Ockham's Spoon

Re: dive for cover and mental attacks Yeah, what SecretID said so concisely. For AoE attacks, DFC works just because it gets you physically out of the area being affected. Movement powers could work too, but DFC is almost always Abort-type action in my experience.

Re: dive for cover and mental attacks See I think it all depends on how mental combat is handled in the game. Generally I can't see a Dive for Cover for mental attacks, except in the case of a physical DFC to get out of an Area Affect attack. In most cases a mental Block or Dodge seems reasonable to me (the hero is just concentrating on defense), but DFC doesn't have a intuitive mental analog. That said, I think there are some situations in which it would work, such as instances where mental combat takes place on the astral plane. To the casual bystander it looks like the two mentalists are just staring intently at one another, but on the astral plane it resembles physical combat. The same could be said for a cyberkinesis type of character interacting in a William Gibson-type cyberspace.

Re: Environmental Adaptation My question would be what are the effects of then environment on the characters? Because my gut reaction is just to call it colorful description for the players and let them play out how happy/miserable their characters are in said environment. If you are going to pay a point for cold/heat/etc. resistance, then the environment should have some tangible effect on gameplay (reduced END in hot weather for instance). That 1pt for resistance should offset the temperature/altitude/etc. effects by one or two levels. You should also decide whether it is going to impact Change Environment powers by one or two levels, if that ever comes up.

Re: Thoughts on Damage Negation (6e) In my mind one of the biggest advantages of Damage Negation is that you can counter-act the STN lotto from Killing Attacks without buying ridiculously high PD/ED. Of course that is the 5e point of view, maybe it isn't as big a deal in 6e (which I will get soon but haven't actually read yet). But it also cuts down on the randomness of the BDY total on KA too (fewer dice mean less BDY range to be rolled), so that you don't get that fluky high BDY roll that you won't generally see with a Normal attack. So when the heroes face off against a dragon or some other big tough foe, the GM can set the defense level more easily so that heroes with both KA and NA have a decent chance of damaging the silly thing. That's a big plus in my book anyway.

Re: Thoughts on Damage Negation (6e) I am writing here without actually having a copy of 6e, so please forgive my ignorance. In the case of pre-rolled damage, why not just have some pre-rolled Damage Negation too? It doesn't work quite like straight up DN, but close enough. Or just rule "Standard Effect" and subtract 3 points per die (or 3.5 if you are feeling generous). I agree that DN will make for brittle characters, but I think that could be an asset too when it comes to making mega-villains that the heroes can only defeat in a certain way. And I think that DN as part of an Invulnerability model could work well, but obviously you are going to need some standard defense to buffer things. I have had characters under 5e with clunky Suppress vs. Incoming Damage constructs to represent unusual types of defense, so I for one am really glad to see the addition of Damage Negation. Now I just have to get my hands on a copy of 6e...

Re: Seeing in the dark

Re: Sean style pointlessness! If you are meaning that you can shift all of your 6 PHA into the first half of the turn, then definitely a 12 SPD with -½ limitation. But if you only want the ability to shift a PHA forward one segment, then I would buy it as +1 SPD, Only to take held actions (-½), Can borrow from next Turn (+½). It costs only 10 points, but I don't see it gives a great deal more utility than a vanilla held action.

Re: Seeing in the dark

Re: Seeing in the dark I have had more than one character that could "see" in the dark as though the darkness were light. Basically that is Spatial Awareness for 25pts (5e rules). You might argue the cost lower since anything affecting vision will wipe out both normal vision and your Darksense, while Passive Sonar lets you hedge your bets on a different sense. But then you can't read those top secret files in the dark with sonar, so maybe not.

Re: Seeing in the dark I confess the idea of Nightvision as just +4 PER Vision only to offset darkness always struck me as a little off, if only because you have to have some light for vision to work. So then if the darkness modifier is more than -4 (you are entombed underground for instance), do you just call it Darkness (per the 5e power) and be done with it? If that is the case, what does that suggest about a -6 PER modifier? Maybe I just never got a good grasp on what the PER penalties for various light levels should be; of course I have terrible night vision so maybe that is part of my problem. On the other hand, the -4 modifier is conceptually simple and easy to deal with in game terms, so interesting though your idea is, I am not looking for any fixes myself.

