Vassoom

Re: Building a Cybernetic "brainjack" Some really great stuff on your site, KS. I'd seen it before when I was still formulating my campaign before starting, and although it had slightly less content at that time, it almost certainly influenced a lot of my early decisions. So thanks for posting all of it. I decided against using "Computer Link" since it's defined as access to a restricted database. The name certainly fits, however. Looks like our chip readers are nearly identical, but as mine is a lower level hero campaign rather than "supers" level, I decided against allowing "new" skills to be gained via a chip other than languages, Knowledge Skills like AK and CuK, and other information-only based skills. However, for skills they already have paid for with character points, the chips would grant a few modest skill levels (ex: Computer Programming, Demolitions, etc). I rather like how you further delineated what SkillSofts convey by restricting them to only INT-based skills, Weapon Familiarities, and Transport Familiarities. That prevents the dreaded out-of-shape 50 year old man from slotting a "SkillSoft: Acrobatics" chip and suddenly becoming a passable gymnast. I definitely want to avoid that. However, I'm still not keen on allowing them to gain a wholly new INT skill at will via a slotted chip, even something like Electronics or Security Systems. I'd rather force them to spend at least some points on the skill, and then allow the SkillSofts to enhance the little they have already learned via Skill Levels. Your CACs are intriguing, however, and might work if I scale them down a touch to match my lower-level campaign. (My characters started as only halfway between Skilled and Competent normals at only 35 base + 40 disads, all of them were essentially working poor, and they are only now up to 100-105 pt characters with earned XP). I'll have to give them some thought... Since my campaign began with all of the characters being "flat broke", everyone actually started out with only "poor" grade equipment. Their initial tools were all at a -2 penalty (one had a crappy set of lockpicks, another had a crappy obsolete cyberdeck, etc) and they've been slowly upgrading their equipment as they've gained cash and XP from runs. (I really like games that start you out with the bare minimum...makes every little item of loot that much more exciting. It also gives the players a real sense of accomplishment to take their "barely surviving", only moderately skilled would-be heroes and eventually end up with powerful heroic characters sporting the very best gear available. The players seem to enjoy it, too.) Yeah, it's definitely a gray area, although all of my systems do have a "wireless" option that can eliminate the need for an actual cable to be plugged into the brainjack (think of a sort of futuristic bluetooth which I called "FireTooth")...but then there's the issue of security since a wireless signal can be intercepted or jammed. It forces the characters to decide between convenience/style (wireless) and security/criticality (cabled). - Vassoom

Re: Building a Cybernetic "brainjack" An interesting idea, but as I said earlier, I'm not using cyberspace as an alternative environment. I decided against a more Gibsonian "cyberrealm" because (in my opinion) it doesn't make good gaming for the entire group. At best it would be fun for one of the players, and it would also encourage the "decker" to be separated from the rest of the team. Instead, I simply opted for a more traditional "internet" that simply has tons of information, commerce, and electronic money available online, some available to the general public and some only available via privileged access or a hacker. The data jack as listed above is pretty close to what I used, except I didn't want to give it quite that much of an advantage...+3 with any skill is *huge*. If a player upgrades to a jack with a chip reader, they can slot a SkillSoft that will add additional skill levels with Computer Skill Rolls, but the jack alone simply gives them access to a better interface rather than allowing them to suddenly become "super hacker". If I were running cyberspace as a separate environment, I would almost certainly use mental powers as listed above...but I didn't want to go there for the reasons stated above. For the record, when I told my players about my decision regarding no adventures in cyberspace or "deck runs", they were actually glad to hear it, so it all depends on your group's expectations, I suppose. An excellent point. But brainjacks are still far from ubiquitous in my world. Only the elite "wireheads" have them, such as hackers, elite programmers, wired combat monsters, or those who simply favor all types of cybernetic enhancement. I agree, however, that the Perk is a good way to go if it's more of a commodity. The alternative to the cranial jack in my world is a set of electrodes that sits on top of your head, similar to the 'trodes used in "Strange Days" if you've seen that movie (pretty good flick, btw). Electrodes provide a fairly similar representation of the matrix, but it's only one way...you still need to use other input devices (keyboard, VR gloves, etc) to interact with the cyberdeck/matrix. I opted to give the jack owners a minor skill boost (+1) because the jack allows for a much more efficient input, which would make them just a little more effective at almost everything they do on the system. - Vassoom

