By (Passing Strike) and Strafe

 

Their penaties are harsh (half strength damage on move by, incredible OCV penalties that you specifically can't overcome with skill levels on Strafe) but they're there.

 

(As an aside how do hand attacks factor into move by? I've always halved them as well - so a 30 strength character with a 6d6 hand attack (12d6) does 6d6.  I've had players protest that only the strength is halved so it should be 9d6, for example.)

If that's the intent why not put the Blast in a multipower and have a second slot with AP on Blast? A lot cheaper and doesn't cost extra endurance, etc.

 

I really only like  Naked Advantage for heroic level games with 'found' gear (independent foci).  ie: AP on up to 45 active points of RKA - any gun of up to 45 AP that Shootguy gets his hands on (through disarm, looting the drug cartel armory as he invades the compound, etc) is armor piercing for him... he's just that good and always nails a target in their weakest points.

 

If Shootguy only ever uses his trusty .50 cal hand cannons, though, he's better off building a pool around them.

I've always felt that unbreakable should be worth a quarter less disadvantage (it's priced at 0 like durable).  Otherwise it's pure GM fiat if you allow Unbreakable or not.

 

"Ok, Jim... I see you have focus on two different pools and three powers. Are they all the same focus?"

 

"No. Pool 1 is my sword. It's Unbreakable."

"Uh huh. Why?"

 

"Forged by the gods in a time before time, when men where but a mote in the thoughts of a great one - to be bequeathed to a champion when the need arises."

 

"Alright. Fine. Cool sword.... and the others?"

 

"Next is a gauntlet.  Forged by the gods in a time before time...."

 

"Right. Next?"

 

"Next is a pair of boots..."

 

"The gods?"

 

"Yep."

 

"I'm guessing their break condition is 'smashed on the anvil that forged them?"

 

"Right in one."

 

"You know if you didn't want your foci broken you could have used ONly in Hero ID, right?"

 

"Nah. Not worth as many points."

 

I understand that it's priced at zero because in normal play a Durable is about as likely to get destroyed (ie not at all without significant effort) but it still feels a little off.

If you have a GM that keeps throwing disarming checks agaisnt you, it is a valuable point investment. With every GM, you may have to adapt to the challenge style.

 

Only in Hero would you find the inability to be Disarmed as a *limitation*.

 

Though he's certainly been through enough to justify his player saying 'Alright already... you win...  I'm paying to reduce my OAF to OIF.'

For the purposes of GM sanity and controlling campaign power levels, you have to think of it that way, no matter what the rules may assert or what is technically according to Hoyle.

 

 

Indeed. Lest you end up with a 60 point blast. With an autofire 5 naked advantage. With a seperate 0 end naked advantage. With an  AoE 1 meter naked advantage.  With an armor piercing naked advantage.

All it would take to make Mr Immortal *not* a dark character is to remove his manic rages and knowledge of his ultimate fate - to be the last living thing in the universe.

 

Yes, that removes a chunk of the appeal of the character - but allows for wacky death of the week slapstick hi-jinks like showing up to a crime scene to help and promptly getting run over by a surprise off-screen arriving SWAT van, etc.

He's an actual super(anti)hero with an actual mission.  He has no choice but to be.

 

Now... watch the Inhumans take that rule and throw it out the window with our luck...

Disney's Moana 

 

I found it very simple but very solid with excellent music and animation.  It joins Big Hero 6 on my list of CGI Disney films I'd watch again.

Burning down your garage while trying to remove bees is silly.

 

Burning down your garage to remove spiders, however, is justifiable. 

It's absolutely needed.  Otherwise whatever you ram through (like ACA in the first place) will just get repealed the next time the 'other guys' take office.

 

I just wished more of these talking heads seemed to realise that... ramming things through and then changing them is not in the benefit of the people you serve.  "No matter who wins, we lose" was the tagline for the Aliens vs Predator movie - it shouldn't be a tagline for modern politics.  

Long distance travel powers cost points, and I have never seen a game where the GM announces that "the battle is long over and the villains have departed by the time you arrive. The villains now rule the world with unshakeable power. Guess it is time for a new campaign."

 

I have (well, the 'battle is over' part) but only because the characters explicitly chose to walk when they had faster transportation available to them in order to prove that campaigns move at the 'speed of plot.

 

It's true ... but if you have access to a team of horses, for example, you better be thundering through the night to get there 'in the nick of time'. 

 

I've been on a 'it costs 0' spree in my current game.  I even threw in some forms of life support if it fits your concept.  Quite liberating.

I had noticed the two fifties added up in cost to a 75 (which kind of suited my off the cuff ruling) and was preparing to point that out in my first follow up post - until I saw the RAW from 6 and confirmed it with CC that flat out says "Nope. Pick one. /thread"

 

I still *might* allow applying serially (not additive) if it ever came up.

 

5 people giving you 50% will reduce a whopping 100 point hit to 50 - 25 - 12.5 - 6 .25 - 3.125 (3). That's 97% which seems pretty extreme ... but it cost 300 active points (resistant) at base (before adding the usable on others, etc you need to make it work).

 

Since one of the optional power guides actually has 100% resistant reduction priced at 120 (double the 75% level) spending 300-400 to make Bob indestructible seems over-engineered if anything:  There were better ways to do it cheaper.

The CvK thread in my signature is related to this topic as well. Pulling a Punch is the heroic way to deal with such lethality issues.

 

HM

 

I heartily endorse the 'no OCV penalty for pulling a punch' option in superheroic games.

 

My players use it mostly to reduce knockback distances on foes, though  Anything powerful enough to take a hit from one of the heroes and not get knocked out or stunned probably wasn't going to take any body from that 12d6 attack anyways.

 

'Tasers' (attacks with Stun Only) are also popular for the same reason.

Champions Complete has the same rule (page 56)

 

If a character has two or more Damage Reduction powers

that could apply to the same attack, he chooses only one to

apply.

 

If I allowed it I would apply the higher first and then the lesser afterwards.

 

For example: If hit by 10 stun through defenses in your scenario I would reduce it to 5 (50%) and then reduce that 5 by a quarter (3.75  becomes 3 since rounding always favors the character in Hero).  

 

For Dragon Mandarin I would take the 10 and reduce to 5 then 2.5 (2).  That's the same as a true 75% reduction gotten to by a convoluted way and probably what the write up intended.