Re: Presence and Classes of Mind Classifying PRE as a Mental power does make some intuitive sense, but when you hit Classes of Mind you run into problems it seems to me. If you are trying to scare your opponents into submission with a PRE attack and are acting threatening, your opponent is going to recognize that as a danger and react accordingly, regardless of Class of Mind. Since the GM is likely to assign penalties to PRE-based skill rolls when dealing with very different cultures (or Minds) anyway, I don't see any benefit to trying to lump PRE into Mental powers. So my question would be, what is the benefit?

Re: Question about Combat skill levels and damage In my experience using levels to boost DC rarely happens in heroic level campaigns, but does occur in superheroic campaigns in the case of a martial artist with lots of CSLs going up against a brick. In heroic level campaigns, most characters are already at the max damage for the weapon (no more than double the base damage) through STR or martial arts manuevers and so those CSL are better put toward a placed shot if they want a damage boost. And although I agree that CSLs to raise DCs seems a bit cheaper compared to buying extra damage outright, if you are capping weapon damage at double base damage, then the CSL route is going to hit that wall while buying extra damage doesn't. That said, I think the real determination should be the sfx of the damage increase. If it is just superb combat technique, then CSLs is the way to go. If you are electrifying your sword, then buy the extra damage.

Re: It's the Little Things.... This is a little power that is mostly useful for Heroic level campaigns when Encumbrance rules are used, especially for players who like to horde equipment: Featherweight Charm: 5 STR TK, 0 END, Invisible, No range, Only to negate Encumbrance (-2). Active: 14, Real: 4 5 STR doesn't seem like much, but when you consider the kg that it can lift independently of the character, you can see what a benefit it can be Encumbrance-wise by keeping DEX rolls and DCV at normal without having to buy extra levels. I had a character in a Sci-Fi campaign with a similar effect, built as a Magnetic Buoy.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... The heroes are restocking their supplies, getting extra ammo, explosives, transmitters, and other handy items. It should be noted that there was a deficit of munchies at this gaming session. GM: “Okay, has everybody got what they want now?” Viceroy: “I want to buy a case of cheese and peanut butter snack crackers.” [There is a bewildered silence] “You know, like the little plastic wrapped ones you get out of vending machines.” [More silence and inquisitive looks] “In case we meet anyone hitting us up for money. We just give them snack crackers. If they really are hungry they will be grateful, if it’s a scam they leave you alone because you obviously aren’t a good mark.” Quinn: “Yeah, they would have to be really hungry.” Viceroy: “Hey, it works in Raleigh [North Carolina], I don’t know why it wouldn’t work here.” [Purportedly this really does work] Later the heroes are at a feast of a dedicated sea-faring folk. They are trying to ingratiate themselves to their hosts, who place a high value on ceremony and social etiquette. GM: “Most of the banquet seems to consist of raw fish, some of it raw to the point it is still twitching.” Kateomi: “Okay, sushi is great and all, but I have to draw the line at twitching.” Quinn: “Can I use Sleight of Hand to empty my plate without actually having to eat anything?” [He does, leaving an unpleasant surprise in someone’s pocket] Gemini: “You say most of it is raw? I’ll focus on the stuff that isn’t.” GM: “That would be the pickled fish eyes and a dish which has a name that roughly translates as ‘fermented entrails’. Viceroy: “Bet you are wishing now that you had bought a case of snack crackers for yourself.” Kateomi: “Are you kidding? That blaze orange looks like some kind of biohazard sign. I think I’ll stick with the sushi.” Later yet the heroes are dealing with a gigantic, spine-covered serpent. Quinn: “We’ve got good Stealth rolls. Maybe we can sneak past it while it sleeps.” GM: “It is very awake, and very hungry.” Viceroy: “Quick, throw it some snack crackers!” Quinn: “Like the snake is going to pass up on the tasty meat morsels that are us so it can eat violently orange snack crackers!” Viceroy: “Of course not! Nobody really eats those things! But maybe the peanut butter will glue its jaws shut so it can’t eat us.” Quinn: “If I make a really good Luck roll, can the snake be allergic to peanuts?”