Re: Building a Cybernetic "brainjack" Well, I'm not building computers or cyberspace using any HERO mental powers, and my campaign doesn't involve much "complex" interaction with cyberspace or "the matrix". It's mostly just a more robust and graphical 3D version of the current internet. There are plenty of systems and databases to connect with (or hack into) online, but I'm primarily just using it as a global resource or tool rather than a separate environment (i.e., there are no "deck runs" in my Cyberpunk-flavor game.) However, if I did want to employ a power that allowed someone with a brainjack to share sensory information similar to Gibson's "rider", Mind Link plus Clairsentience (Only to use subject's senses) would be one good option. - Vassoom

Re: Building a Cybernetic "brainjack" That's an excellent point. Since only one of my players has one so far (and he's a hacker), I hadn't fully fleshed out the full scope of what they would allow when I built the power. I like your driving enhancement idea alot, and will definitely incorporate that. However, the full gamut of possible advantages that I had envisioned includes: Superior interface/interaction with a computer/cyberdeck/cyberspace (+1 to Computer Skill Rolls) Allow the user to take advantage of SmartLink weapon systems which add Combat and Penalty Skill Levels. (Benefits of SmartLink weapon systems vary by type, but will typically grant some combination of the following: +2 OCV, +10 RMod, UV [low light] vision, IR [heat-sensing] vision, Telescopic Sight, Rangefinder. However, this bonus is part of the SmartLink item, not the cranial jack, so in this case the cranial jack is simply a requirement for the SmartLink weapon system item to bestow its bonuses. For example, a SmartLink equipped handgun would bestow no bonuses if the wielder doesn't have a brainjack to connect it to.) Higher grade (and more expensive) brainjacks can contain "expansion slots" (small Power Pools with additional OAF SkillSoft™ chips as a requirement), which would allow the insertion of things like: Memory chips (Eidetic memory, only for recalling facts [rather than images, sounds, emotion or subtext]) SkillSoft™ Data (instant Language skills, Area Knowledge, KS, CuK, etc.) SkillSoft™ Enhancers (+1 to +3 Skill Levels with <Already_Known_Skill>). Note: I had already decided that SkillSofts™ wouldn't provide the user with a brand new skill like Acrobatics, Lockpicking, or Martial Arts [a la The Matrix], as that would be way too unbalancing. But if the user already had the skill (i.e., they've spent some Character Points on it), the SkillSoft™ chip would enhance it and grant some skill levels so they would be slightly better at it with the enhancer chip in. So Joe Citizen couldn't plug in a "SkillSoft™: Demolitions" chip and suddenly be a bomb expert, but if the character already had Demolitions, they would get Skill Levels to improve their roll thanks to the handy reference data stored in the chip. I allowed things like Languages and Knowledge Skills with the data chips, though, since I see them are far less unbalancing to the campaign. Here's how I had built the cybernetic cranial jack with a Chip Reader in the 1 expansion slot: [u][b]Cranial Jack w/ Chip Reader (1 Expansion Slot):[/b][/u] (Total: 22 Active Cost, 14 Real Cost) [b]+1 with any Computer Skills[/b] (5 Active Points); [b] Limited Power[/b] Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only when connected to a computer system via the cybernetic brainjack; -1), [b] Restrainable[/b] (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles; by EMP; -1/4) (Real Cost: 2) [b]PLUS[/b] [b]Variable Power Pool[/b], 9 base + 3 control cost, all slots: [b]No Skill Roll Required to Change Powers[/b] (+1) (17 Active Points); [b]IAF Fragile[/b] (SkillSoft chip, -3/4), [b] Extra Time[/b] (Full Phase, for assimilation of SkillSoft information; -1/2), [b] Restrainable[/b] (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles; by EMP; -1/4) (Real Cost: 12) With regard to the driving enhancer as suggested in your excellent post, I think my build is OK if I simply replace "+1 w/ Computer Skill Rolls" with the more generic text "+1 w/ a Group of Related Skills", since it's the same 5 pt Skill Level. And the group of "related" skills will simply include Computer Skills, Combat Driving, and Combat Piloting, all of which are only possible with the appropriate brainjack interface to the system/vehicle. What do you think? The "Strange Days" idea is intriguing, too...but one of the characters (a TechnoMage) already has an images recording and playback device, so that would probably stomp on her schtick somewhat. But I'll mull it over and see if it's feasible. Gibson used something similar in his Neuromancer novels, but it was a one-way realtime transmission of sensory information rather than a recording, and he describing it as "having a rider". I'd also love to hear any more possible ideas to how a brainjack could be fully taken advantage of in a futuristic game. - Vassoom

