Richard Logue

That has to be one of the oddest things to happen to me this year. I'm scrolling through the list of new and added-to threads and there's one titled after me.... LoL

I thought, "Oh boy, someone's gonna flame me for something... that's great! Woot!"

But, no, I'm not related to WM Logue in Colorado. I am, however, related to Christina Flores in Colorado. Does that help?

My next thread will be titled "Fixing" Richard Logue.

I should have made this thread a poll... LoL

I use DEX and Lightning Reflexes to break ties first. Then I look at INT if its still tied. After that, suits could be used to break.

Breaking ties probably falls under GM preference, but I wouldn't discard DEX and Lightning Reflexes for the randomness of card suit.

Originally posted by ghost-angel

We've got a Mentalist Player (they love the character type...) who routinely buys SPD with "For Mental Attacks Only" Limitation ("My brain is faster than your body").

 

So they have Physical SPD 4, and a Mental SPD 6. Any phase which the MentalSPD and PhysicalSPD overlap they have to choose one or the other to do, but they get extra "Mental Powers Only" phases when that SPD goes and not their Physical SPD.

 

For the purposes of the Deck Method I'd say they pull extra cards for the difference between PhysicalSPD and MentalSPD (two in the above case) but can only apply them to Mental Attacks. sound right?

Sure. This particular character would draw 4 cards normally, and then draw two more and keep them aside strictly for mental purposes. Or, up to the GM, draw 6 cards and use them as he wishes with the stipulation that two of them have limited actions associated with them.

Originally posted by Killer Shrike

Instead of pulling the extra 13th card, consider throwing out a card from the GM deck each turn, and that becomes the "wild card" for that turn, behaving like a joker of the same color as the card thrown.

It would add an additional bit of whacky random fun, but I think too many Jokers/wild cards would ruin the pot. Having the jokers show up every so often adds flavor. Having them show up possibly every Turn might be a bit much. Anyone else on this thought?

Originally posted by JmOz

A couple problems from play, You will need two decks

 

You should probably use the SW method of distinguishing Mooks from characters, all mooks share one set

 

It actualy can get confusing

Yeah, each player will have his/her own deck. And the GM (me) will have a double deck.

One of the things I'm considering is grouping Speeds for NPC's. Instead of drawing a hand for each NPC present, draw a hand for all the Speed 4 NPC's, all the Speed 5 NPC's, all the Speed 6 NPC's, and so forth. It will be less cards to have to work with, and they were all going to go together on the normal Speed chart anyway, right?

And of course, as I laid out in my first post, the decks are all shuffled in between Turns. Keeps the jokers random.

Well, it seems the general consensus is to remove one of the card values from the decks. Derek has the strongest argument for it, I think, when he says it simply removes any possible problem that might arise later because of it. So we'll take the aces out. Thanks for the suggestion.

Originally posted by Crisis

A question: (most of my questions have already been asked): no mass recovery point now (Is that correct?) If the only way to recover is via spending a card, how does regen work?

Yes, my apologies. There is still a "post-12" or between Turn Recovery. I forgot to make sure that was understood in my original post.

Originally posted by Derek Hiemforth

A few random thoughts...

• If a player draws two or more of the same card at the start of the Turn, does this mean he acts multiple times on the same "Phase?" If so, would the actions be back-to-back on his DEX, or one during the initial Combat Order, and further ones during additional cyclings of the Combat Order?
  
• If you bid an unspent action to better your chances of breaking out of an Entangle, does the "+2d6 STR vs. Entangles" mean that you roll 2d6 and add the result to your STR (i.e., +7 STR on an average roll) or do you mean that they add 2d6 to the dice of their STR Roll (i.e., a 15 STR character gets 5d6 to roll vs the Entangle instead of 3d6)? Also, can this be used against Grabs as well?
  
• I'm not sure about the XP bonuses. Wouldn't this just encourage folks to dump all their cards near the end of a combat into getting the XPs?
  
• I'd suggest pulling the Aces from the deck and using just the twos through kings. This would give 12 possible non-joker results, so the number of "Phases" in a Turn would stay the same as it is now.

1) Good point, I hadn't thought of that. I think it would be best to cycle through the initiative orders for multiple actions on the same card. That way its a little more balanced for the non-speedsters; high DEX and/or Lightning Reflexes maintains its value.

2) +2d6 meaning an extra 2 dice of effect. The 15 STR individual would roll 5 dice to break out instead of his normal 3. This is, of course, before pushing.

3) It could do that, but at the loss of actions. That might backfire on the player who tries to greedify the extra xp. Anyone else have an opinion on this?

4) I considered this to no end result. In my opinion, having the "extra" Phase doesn't affect it much. However, that being said, I could certainly reduce the deck by the Aces to keep it at 12 Phases. I'd like to hear more on this point as well.

Originally posted by Kolava

Very facinating, but how do aborts work?