Re: Multiform for Free? Frustrated.... I have never liked Multiform myself, and try to discourage it where possible through Only in Hero ID and large Multipower's with slots that could only be used in certain combinations (e.g. only the Density Increase and Armor for the rock form, but only Desolid and Flight for the air form). But sometimes Multiform really is the best way to build a character, and in that case I am with OddHat, each form has to pay for the ability to shift to turn into another form. That still means the lowest point form pays the most, but the other forms don't get off for free.

Re: Open Followup to Steve Long's answer about being sleep deprived Is this supposed to be a combat effect or something else? As a combat effect I would say you are looking at a long duration Drain vs. DEX, INT, and END primarily. You could argue for the Drain to affect STR, CON, EGO, and STN too, depending on how much of an effect you are looking for. For other effects, one has to ask why people need to sleep in the first place. Of course no one knows for certain, but scientists theorize people need sleep to transfer short-term memories into long term ones, so it becomes critical for learning new skills. Sleep deprivation might then be modelled as Mind Control, only to inhibit learning (you might handwave that one and say a depressed INT will accomplish the same thing). Also hypothesized is that sleep is need for the brain to get back to equilibrium; basically if the neurons are firing all the time they get overstimulated and start to run amok. That could lead to anything from a case of the jitters and impairment of muscle control (DEX Drain again) to full-blown hallucinations (dreaming while awake basically, modelled as random Mental Illusions). And then because this is fiction, we can also say that lack of sleep will allow creatures from other dimensions to possess the afflicted individual (demons, dream shades, thought eaters, or even the character causing the sleep deprivation in the first place). Or some other supernatural/otherworldly event might occur, who knows?

Re: "Super" Doctor skill set In addition to the ones already mentioned, I would also consider the science skills: Pharmaceuticals, Biochemistry, Poisons, Neurology, Endocrinology, and Anatomy, as well as the PS: Surgeon. To get through all the schooling needed to cover the vast list of skills, Speed Reading and/or Eidetic Memory might be nice. You might also consider buying levels with Science Skills since you will have so many. This could be either due to innate ability or perhaps a high-tech PDA focus that contained or could access various medical encyclopedias. Since doctors are very busy, you might also consider some LS: Sleeps only 20hrs/wk (or less) for 1 point, either because he is used to it or because his healing powers "heal" him of fatigue. If you go the latter route, consider whether he can heal fatigue in others too by purchasing his LS Useable vs. Others.

Re: Chemistry, Sweet Smell or A Foul Odor? Honestly this sounds like Mind Control more than an Entangle, especially since the sfx is depression. Even if it were something like an nerve gas that paralyzed the victims I think I would go with a Drain or Suppress depending on how lasting the effects were. But if Entangle works for you and the GM, go for it.

Re: Your favorite character type Themed martial artists with a coherent set of powers (often a low level elemental control), especially flexible powers like telekinesis, teleport, and stretching. I am also a big fan of time manipulators (not time travellers necessarily) which can be many character types, but most for me they make good speedster martial artists.

Re: Player vs. Player When I started out as a GM, I felt it was my responsibility to craft the plot hooks so that the characters would feel naturally compelled to join the group and adventure. That drove me into conniptions trying to get the disparate characters to work together. Now I have the players meet me half-way; they have to have characters that will work in a group, and they are not allowed to pull stunts that are blatantly illegal or outside the tone of the game. Most players can simply be told, "No, you can't do that" or "Why exactly are the other party memebers supposed to trust you if you behave that way?" Other players require a more heavy-handed approach (usually the one that ask "Why not?" to the above questions). For them I have used Karma points (which are like one-shot uses of Luck or Unluck), oversight and threats from powerful NPC's, or in one extreme case, having the offending player get struck by a lightning bolt out of nowhere. When he asked why, I said "Why not? If you do whatever you want, I can do whatever I want too." (Sometimes its nice to be god). Fortunately Karma points are usually all it takes. Hope that helps.