I was wondering if any other GMs had built a "cranial jack", the prototypical cybernetic implant that allows future computer users to plug a cyberdeck directly into their head, a la William Gibson. I've seen one build that used the 5 point Perk "Computer Link", but to my mind, this is quite a stretch. The Computer Link description states "A character can buy Computer Link to reflect the fact that he has permanent access to [heavily restricted] databases." Although the Perk's name certainly sounds apropos, the perk's actual benefits are very different, as the brainjack has no real relationship to secure or hard to access databases, per se. Since the brainjack is simply an improved type of computer/user interface, my thought was to build it as a Skill Level, one that would grant the user of a brainjack an enhanced ability to interact with the select computer system and/or cyberworld, as opposed to someone forced to use a more traditional interface. Here's how I thought it might be built: [indent][b][i]Cybernetic Brainjack:[/i] +1 with all Computer Skills[/b] (5 Active Points); [b]Limited Power:[/b] Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only when connected to a computer system via the cybernetic brainjack; -1), [b]Restrainable[/b] (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles: by EMP; -1/4) [b]Real Cost: 2 points[/b] [/indent] As suggested in the 5E sourcebook, I used the "Restrainable" Limitation since it's not really a Focus, since even an Inaccessible Focus is defined as something that could be easily removed by anyone who spends a single Turn out of combat. Since a cybernetic implant could only be removed by surgery, I felt the "Restrainable by EMP" was more appropriate. Since I use the expanded set of Computer Programming skills as defined in the Dark Champions sourcebook and HeroBuilder (originally per Star Hero, iirc), I decided the 5 point "A group of similar skills" Skill Level was the most appropriate, as there are nearly a dozen types of Computer Skills when using the expanded set in a futuristic setting. I'd appreciate hearing what all of you think of this particular build, or if you have alternative ones that you prefer. - Vassoom

Re: New campaign, new member here... Aww...but the "trite" rationales are so much easier! <thinks a little harder> OK, here are a few off the top of my head: There's the equally trite but still somewhat compelling option of having her married to a paranormal. Excellent motivation for her to help them out. Slightly more poignant variation: She was engaged to a paranormal and either a) "they" killed him, he killed himself, or c) her initial reaction was very negative when she found out, and she lost him as a result, and later realized how petty, foolish, and cruel her initial reaction was...and is disgusted with the society/government that conditioned her to react that way against another human being who is simply "different". An also trite variation on the theme, but what if instead of her significant other, it was her brother that was a paranormal, and she witnessed firsthand his persecution and vowed to do whatever she could to put a stop to it. Perhaps she is a staunch civil libertarian, and sees this as her duty to help the latest in a long string of persecutions by the American government of a particular class (e.g., Blacks, Women, Japanese [during WWII], Communists, Gays, Muslims , and now Paranormals...). Or perhaps she was/is a member of such a persecuted class, and is therefore motivated to help. Along the same line, perhaps her family was Jewish and suffered through the holocaust, and she sees the recent government trend toward "identification" and then "purification" as just a little too similar to what happened in Nazi Germany... You would need to tweak the opening language in your document a little, but what if she *used* to be a paranormal herself, but succumbed to the pressure and underwent the "cure" of the Hyche vaccine, and now knows the decision was a tragic mistake...one that she wants to ensure no other paranormals are ever faced with. Perhaps an unknown paranormal saved her life or the life of someone in her family, and was then immediately caught as a result of risking his life to save her (without even knowing who she was) and was consequently "punished" for using his paranormal powers in public... Final thought: what if she secretly longs to have the amazing powers of a paranormal, and is thus strongly motivated to help them and surround herself with them. She might even try to persuade them to let her be their "sidekick" of sorts, if you want to make her a "full-time" NPC. Also, if her desire is a bit pathological, it would certainly explain the extraordinarily risky behavior she engages in, and it would also allow for some very interesting roleplaying interaction between her and the PCs. That's all I've got off the top of my head. I'll mull it over a little and see if I can offer up anything more compelling... - Vassoom

