Ockham's Spoon

Re: Who Ya Gonna Call? (and How?) I rely heavily on heroes with secret IDs that would put them places where they would likely see or overhear (or be asked directly about) some problem or another. This works best when the heroes have enhanced senses. Once they find out about the problem they can approach the authorities (or other appropriate individual) in hero ID. My other favorite tactic is psychics who establish a relationship with the heroes (or may just know who they are because they are psychic) and inform them of hazards that they have discovered in some inscrutable fashion. Sometimes one of the heroes is the psychic, but it works best with a non-combat kind of NPC (or DNPC). _________________________________________________________ "Some people spread happiness wherever they go. Others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde

Re: Entanglements Ahrg, I type too slowly! Beaten to the punch on AoE TK. _________________________________________________ "I don't want to stop crime. I just want to fight it." - Tick

Re: Entanglements First off let me say that I agree that the Entangle power should be reconsidered (along with Force Wall) to give barrier and immobility powers separately. If you want to do both, put it in a multipower. As for circumventing the problem, consider a continuous, persistant TK to "grab" the affected character. There is your gravity well or glue attack. Since any attack power bought as continuous needs a defined way to shut it down, you now don't have to worry about Captain Plasma blasting the gravity well because it can only be shut down by moving a sufficiently large object into it (one that exceeds the lift power of the TK) - or something. Eyebeam Boy can't blast out of the glue trap because he isn't encased in anything and he can't target the wall, so he has no way to attack the TK (what he needs is some solvent... and a better name). Also note here how anyone trying to free Eyebeam Boy with an attack power risks injuring him since the TK does not provide any protection like a standard Entangle would (oh sure you could buy Transparent I know). Granted, this power can get pretty expensive (a 40 STK TK, Continous, Persistant, 0 END, AoE Hex is 180 Active), but as Sean mentioned it can be pretty powerful. Of course it would be limited (only for performing Grab manuver -1) which softens the blow a bit. Consider though, if you can't use most of your attack powers but just have to rely on STR to breakout, a 40 STR TK will pretty effectively immobilize almost anyone but a brick, so the cost is probably justified. As for your Martial Artist using his Sidekick to get out of the block of ice, I think that as GM you could reasonably say no; if you can't move your legs you can't kick so you will just have to rely on your brute strength (or your fellow heroes). _________________________________________________________ "I don't want to stop crime. I just want to fight it." - Tick

Re: Opinions on build with Naked Advantages I admit it does sound like a multipower might be more appropriate. You might consider making the attack Variable Advantage, but with only limited advantages (which is worth ¼ less than regular VA) to model it in an EC. That said, there are times when a naked advantage is appropriate, but it depends on the advantage and what the character is trying to do with it (e.g. the Mongoose write-up with AP on STR to represent a focused chi sort of thing). In my campaigns, naked advantages are typically last resort or unique sort of powers that are fairly restricted to prevent the player from using them all the time. So if that is the case, I'd go for it, but if it is just a cheap way to get a second type of energy blast I think I'd disallow it. _________________________________________________________ "Some people spread happiness wherever they go. Others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde

Re: "Your Most Embaressing Game Mastering Moment" Hmm, I think I have hear the term used as a racial slur, perhaps that is why it got screened. Maybe I should have spelled it doowop instead.

Re: "Your Most Embaressing Game Mastering Moment" Let me first say that I am really bad with names, to the point that they are frequently the last thing I come up with and they still suck. Well one gaming session the suck-a-tude was such that gameplay stop for several minutes while player were laughing. I had a realm called Narn (okay not brilliant to start), that had already been established as existing, although the characters had not yet ventured there. There was an evil group of wizards that had a base there. In my notes I had written the name of the group as the Narnians. Just as I was about to reveal the name of the group to the players I thought, Narnians = Narnia = C.S. Lewis, oops! So off the top of my head I called them the Narnells, which my players immediately seized upon as a great name for a 1950's do-*** group, and began an inspired round of singing. Everytime thereafter when the wizards showed up, the players would break into song and laughter. I have to say this villain group never achieved vicious, fear-inspiring evil status I had initially planned. _____________________________________________________ "Uh, Joel, what is Ator sitting on?" - Crow

