Thia Halmades

Re: Spell upgrades another spell Or a custom limitation: Must specify a spell at the time of casting.

Re: Spell upgrades another spell

Re: Hypothetically and unofficially, what would you like to see in a Mecha Hero book?

Re: Time Stop (its harder than it sounds) I'll say this, having spent... I dunno, three days working on a similar ability with Diamond Spear: It can't be done. IT CAN BE DONE. You can do EDM, or a massive Transform (world: to time stopped world, AOE, blah blah blah) or a massive SPD suppress in an AOE to the GM fiat level (usually SPD 4 -- meaning that super speedsters are still going to move, coupled with the special effect "I stop time.") and so on. All of these things CAN make "time stop." None of them, however, are ever going to be the canonical, d20, Time Stop. It's a question, to me, of what you wanna be able to do. If the PC can seclude himself from Time, then that's one power. If he can move so swiftly "time stands still" then he's REALLY going into the Speedster Dimension (see: Ultimate Speedster). You can't just build one Time Stop effect. With HERO, however, you can build a reasonable, single effect that does what you need it too. That's what I learned working with Diamond Spear. We can do it any number of functional ways, but it's best to build the version that the character needs and the GM agrees with.

Re: New to Hero System - kind of... You've got something... on your face there... looks painful. You might wanna get that looked at. Anyway. I'm one of the 'new guys,' as I didn't touch Champions (because it was "super heroes") and then I broke d20 over my knee, and one of my friends said "We can use HERO." And I've been trapped here ever since. They won't let me out. Please. YOU HAVE TO HELP ME! I CAN'T ESCAPE!! YEAAAARRRGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Re: Slowly Expanding AOE I knew there was a gap there, since after 3 years it's so uncommon for us to take two drastically different approaches that my brain was in knots.

Re: Slowly Expanding AOE One of us is speaking Martian. It might be me. Here's what I heard from Mike: "I want a power that creates an AOE that expands over time." Far as I know, no such construct exists in HERO, hence, why I built it. Are we talking past each other here?

Re: Slowly Expanding AOE Right. You're applying an advantage that doesn't exist yet. That's more my point.

Re: Magic System Oh. You mean an InVariable Power Pool, which I use and built (in part) from designs started by Killer Shrike, although mine has since taken a decidedly left turn at Albuquerque. But yeah. I use a variant on the d20 system, so mine looks not-unlike-this: VPP, Requires Book to Change Slots, Slots Can Only be Changed Between Scenes, Only Known Spells (-1/2; this is the version I use, and they can only know spells they scribe or research, and only the things that appear in game can be... you get the idea. Same mechanic, more elegant), each spell must take one charge (-1; I use a Vancian system, hence, no memorization? No casty; once casty casty? No casty again). And so on. Requires 8 hours rest, etc. NOW. I also use the thingamabobbers from d20 -- the whatchamacallits. Things that say what your realm of magic is; Abjuration, Conjuration... SCHOOL. School of magic. THAT. So you can purchase Skill Levels in a given school, or specialize in one and bar yourself in another (Physical Limitation: School of Magic, All the Time, Impairment varies on the School). Does that help? I'm rambling again aren't I? I don't feel good... *thud*

Re: Slowly Expanding AOE See. you're still making it a Custom Advantage. I'm saying, write up a full bore advantage. Which I need to do, and can't until I get home. But if I were to slam it together real quick: AOE (Cloud) +1 Requires: Continous, +1 Base Effect: The AOE effect expands outwards from the point of effect, creating a new ring of hexes every phase (on the character's phase). Any creature within the AOE on any given phase is affected by the AOE normally (hence the requirement for Continuous). The user spends END on every phase the AOE is Active (as Autofire, which is what this power is ultimately a variant of). Purchase AOE +1, with standard AOE modifiers. The effect causes the ring to expand outwards to the maximum of the effect, or until the user stops paying END. Once it's hit it's maximium footprint, the effect ends. Lingering: With this Advantage, an AOE Cloud will stay at maximum effect. -1/4; for every -1/4, the effect is slowed (1"/2 phases, 1"/3 phases and so on). +1/4; for every +1/4, the effect speeds up (2"/phase, 3"/phase). Contracting Cloud: +1/2; if the cloud should also have a contracting effect, where it collapses and does damage, add +1/2 Explosive Cloud: -1/2; per Explosion, the cloud loses DC over the AOE as it expands (effectively a Gradual Effect Explosion).

Re: Best genre to learn HERO system? See? Knew he'd see it my way.

Re: Slowly Expanding AOE But that's the best, most canonical way to build it, from my POV, Mike. Because it's really an advantage, yeah? And we build all powers the same way. Base (RKA) Advantages (AOE Cloud -- ooh! I like that!) and Limitations (Conc, 0 DCV, etc.). I think your life will be easier if you do it that way, as a Custom Advantage you can then reuse (hence, STOP Sign) and you'll have it forever after. I'm going to call it AOE Cloud and puzzle through my own version of this. Too brilliant to not use.

Re: Making Dancing weapons? Killer Shrike I'm sure has built a half dozen variants on this; it's HERO. There's so many ways to do it my head hurts pondering them all simultaneously. FREX. You build an attack for a character; you make that attack Continuous, +1, and put on the special effect, "Dancing Sword." Now any sword he picks up can be enchanted/used in this fasion. FREX. You build a sword, and you give the sword an AOE, so it can freely (and independtly) attack anything in its zone. Your options have options. Define the idea to fine point, and then we can help you hone it, but as you've written it, this is too vague to give you a concrete build.