Re: Stupid firearms question I, too, would assume that any weapon that counts on structural containment of the round's explosive charge in order to direct and propel the bullet/shot would likely suffer a massive structural failure if it had been in the near absolute zero of space for any significant amount of time. I'm no metallurgist (nor do I play one on TV...) but I would certainly expect a metal and/or polymer gun to get very cold very quickly, and then quite literally explode in the face of the shooter unless it was somehow insulated from the extreme cold. If I were packin' heat for some good ol' fashioned zero-g space combat (heh), I would highly recommend a Gyrojet gun. - Vassoom

Re: Campaign Log: The J-Crew I agree...that's high praise, indeed! - Vassoom

Re: New campaign, new member here... I think what she means with that is between 25 and 80 total points spent on all skills. It's quite common for GMs to set point limits for the various categories for new campaigns, such as no more than 60 total points can be spent on Characteristics, no more than 50 points on Skills, etc. That helps ensure that the players make well balanced characters rather than one-dimensional Stats Monsters™ or Skills Whores™. And as for the historical quibbles, I gave her a little latitude since I assumed she "tweaked" historical realism to better fit her fictional world. To use your objection to the research on nuclear power as an example, since it was critical that the technology be around for quite a while before WWII, I figured she pushed its initial development back several years before Fermi in order for the "effects" of the radiation to set in and create the first paranormals in time for her scientists to discover them in the 30's. Et cetera. You know, creative license and all that... - Vassoom

Re: New campaign, new member here... Having now read your intro, all I can say is it looks like a very intriguing setting for a supers game. Although you refer to many other influences in the footnote, your historical timeline actually seems to follow several of the same social threads used in the X-Men, which surely is a good thing since that is a tremendously smart and well-crafted franchise. As you say, however, your world looks to be a tad darker, which I also think will work well and make for some exciting gameplay. Although I can only surmise from the intro what the exact scenario is that your players initially find themselves, I would like to offer one note of caution (although it may not be needed, especially if I have presumed incorrectly that your players are some of the "renegade" paranormals pursuing vigilante justice while avoiding the PRA and PAUS): Be advised that basing much of the entire campaign on the players' ability to remain "elusive" and "hidden" from a massive, powerful, and omnipresent government (and many of its citizens) puts significant limitations on various scenarios, and also creates numerous additional burdens for you as the GM. If you haven't already, I would strongly encourage you to always have at least 1 (and possibly even 2 or more) Deus Ex Machina scenarios in your back pocket for those times when the players blunder badly and by all accounts should end up completely exposed or even caught. It is almost certain to happen eventually, and it would otherwise shatter any tension and hard-earned dramatic realism to be forced to "hand wave" an implausible and unrealistic "escape". Having run such games before, I speak from experience...but this is just one GM's humble opinion. Good luck with your game! - Vassoom

Re: New campaign, new member here... Welcome! I'll gladly take a look at your attachment and provide any feedback as appropriate. But in any event, welcome to the forums (from another HERO gamer who's also been playing since the early 80's)! - Vassoom

Re: Monster Slayers Archtypes Hmm...Winston definitely had military experience, but I don't believe he was quite at the level of a Navy SEAL: - Vassoom

Re: New Liquid Armor (for real) Awesome link! Repped! - Vassoom

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log Edsel, I'm not entirely certain, but I believe we may actually be long lost twins who were tragically and secretly separated at birth. Or maybe it's just the "great minds think alike" axiom. Either way, it's eerie how similar our two styles of GMing are: I keep a daily log of each episode in my Dark Champions campaign, and read it aloud to the player's each session to kick off the night's game. I also use a calendar tracking both (historical) past incidents, as well as probable future events, subject to change or adjustment as dictated by what those unpredictable PCs do next, as well as daily weather, sunrise/sunset info and moon phases data. I have a detailed Equipment list (currently an Excel spreadsheet) provided to the PCs documenting all builds for weapons, ammo, armor, tools, cybernetics, and other items either identified or carried by the party. I also provided the players with a campaign rules summary document detailing all of my house rules, listing which optional rules are in effect for the game, as well as general campaign setting info to better "paint the picture" of the world they are inhabiting. I have a detailed GM-only document listing campaign and NPC info not generally known to the players, or "not yet discovered" information for things they will eventually uncover. Currently running at just under 100 pages, it documents all of my planned long-term main story arc plans as well as detailed "side adventure" plotlines, including dialog snippets and detailed data points (Ex: the specs on that armored attaché case they intercept from a courier, the description and type of biometric safe they need to crack and how to defeat it, etc). I also generate tons of "props" and handouts for use in-game, which I notice that you seem to enjoy, as well. And here I thought I was the only one. Eerie, I tell ya! My group typically gets together once a week on Wednesday evenings, and it is definitely a challenge staying prepared enough to run weekly sessions. But we typically have enough impromptu cancellations due to real life scheduling issues that I'm able to maintain my sanity, such as it is. Glad to see another kindred spirit in the obsessive-compu, er... massively-detail-oriented GM fold. - Vassoom