Re: Putting on Power Armor Our house rule is that any costume change requires 1 turn, just to be slightly more realistic and to encourage characters to be creative when they get caught in their Secret ID, or force them to make a decision about revealing their ID in a dramatic fashion. It just makes for better role-playing in my experience. As for giving the character a break for having to take a long time to get into armor (or any other ID change) I would lean toward the using a Disad rather than a limitation, because you are already likely to have OIHID or a focus limitation on the powers bought through the armor, no need to give an even greater bonus which would just encourage abuse in my eyes. _________________________________________________________ "Uh, Joel, what is Ator sitting on?" - Crow

Re: Help building a power? 5th Ed. has Gate building rules that would work here, you just need to add Invisible, 0 END, and Persistant advantages. It is built as Teleport, AoE 1 Hex, Usable on Others, Continuous with the limitation Gate (-½) to represent the fact it goes both ways. Add xNCM or Megascale to boost the distance if needed. Now treat the phone cord as two connectors that happen to be connected by a wire. Send one connector through the gate and hold onto the other one, and you've strung the cable through the gate. I know it smacks a bit of handwaving, but you can attack through a gate (although it would be difficult if you couldn't see the other side), and if you can do that with a ranged attack, why not with a HTH attack and Stretching? Just a special effect really. _____________________________________________________________ "Uh, Joel, what is Ator sitting on?" - Crow

Re: The Character Idea Thread This sounds workable to me; I will have to try and write it up. Thanks for the input! on other topics: As for the 30" Gliding for arresting falls, I missed the sidebar about the 6" gliding parachute, but I figured for terminal velocity 30" would be needed. That said, the 30" Superleap only to stop falls is a much more straighforward way of doing it. So the Loki history is interesting, but I am not clear as to what power are you trying to build here. Ability to bamboozle humans? Power to prevent the end of the world? Maybe the skill to advance human society and let them take credit for it? ____________________________________________________ "Some people spread happiness wherever they go. Others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde

Re: Older HERO rules in 5E games Okay, the self-inflicted damage rule is a must! How did that ever get dropped? I guess for Supers it isn't in the genre, but for everything else, definitely! I really like the Autofire +1 OCV per "spread" shot. Not only does it make 10 shot Autofire worthwhile, but it makes intuitive sense that someone with a machine gun is going to have an easier time hitting with a hail of bullets than with a single shot. Maybe I read 5th Ed. Regeneration incorrectly, but I thought it did have a cap; if I have 3d6 Healing bought as regeneration, I can't regenerate more than 9 BDY. Am I wrong? Admittedly regeneration is more expensive 5th Ed. but that was because it was kind of unbalanced. Anyway the new regeneration makes sense to me, if perhaps a bit more complicated than before. I kind of liked the old Reduced END rule, where you just kept dividing the END cost in half every time you applied the advantage. It made sense that really powerful attacks would have to have a lot more Reduced END to bring them down to zero. The new way is much simpler (definite plus) but makes it kind of all or nothing (well, all, half, or nothing). I build powers now with Reduced END on only half the power to get around this, but that is kind of a pain too sometimes. ________________________________________________________ "Some people spread happiness wherever they go. Others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde

Re: If YOU have been playing Hero since the 80's why do you still keep coming back? I've been playing the Hero system since 1985 or so, and would pretty much echo what has been said about flexibility. But the other thing that has always impressed me about Hero is that in addition to flexibility it is balanced. I have been in D&D, Gamma World, Star Frontiers, and half a dozen other RPGs that, when they didn't suit the situation people made up house rules to cope with it. Well a lot of the time that broke the system. With Hero, you can build a world and populate it with characters that all work harmoniously together. Oh sure it isn't perfect, but it is SO much better than anything else that I can't complain. _________________________________________________ "Some people spread happiness wherever they go. Others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde

