Utech

Re: Costs END Only to Activate Yes.

Re: Advantagous sfx

Re: Advantagous sfx oO(No. I'm not wrong. But that animated GIF... So compelling... The waving fingers... The tongue... Losing will... Unable to fight... Curse you, Doc Democracy! Curse you! Curse...) Yes. I understand. I am wrong. It is all so clear to me. Now.

Re: Advantagous sfx Nonsense! The Thing is welcome to throw punch after punch at The Human Torch. They just won't do any good. Just as The Thing is welcome to Grab Mr. Fantastic. It just won't do any good. And I think that's a good way to handle it. I also think there are cases where the special effects of Shrinking would simply allow the shrinker to walk away from a grab without the need for any breakout roll at all. Case by case, special effect by special effect. No, I'm sure you'll keep doing things your own way. Which is exactly as it should be.

Re: Advantagous sfx I think Dr. Anomaly has the right idea here. Appropriate special effects of a power should be able to trump the straight up mechanics of a maneuver. Would I always go that route? No. 'Course not. I would probably give player characters a break before handing them out to my own GM baddies. If the team brick has Largely Icky Shrinking Person in a solid grip I would probably let that grip continue even when LISP shrinks. I would definitelyallow the team brick to hold LISP if the brick said something like, "I'm going to hold on tight. I know LISP can shrink and I'm ready for it." There are lots of other powers that by their very nature -- and assuming that their special effects merit -- remove the ability to perform combat maneuvers or limit their effects: Entangle Mental Illusions Mind Control Telekinesis (TK grab) Extra Limbs Force Field (defending against some NND attacks) Force Wall Missile Deflection and Reflection Extra Dimensional Movement Flight Gliding Leaping Running Swimming Swinging Teleportation TunnelingI no doubt missed some. I don't think anyone would argue that there is something broken in the system because the Human Torch's Flight allows him to ignore every hand-to-hand combat maneuver in the rulebook when fighting The Thing. --- Edited to clarify that Powers in and of themselves are not the deciding factor in removing combat maneuvers. It is the combination of Powers and Special Effects that do the trick. At least around these here parts.

Re: Costs END Only to Activate

Re: Costs END Only to Activate Many many thanks to all who have responded! I really appreciate your thoughts and respect your opinions. I especially appreciate this list of similarly "value challenged" Advantages from Hugh:

Re: Advantagous sfx

Re: Advantagous sfx I guess I just don't see it this way. If the rule was "Stretching like Mr Fantastic always allows characters to escape Grabs" then a special effect would be hardwired into the system. In my opinion, the idea that some special effects might allow some characters to escape Grabs is just using common and dramatic sense. If I felt a player was abusing this "escape clause" , I would certainly insist that the character spend Experience for an appropriate Power. I would hope that this issue never really comes up because the appropriate Power is purchased during character creation. But if it somehow escaped us during character creation (perhaps Stretching unexpectedly becomes part of a VPP..?) then I would go with common and dramatic sense and allow sfx to trump game mechanics.

Re: Advantagous sfx I'm with the chorus here. The special effects are what make the game special. Thinking about exactly what sort of special effects I want when I make a character is fun! Cool special effects should definitely be rewarded. This isn't just about fire and ice. This is about any kind of special effects you can imagine. If my TK special effect is a pink arm of energy that extends from my body and picks things up, that pink arm ought to be able to arm wrestle! The fact that it is pink might help or hinder in certain social situations... I am much more interested in seeing powers interact than numbers.

Re: Costs END Only to Activate Sorry for the confusion. I don't think 0 END is under priced. I've used it as a +1/2 Advantage for years and like it. (Much better than the bygone system of buying 1/2 END, another level of 1/2 END, another level of 1/2 END...) I suspect that Costs END Only to Activate just doesn't add up. I have not used it and would like to know how others have found it working out. Responses so far lead me to believe it should be a +1/2 Advantage -- same as 0 END -- because I don't think that having to pay END only at activation is more than a -0 Limitation on an otherwise free power. In extreme circumstances, sure. But those are extreme.

Re: Costs END Only to Activate

Re: Costs END Only to Activate

Re: Costs END Only to Activate

Re: entangle

Re: Costs END Only to Activate

Re: Costs END Only to Activate Could you elaborate please?

Re: Costs END Only to Activate Seems to me that those Powers ought to be repriced rather than rely on tacking on a silly Advantage... Powers that don't cost END are clearly beside the point, yes?

Re: Costs END Only to Activate I'm not sure what you mean by this. Costs END Only to Activate is a +1/4 Advantage 0 END is a +1/2 Advantage 15 points of Growth with Costs END Only to Activate = 19 points 15 points of Growth with 0 END = 22 points Clearly they are not worth the same. But it seems to me that Costs END Only to Activate would actually work just like 0 END in practice. Am I wrong? Have you found Costs END Only to Activate actually less of an Advantage than 0 END?