Re: Slowly Expanding AOE Hang on, we're talking about two separate things. I'm saying, "build it as a Custom Advantage" and then treat it as such; put a giant STOP sign next to it, certainly, but we're talking about a Custom Advantage on the power. Then, like any power, the limitations define how it looks & feels (form) while the advantages define how much destruction it causes (function). Because it's a variant on Gradual Effect, I would start with the canonical 1"/phase at +1; each phase that passes it expands outwards, while anything still standing IN the AOE continues to take damage (hence the very high +1). To speed up the effect, increase the value (to 2"/phase, and so on at +1/4 per increase) and to slow it down, decrease the value. I'd agree, you WOULDN'T want someone to move from an anime standpoint, but let's say you slap the advantage on a variation of grenade launcher? We're still talking about a slowly spreading effect on an AOE. Do you see where I'm going? It's a brilliant idea that should have an expanded application.

Re: Slowly Expanding AOE Well. I'd probably do that as an AOE with a variation on Gradual Effect, since he's TECHNICALLY pounding out a new set of damage every phase, it's really a unique advantage. Model it like an upside-down explosion. Purchase the radius (max), the rate (X"/phase) and go from there. No real need to leave the character in place, it's a custom advantage. You CAN have them at 0 DCV Orange Juice from Concentrate, but that's a separate piece than what you're referring too.

Re: The Geas Effect But Transforms heal back over time; the default is at X BODY per day or somesuch. But even a Transform does heal back (or should, canonically).

Re: The Geas Effect I think this power needs some more definition; there are a number of things to understand about Mind Control in HERO. For one, it degrades over time; almost NOTHING in the game is absolute. And I don't think you can Transform someone into a Follower. Second, sure, you can build the power with the limitation, "Can only target a single individual once, regardless of success (-1)" but that's HIGHLY setting dependent. For example, in a Supers campaign, where the bulk of the people you meet are supers and super-villains, you blow it on a super-villain and the power is hyper nerfed. However, if you're in one of my settings, which are heroic level, and you've got a near endless supply of guards and warriors and whatnot, the limitation is meaningless. While I would agree that -1 is the right VALUE, I'm not clear as to the intent of the design. In other words: I hear what you're saying, but I don't "get it."

Re: Fallout 3: Postapocalyptica Here to help.

Re: Santa Claus Yer... it's far simpler to assume that on Christmas Eve (whatever that means to everyone else) he throws a major transform to affect the whole world; World Without Presents Appropriate to the Holiday to World With Presents Appropriate to the Holiday. On my planet, Santa is non-denominational. I was raised a Jew & a Christian, and I've always gotten presents from Santa. Fastest solution? Major Transform with more dice than you can reasonably calculate. More accurate? Extra time, 1 year (as soon as the Transform executes, Santa begins preparations for next year).

Re: Looking for a good name for a Martial Art I missed if this was covered, but Pankration is "all powers." That would make the Latin, "Omnipotent."

Re: Fallout 3: Postapocalyptica 1) All the DLC for FO3 is only on Windows/360. 2) The GECK module (the mod community tool) is being released shortly and is going to be PC specific. I have the 360 version because I play games on consoles (now that they've caught up to what I wanna do) and are LARGELY identical. If the Windows content goes to the 360, superwin. If you have an option, get the PC version. I almost NEVER exhort a 360 version over a PS3 version, but the modders go PC first, then I'd go 360 in console because it gets content, then PS3, which is a port of the 360 version (whereas the Windows/360 were codevved).

Re: The Cat Launcher It should also be a Flash, or a Suppress DEX (while fighting off teh kitteh).

Re: Character Build question

Re: Abort phase rule Actually, I think this is something that's critical to understanding the nature of what we're talking about, although Psylint provided more of a segue than a point I would make. Rather than ask, "Are your players using these alternate rules," I would instead ask, "Do you realize there are a wide array of rules, many of which are comparatively obscure and can change a battlefield?" Here's the thing, and I'm also going to bridge slightly from what KS said earlier -- you're trying to turn HERO into a Tactical War Game. That game exists: it's called Dungeons&Dragons, and it simulates group-level tactical combat among over-powered fantasy style warriors. Groovy groovy. Here's what people don't commonly know: HERO is just as, if not more capable, of handling tactical combat than most other base systems. There are things that are missing (vehicle design, I'm lookin'at'choo...) but generally, there are so many tactical options you're unlikely to use most of them. But they are there. I still haven't used all of the combat rules; bleeding, joint breaking/impairing, Brace & Set, there's a SILLY amount of options. You can make combat as simple as "roll hit, roll damage, abort as necessary" or as complex as "The Lord Captain's Holy Ice Cream Cone suddenly appears in his hand, he rears back and heaves it across the battlefield, as it knocks down the foes in its wake like a catapult stone!" Yeah. It can get like that. We can definitely help you get there, but (like me -- that reference was entirely honest) you need to 'undo' preconceived notions of what HERO does and sort of zen your way into it. Build a character. Throw some dice. There's another few new cats... Fredwidge and eightiesboi (eightiesboi has a great opening post you should probably consider reading) who can make this more clear. But rather than take Psylint's route (his questions are spot on, but I don't know that your level of understanding matches his/hers) and say "Did you try these complex rules?" I'd rather ask: "Do you know all of these rules? And have you just sat down for an afternoon with a couple of buddies and tried playing the game as written?"

Re: Abort phase rule Or at the very least a few steps above "talentless hack."