Good point. I hadn't thoguht of Aborts yet. I'll say since an abort is a reaction to someone attacking you, it will simply cost one unspent, un-Flashed action.

Thank you.

I'm not sure if I completely grasp the concept myself, but I use a Naked Modifier to modify Characteristics. For example, a character might have a deadly finger poke attack. You purchase Naked Modifier Armor Piercing for X amount of Strength. X, of course is the amount of Strength Captain Finger has. So with Naked Modifier, you can figure out how much the Armor Piercing will cost.

If there are other uses for Nekkid Modifier, I'd like to know as well.

First I'd like to make something very very clear. I do NOT think the Speed chart is broken. I'm just toying around with a house-rule alternative that I'd like some feedback on. I've given it a good deal of thought, but I'm posting here because the collective HERO mind can come up with any glaring problems it may have. I plan to use it next week.

I'm abducting the initiative system from Deadlands and HEROizing it. Each player has his own deck of normal playing cards (complete with jokers). The GM has a double deck (sans jokers) because he is likely running several NPC's. Decks are reshuffled after each Turn.

Combats no longer start on Segment 12 and then go to an immediate post-12 Recovery. Instead, they simply begin. At the beginning of each 12-second Turn, the players all draw cards from their respective decks equal to their character's Speed. These, obviously, represent how many actions the PC has during the Turn.

If a player pulls a red joker, he has two choices. 1) He can plan to use it as an action like the other cards. If that's what he wants, he can pull an additional card from his deck for a an extra action that Turn. 2) He can throw it away, losing the action, but he gains a +2 DCV, or OCV, his choice, throughout the Turn.

If he pulls the black joker, the player loses that card, and thus an action. He also loses his highest card/action.

At this point, the GM begins counting off cards from Ace down to Two. The suits won't matter. Jokers count as an Ace for this purpose. Whenever a card you're holding is called out, you have an action. If you have an action at the same time as an opponent, the higher Dex (plus Lightning Reflexes, of course) breaks the initiative tie. Fairly straight forward, right? It gets better.

Players (and the GM) can "bid" unspent actions to gain bonuses to whatever it is they are trying to accomplish. If you bid an unspent action in this way, you discard that card. Of course you lose an action for the Turn, but you improve your chances of succeeding in the current action. There are four ways to benefit from an action bid. 1) +2 OCV. 2) +2 DCV. 3) +2 DC's. 4) +2d6 STR vs. Entangles.

In addition, you can bid unspent actions to beat initiative, or go earlier in the Turn. To beat an opponent's initiative during the current action, spend one card. To act during an action that you wouldn't be going in normally, spend two cards. Note that if you bid your two actions to do that, normal initiative still applies.

Here's an additional bonus to bidding. If you combine actions you get a "panel," as in a panel in a comic book. A panel is worth an additional .1 xp at the end of the scenario. If you bid all of your actions from a Turn into one action, you get a "splash page" which is worth an additional .5 xp. XP, by the way, is rounded down when its awarded.

Obviously, when you start combining actions, combat will go a lot quicker. Also, I think it has somewhat of a more comic booky feel to it. And with randomly drawn cards every turn, there's no more Speed counting.

Recoveries. You can take a recovery on any action card when its called. As long as the you weren't or aren't interrupted during that card, the recovery works.

Flash. A victim is Flashed for a number of called cards, not a number of actions. So if you're Flashed on Queen for five cards, you'll be Flashed during Queen, Jack, Ten, Nine, and Eight, whether or not you have those cards to perform actions with. If you do have one or more of those cards, those actions are "Flashed" and cannot be used to bid with or bid on. Also, you cannot take a recovery on a Flashed card.

Well, that's my new Speed chart/initiative house rule. Sorry about the lengthiness, but I wanted to be clear on how I plan to work it. Whacha think?

My current campaign is still fairly new. We just started it a couple months ago. The players have uniformly decided that they don't quite trust each other yet with their secret id's. As GM I don't mind either way; however they play it out. On the other hand, I kind of see it as a hurdle to their teamwork.

Out of curiosity, and not trying to derail the thread, has anyone made characters with both secret and public id? Consider Superman. He has both. He has a public id as Kal-El, Last Son of Krypton, the superhero who lives in his Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica. But he also has secret id as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet and husband of the more famous Lois Lane.

Originally posted by BNakagawa

Uh, why is your broadhead bought as penetrating? A bodkin I could see (it's sharp and pointy) but not a broadhead. A broadhead arrowhead is just like it sounds, broad. It's designed to make big holes in soft targets, not punch little holes in armored ones.

 

If you want a penetrating killing attack on the end of an arrow, I'd go with a rocket assisted projectile, a needle tip made of some exotic material, a shaped charge tip or something like that.

 

I'd also go with your standard bolo/net arrow for capturing people without punching holes in them.