I have not tried out this Advantage but I find it hard to swallow. I would love to hear from those who have. In practice, do you find Costs END Only to Activate essentially the same as 0 END -- a +1/2 Advantage? Costs END Only to Activate is recommended "only for Body-Affecting Powers and the like." It seems to me those powers are generally activated either 1) Outside of combat (where the END cost to activate really doesn't matter) or 2) On Phase 12 (to be followed by a Post Segment 12 Recovery that renders the END expenditure a non-issue). For the record, the Body-Affecting Powers are: Density Increase Desolidification Duplication Extra Limbs Growth Multiform Shape Shift Shrinking Stretching

Re: Need Clarification: Extra-Dimensional Movement I think that EDM and Teleport feel very different and (at base) are intended for different things. EDM is meant to move you to another dimension. Teleport is meant to move you to another location in your current dimension. The similarity, to me, is much like that between Energy Blast and Ranged Killing Attack. I find that they feel very different and (at base) are intended for different things. Energy Blast is meant to damage things or people. Ranged Killing Attack is meant to maim or kill people. While it is possible to have Energy Blasts that are very similar to Ranged Killing Attacks (sometimes even fired from the same weapon, a la "rubber bullets"!), the powers are (at base) intended for different things. Thus there are two powers. While it is possible to have EDM that is very similar to Teleport, the powers are (at base) intended for different things. Thus there are two powers.

Re: Target dependent effect Very interesting question! As usual, I think it depends on effect. Example 1: The GM includes as a plot device a widget that emits hard radiation. The GM rules that the effects of the widget's hard radiation vary depending on target and does not need to worry about how to build the device using HERO rules. Instead the GM uses logic and dramatic sense to decide exactly what happens when the widget is activated. Example 2: The player wants an RKA. Just an RKA! Hard radiation sounds good to the player. The GM steps in and says, "Maybe hard radiation would have different effects on different targets. Do you want to model that or just have me play it case by case?" The player thinks it over and decides that writing up the power with tons of exceptions and so on and so forth is too much work. The player simply buys the hard radiation RKA and the GM uses logic and dramatic sense to change the effect of the power when that would prove important or interesting. If the GM notes that these changes amount to a Limitation on the power he is free to offer points back to the player. Example 3: The player wants to build a hard radiation attack power. The player decides that it should have different effects depending on the target. The player decides that for this power that is best modeled by lowered dice of damage vs inorganic targets. This is written up as a Limitation on the power. Example 4: The player wants to build a hard radiation attack power. The player decides that it should have different effects depending on the target. The player decides that for this power that is best modeled by increased dice vs organic targets. This is written up as an Advantage on the power. Example 5: The player wants a Wand of Wonder type power that changes effect depending on target and the player has no clue as to what will happen. This is written up as a VPP with Limitations. Example 6: The player wants an Energy Blast with special effects and Advantages that change depending on target. This can be purchased as a VPP with Limitations as in Example 5 or as an Energy Blast with Variable Special Effects and Variable Advantages and (perhaps) a Limitation to reflect inability to decide ahead of time what sort of special effects or Advantages appear when the power is used. I think the list of examples could go on and on here. That's the beauty of the system, yes?

Re: Accidental Change and Power Frameworks

The write up for Accidental Change in 5ER says: A character with this Disadvantage has at least two forms or identities and sometimes accidentally or involuntarily changes between them. I'm curious what others would think of the idea of allowing Accidental Change to trigger a predetermined allotment of points in a Multipower or Cosmic Variable Power Pool. Naturally this predetermined allotment would have to be disadvantageous to be worth any points as a Disadvantage. Example: Ganbaru Man has a Multipower Framework containing an EB, FF, Flight, and Flash. He takes Accidental Change as a Disadvantage and defines it as Accidental Change, all Multipower Reserve points allocated to EB when takes BODY damage, Uncommon Circumstance, Always occurs. The Disadvantage is worth 20 points. I think this would qualify as a real Disadvantage. After all, Ganbaru Man just took BODY and he probably wants some of those Multipower Reserve points allocated to FF! (Maybe Flight as well... ) Opinions? Thoughts? Complaints? Complements? Demands? Concerns?

Hero X has a power with the Basic Requires a Skill Roll Limitation -- requries a 3/2 Skill, Active Point penalty to Skill Roll is -1 per 10 Active Points. If Hero X uses a power with 40 active points he would have an Active Point penalty of -4 to his Skill Roll. 50 active points gives him -5 to his Skill Roll. What happens if he uses a power with 42 active points? 45? 48? Does the Active Point penalty round up or down?