Re: The Character Idea Thread Buy Parachute 30" Gliding, only to arrest falls (-½). That way he can reach terminal velocity, but still be "gliding" and so take no damage when he hits. __________________________________________________________ "Some people spread happiness wherever they go. Others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde

Re: Combo too much? I have never played with a Fragile World rule, but from your example I can see problems. If you want the characters to be more resistant to damage from certain kinds of attacks, I think I would have them buy extra defenses, only vs those attacks, as a package deal sort of thing. Then set the active point cost to whatever seems reasonable. _____________________________________________________ "Some people spread happiness wherever they go. Others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde

Re: Is Hero too preditable? I don't find Hero combat that predictable; if it were then I wouldn't mismatch combats so badly as GM. There are so many variables (defenses and such as Sean mentioned, and various attack powers as Thia mentioned) that you can't really say it is predictable. If I hear something like that from a player, my response is that you need to be more creative in combat if you are bored just throwing 10d6 each time you hit. This is a role-playing game, not Monopoly. That said, I do empathize with the idea that you can roll a 3 and then do lousy damage. Our house rule is that if you roll under half of what you needed to hit (that is if you need a 12 to hit and you roll a 6 or lower), or a 3 in any event, then you get to roll damage twice and take the better roll. It does take slightly longer, but let me tell you players love being able to redo a bad roll. __________________________________________________________ "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little influence on society." - M. Twain.

Re: "Only Protects Against BODY Damage" Cost? This is one of those case by case sort of affairs. Take a martial artist who has low defenses but a sort of instant regeneration power, bought as Armor only vs BDY. Since a single successful shot may very well knock him out with his low defenses, his instant regeneration really only keeps him from dying. I'd give him a -½. Now take a character who is a sentient robot, built as an automaton. He doesn't take STN so he shouldn't get any limitation at all. _________________________________________________________ "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little influence on society." - M. Twain

Re: Loot Yeah, I give the characters magical loot, but if they get a powerful magic weapon you better believe they will have to fight the original owner to get it. Most magic stuff I tailor to the players for a couple reasons. First, since I don't generally let them have much, I figure what I do give them should be particularly useful to them (unless the point of it is that they have to trade it for something they really do want). Second, it frequently reduces the amount of discussion (or arguement) over who gets the item (for major items; smaller stuff I am less stingy with). The warrior has no need for the Master Staff of Sorcery, the rogue doesn't want a two-handed Axe of Cleaving, and the mage won't find much use for the Gloves of Theiving. Since I tailor the items, I also try to balance them. If it turns out something is much more effective than I thought, the hero will lose it, which tends to tick characters off unless done carefully. The best ways to lose stuff is: 1. Must sacrifice item in trade for something else (like the life of the infant prince or something) so the loss is at least noble. 2. Item is destroyed in combat with big bad villain. This could be some monster with vicious Damage Shield that destroys all weapons, a wizard that can shatter artifacts, a creature that eats magic, or whatever. 3. Item turns out to have a gradual effect curse on it. Great power doesn't come without a catch. 4. Turns out item has limited number of charges; generally the characters find this out when it still has a few charges left so they can at least use it up for times of greatest need. Okay, players still hate losing cool stuff, but this is generally better than some thief stealing it or having it confiscated by the royal guard or something. ____________________________________________________ "The rich scare me. They can already evade taxes." - Grim Reaper