Re: Campaign Log: The J-Crew MMmmmm...Brains vindaloo! Btw, I also enjoy your episode titles. Very clever! - Vassoom

Re: Book Recommendation: Anatomy Of A City Thanks for the recommendation, Steve and wylodmayer. I think I'll go check it out. Oh, and wylodmayer, I enjoyed your anecdote about the lamppost...good stuff. - Vassoom

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log Good stuff! Thanks again for the entertaining read. So how'd your new player do? From the writeup, it sounds like he jumped right in there... - Vassoom

Re: Campaign Log: The J-Crew Yup. Been there, done that. Happens to all of us, both as GMs and players. At least you recognized it right away...I've been in games before where the entire campaign was like that! - Vassoom

Re: When a PC screws up, What next? I'm with Manic on this one. That GM owed you huge for such a great series of events. You just can't plan that kinda stuff! - Vassoom

Re: Another Shotgun Question Yes. Both the Dark Champions sourcebook and the HERO Equipment Guide have tables for the various Shotgun ammos, including slugs. Like all shotgun damage, "Standard" slugs vary based upon caliber/gauge, of course, but the most common are: [font=Courier New][u]Gauge[/u] [u]DAMAGE[/u] [u]STUN [/u][/font][font=Courier New].410 1[font=&quot]½[/font][/font][font=Courier New]d6 1d6[/font][font=Courier New] 28,24 2d6 1d6 20,16 2d6+1 1d6 12 2[/font][font=Courier New][size=2][font=&quot]½[/font][/size][/font][font=Courier New]d6 1d6 10 3d6 1d6 4 3d6+1 1d6[/font] Standard shotgun slugs have the Limitations Beam, LR(50"), STR Min 6-14, and 2H. "BRI" Slugs (which are more like bullets than standard slugs) lose the LR(50") Limitation. "Explosive" slugs lose the Beam Limitation (I guess because you can't bounce 'em since they tend to blow up when you do ), and gain the Explosion Advantage (+½). Since they don't spread like "shot" does, none of the slugs have the typical shotgun Reduced Penetration (RP) or Reduced by Range (RR) Limitations, nor do they carry the fairly common "shot" AE1 Advantage. They all have the standard shotgun +1 STUN Multiplier. The HERO Equipment Guide has several pages about exotic shotgun ammos. I highly recommend it. - Vassoom

Re: Sun & Moon, Rise & Set Outstanding link! I had to use a different site when I created my GM table of Sunrise/Sunset/Moon_Phases for 2066, and it wasn't nearly as convenient as this one. Repped (as soon as I can rep you again)! - Vassoom

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

Re: Modern Day Armor Blood soaked canvas straps dipped in broken glass? You were LUCKY to have canvas straps! We had to use bits of our own intestines, and tie them off with ligaments ripped from our own joints! *snort* Canvas straps! - Vassoom

Re: Help name the newest Weekend Warrior Ohhh...I like "Equity". Very nice. Another idea: "The Comptroller". Just sounds powerful to me, even though it's just a glorified name for the head bean counter. And yet another accounting inspired name: "The Reckoning." - Vassoom

Re: Help name the newest Weekend Warrior Hmm. As already noted, without knowing more of what will make him tick, it's tough to come up with something really compelling. One of the NPCs in my Dark Champions campaign that uses a katana goes by the street name of "Steele", which might work for this character. If it's not seen as too hokey, you can even try something like "Magnum Steel(e)". If he wants to punch up the ninja aspect, he can try something like "Shadow Steel" or "Darksteel". It may be too subtle, but if he wants a quiet nod to his Japanese heritage, he could simply go by the name "Ken", which of course is the more general Japanese word for "sword". - Vassoom