Re: How to make the Loner feel not so Lonely? There are two reasons you end up with loner characters. Scenario A is that the player just likes the concept. Fair enough. Scenario B is that the player himself is a bit of a loner and so doesn't interact well. Sad perhaps, but it happens. The big problem is that loner characters tend to be boring for everybody. So my suggestion is this. First of all, point out to the player that in the comics, even though Wolverine is a loner, that he has thought bubbles explaining what is going on inside his head all the time, even if he only actually speaks occasionally. That is what really gives him character and makes him interesting. Now have the player do the same thing. Write down the exact thoughts going through his head. Not "I am a loner so go away" but more like "Why are these people annoying me with their prattle about going to a ball game when there are people dying in the streets? Where are their priorities? Of course I am living hand to mouth under a bridge, where are my priorities? Do I have to take care of myself before I can help other people?" or perhaps "Damn, I have been so absorbed in hiding from the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Hand that I haven't bathed in a month, these superheroes must think I'm some sort of schizo. Maybe I am..." The GM should read what the loner writes about, because someone needs to know obviously. The GM should share with the other players as is deemed fit; even if the character doesn't understand why loner hero acts this way, at least the player will and that will help out a lot. Writing this way emulates the thought bubbles in the comics, and so takes care of scenario A from a gaming standpoint. Writing is also easier than explaining yourself outloud, which will hopefully address scenario B. As a bonus, writing stuff down is also a good way for players to utilize time during long combats when things get bogged down or when the focus of the games is on another player at the time. Hope that helps. Good luck.

Re: Pirates of not Freeport or the Caribbean This may not be quite what you are looking for, but there is a fun card game called Skallywags where you try to create a pirate crew. The various crewmembers/characters have unique abilities that affect your crew or voyage, and there are a number of special cards that reflect possible events in the pirate world. And of each card comes with a bit of pirate trivia or a verse to a sea shanty. The game is worth having even if you don't get any RPG inspiration out of it. You can find it at: http://www.bentcastle.com/skally.htm

Re: Paths Not Taken I just thought that Rick's superpower was to be in the thick of it. 6d6 Luck, only to be at the right place at the right time (-2), or something like that. Of course the forces of coincidence are far stronger in fiction than in life, esp. in comics, and Rick gives the writers and readers a familiar face to hold on to in whatever situation is convenient. If you can believe that people can fly and shoot energy out of their hands, certainly you can belive that Rick pops up all over the place, right? That said, I agree that it seems contrived and lazy to do so, esp. since I don't find Rick all that appealing a character to begin with.

Re: It's the Little Things.... A favorite of mine was for a psychic medium who bought KS: Random Trivia 13- for 3 points, the sfx was that she got the information from a spirit or ghost. She couldn't really use it for any specific information because the penalties would have been too high, but it allowed the character to throw out colorful bits just for fun and for the GM to give out obscure background information that none of the heroes would reasonably know otherwise. Once in a great while when the heroes were stuck, it gave the GM a way to give them a nudge in the right direction with a handy bit of info.

Re: Alter Density Mess My take on the gradual Desolid effect is that if an attack (vibration in your case) affects the character, it does so as if he didn't have any Desolidification at all; that is, it affects him normally. From a "physics" standpoint, think of it like this: when he is hit by a vibration attack, all of the energy from the attack is absorbed by his normal mass. For that reason he gets no PD/ED bonus, and he gets to use his normal mass to resist knockback, so no KB increase. From a game standpoint, Desolid essentially has to be bought with an inherent limitation "Not vs. such&such attack". If you were to buy a Force Field, not vs. vibration attacks, then you would just ignore the FF completely for such attacks. Besides which, this approach just makes the whole thing a heck of lot easier to deal with, which really may be the most compelling reason in the end.