Re: Golden Age Day Jobs My favorite day jobs for heroes are ones in which they can apply their powers to make the job quick so they have plenty of time for superheroics. For a speedster character this could be about anything really, but other ones I have used are: Character with elemental earth powers who created fantastic jewelry. Telekinetic who could use a AoE TK to repair stuff (actually bought as a Transform) who bought old houses, fixed them up, and then sold them. Character who could created various chemical compounds as a mutant power who was a drug dealer (okay, she was a villain, but you could make her a pharmacist or a supplier of chemicals to research companies). Delivery service for any hero with good movement powers. Character with druid-type powers who was a landscape artist/gardener. Empath who was an excellent veternarian (both for soothing animals and through empathic healing). Psychic who made a killing on the stock market (but could not do so unchecked without bringing on governement investigators looking for insider trading deals). I am sure there are others. ___________________________________________________ "I don't want to stop crime. I just want to fight it." - Tick

Re: The Character Idea Thread I think OddHat is right about the VPP as the best way to represent lots of "stasis" tricks if you want to build it that way; Aid to BDY only to prevent death, suppress vs bombs, etc. For the ability to keep things frozen in time, my initial thought was an XDM through time, UAA to move object to some point in the future when Stasis takes it out of her dimensional pocket. The only problem would be that if she moved from the initial spot (say to a hospital for the wounded normal), the normal wouldn't move with her. You would have to link a Teleport to it or something and now it is getting really expensive. It might be easier to go with the Major Transform, object into "nothing" reversed when removed from her pocket. Such an object would have no abilities, so the wounded wouldn't get worse and bombs wouldn't go off. You should allow others to perceive and remove the objects from dimensional pocket if they have the appropriate senses (whatever you want to define). So your initial post leads me believe you'd like others to post tricky character builds, so let me throw out one I have had trouble with. The Swarmbots are a bunch of modular robots about the size of a cat that individually are only a small threat (small electrical EB and/or HKA, small Force Field). However, they can combine into larger robots capable of greater feats (greater STR, more powerful EB & Force Field, better movement, etc.). Most of the Swarmbots are generic, but some have additional sensors to give other enhanced senses. I did not conceive of a real limit on the number of Swarmbots that there could be or that could combine (well, within reason, so no city-sized bots). I have looked at making the Swarmbots as a single character with Duplication and Growth, and as individual characters who could enhance each others powers, but everything I have tried is pretty clunky. I would welcome suggestions. _______________________________________________________ "You think you have problems, what are you supposed to do if you are a maniacally depressed robot?" - Marvin

Re: Need a really good Marshal Artist Build If you want "good" defenses without armor or force fields, it sounds like you want some flavor of Combat Luck, which gives you "armor" based on the "just missed me" effect or dodging ability. A high DCV will help too. Of course there is only so far you can reasonably go with dodging damage and it won't help against area effect attacks. You might also look at Damage Reduction bought as a blow-slipping ability (same special effect as combat luck really, just a different mechanic). You might also consider a high SPD so she can block and use Missile Deflection a lot. If you can't afford the SPD, you can buy "Super Blocking Ability" built as +20 PD/ED Armor, only works if total defenses aren't exceeded (-½). Does she have any other abilities? If she has any mental powers you can buy +5 PD/ED, not vs. opponents with Mental Def, defined as a subconscious Mind Control "pull your punch". Or even +5 PD/ED, Req. Seduction roll, "I'm too beautiful to hit". Hope this helps. ________________________________________________________ "The rich scare me. They can already evade taxes." - Grim Reaper

Re: Power Build Advice Needed How about a continous Drain vs. INT, only to modify memory of the character with the power? It would look like this: 1d6 Drain vs. INT, Area Effect(+1), 0 END (+½), Continous(+1), Persistent (+½), Sticky(+½), Penetrating (+½), Invisible to all (+1), Time Delay - after leaving (+¼), return delay 5 pts/min (+¼), Only to make people forget character with this power (-2), Always On (-½). Active cost: 55, Real Cost: 16 Here the time delay should let the Drain outpace the recovery. How long does it keep going? Only until the person would have reasonably forgoten anyway. You might consider having this go against Mental Def instead of Power Def given the nature of the ability. And someone with the appropriate defense (esp. hardened) wouldn't be as affected, but every power should have a defense, isn't that what the rulebook says? _______________________________________________ "No I didn't forget. I just wasn't paying attention." - R.C.

Re: A *very* different magic system So are the spells like equipment, meaning I could trade a sword for a fireball spell? Or do I actually buy them with character points? And if I have to buy them, how do I steal the evil wizards Mind Control spell if I don't have the character points for it? If I don't have to buy them, how do you limit the number of spells anyone can have so they don't become ultra-powerful? Are their limits to how powerful a spell any particular individual can wield? I think the idea is cool, but it strikes me as better suited to a computer game (like Final Fantasy as previously mentioned) than a RPG unless you can find a coherent set of guidelines for it (and if you do please post them). Heck, I have enough difficulties with just balancing magic items between party members without having to worry about spells. Maybe that is just one of my GMing shortcomings. __________________________________________ "Um, Joel, what is Ator sitting on?" - Crow

Re: Presence Attacks vs Players PRE attacks vs. players is one of my favorite parts of being GM. It is all in the setup. Get them used to some nasty at a "low" level. Then have them meet a jacked up version of said nasty that they just barely survive (or escape), giving them a false sense of climax. Then you bring out the PRE attack version of the nasty. I ran a scenario where some evil sorcerer type was summoning land sharks from the elemental plane of earth. The characters fought off a few man-sized versions at first, challenging but not too bad. Then they faced off against the sorcerer and he had a 20ft long land shark fighting with him. They barely managed to defeat the shark and kill the sorcerer. Then the dead mage's body becomes animated and starts laughing at them and they realize he is just a lackey to a powerful netherworld lord who promptly sets a 60ft land shark on them (making its presense known by swallowing one of the NPCs whole). Yeah, that was fun. Of course the best part for the players (other than the sense of suspense) was the realization they were going to have to be clever to win and weren't just going to blast their way out of this one. ______________________________________________________ "Houston, I think we have a problem..."

Re: Help me design the Silver Belles Here are a few ideas; hope they help, original or not. And probably these names have been used somewhere else, but not to my limited knowledge anyway. Chrome: Basically a female version of the X-man Collossus Silk: Female version of Spiderman with less STR but more versatile web powers (favorite is a silken whip coupled with Martial Arts choke manuver). Costume is black trimmed with silver. Glare: Light-based mutant specializing in Flash attacks (favorite is a continuous uncontrollable AVLD - Flash Def that runs as long at victim is blinded by the linked Flash attack). She wears mirrored sunglasses (or mask) to protect herself from her own powers. We will all want to see the final write-ups of course ____________________________________________________ "The fiction in her family was that she was never nice. I'd say she was very, I just did not see the price." - S. Vega

Re: Characterstic Rolls & Skill Levels

Re: The Invisible World I am not familiar with World of Darkness myself, but I have dealt with similar situations in other campaigns. For supernatural creatures that can be seen by normal people but just not recognized as supernatural, I have run it where all supernatural have Distinctive Features "Supernatural" for 5 points, but they are only recognizable by characters with Mental Awareness (another Detect could be substituted, but this is more of a plot device so I didn't want a whole different sense just for this purpose). For situations where the supernatural are invisible to normals, I have had all supernaturals buy Images vs. Sight, -7 PER, only to bamboozle normals(-1), 0 END, Persistant, Always On, No Range (42 Active, 14 Real). To cover the complex movement of the supernatural, the average viewer gets a +4 to the PER roll, but that still leaves it at -3, so the average joe won't normally see anything, but once in a while they will catch a glimpse. Most often I figure a normal will dismiss such a vision, but it could freak some people out. I only cover Sight with this because people should hear things go bump in the night. Then a typical mage (or other enlighten person) will have a True Sight ability which is +6 Visual PER, only to see through illusions (-½). Although I am a big fan of the pointless plot device, these setups helped put some concrete game mechanics on abilities (especially the Images). __________________________________________________________ "Nobody must know my name, for nobody would understand, and you kill what you fear, and you fear what you don't understand." - The Guide Vocal from The Duke's Travels