 

Also a tazer type arrowhead for roughly the same purpose. Might also be good for disrupting robots or machinery.

 

$0.02

So post your version of a broadhead arrow. And post stats for your bolo net and tazer arrows. Stats, man.

This is meant to be an idea thread, not a debate thread.

What is it about the archers? Hawkeye, Green Arrow, Warpath... The archers have always been one of the established staples of comic books. Hawkeye has always been one of my favorite Avengers, and there will always be a Green Arrow in one form or another in the DCU. And from recent threads on here, its obvious the archers are favorites.

I'd like to see all the wonderful possible arrows we can come up with. Let's not post your archery multipowers, just single arrow types. I'll start with a few, and I'll keep them around 50 Active Points.

Broadhead. 2d6 RKA, Penetrating. The standard in pointing out a tough villains errors. 45 Active.

Sureflight. 6d6 EB, NRM. Precision at its finest. 45 Active.

Boom! 'Head. 6d6 EB, AOE 1 hex (x2 radius). Sometimes the only way to catch the bad guy is to blow 'im up. 52 Active.

Smoke Out. 5" Darkness (vs. Sight Group). Being swamped by Viper? Obscure their sight with scads of smoke! 50 Active.

Whacha got?

Originally posted by Solomon

The rules for Multiple Foci (p. 190) should handle this nicely. I would call it an OAF Multiple Focus (-3/4). The arrows are to all intents Inaccessible, but if the bow is grabbed the power can only be used in close combat.

Holy cow! I didn't even know that existed. I should pay more attention. Thanks Solomon.

The archer thread elsewhere brings up a point for me, and I'd like to discuss it some.

The bow, the arrows. One Power (or Multipower construct if you like) bought with 2 Foci. The bow itself would/could be an OAF. If its taken away, the arrows are no good even though you still have them. The arrows would/could be an OIF (they are secure in the quiver). If they are taken away or damaged, the bow is not very useful.

The Power requires both Foci to function. Does it make sense, or no? Consider this archery Multipower. "Archer" Stanton carries with him his bow, and a quiver. In the quiver are 16 shafts and a multitude of heads (no more than 4 of each). The debate of charges aside, I'm wondering more toward the idea of a Power that might require more than one Focus to use.

10 Bow and Arrows: Multipower, 30-point reserve, 16 Charges (16 Shafts; +0) (100 Active Points); all slots OAF Durable (Focus - Bow; -1), Focus - Arrowheads Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (OIF; -1/2), Extra Time - Attaching the arrowhead to the shaft (Extra Segment, -1/2)

1u 1) Broadheads: RKA 2d6 (30 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), OAF Durable (Focus - Bow; -1), Focus - Arrowheads Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (OIF; -1/2), Extra Time - Attaching the arrowhead to the shaft (Extra Segment, -1/2)

1u 2) Boom! 'Head: EB 6d6 (30 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), OAF Durable (Focus - Bow; -1), Focus - Arrowheads Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (OIF; -1/2), Extra Time - Attaching the arrowhead to the shaft (Extra Segment, -1/2)

1u 3) Smoke Out 'Head: Darkness to Sight Group 3" radius (30 Active Points); OAF Durable (Focus - Bow; -1), Focus - Arrowheads Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (OIF; -1/2), Extra Time - Attaching the arrowhead to the shaft (Extra Segment, -1/2) 3

1u 4) Bang! 'Head: Sight and Hearing Groups Flash 5d6 (30 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), OAF Durable (Focus - Bow; -1), Focus - Arrowheads Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (OIF; -1/2), Extra Time - Attaching the arrowhead to the shaft (Extra Segment, -1/2)

1u 5) "You're Soaking In It" Glue Goo 'Head (In memory of Madge): Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF (30 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), OAF Durable (Focus - Bow; -1), Focus - Arrowheads Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (OIF; -1/2), Extra Time - Attaching the arrowhead to the shaft (Extra Segment, -1/2)

1u 6) Ladder 'Head: Clinging (normal STR), Usable By Other (+1/4), Ranged (+1/2) (17 Active Points); Limited Power - Only to ascend, and only 1" Power loses about half of its effectiveness (-1), 4 Charges (-1), OAF Durable (Focus - Bow; -1), Extra Time - Attaching the arrowhead to the shaft (Extra Segment, -1/2)

Has Kinetic joined Champions? If so, in which book did this hapen? And if not, why am I confused?

If he has, s'all good. Its nice to see change happen in the CU as books are published. Gives it a "living" feeling.

Explain C.A.T. first.

Eurostar. Masters of Evil. Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Legion of Doom. Los Asesinos. Grab. Countless others...

What makes a good villain team? Not necessarily a successful one, but one that's good. In the comics, the heroes generally prevail, but the good villain teams are enjoyable to read. They're the ones that make the story

When you build "this week's villain team," how do you form them? Your methods, I mean.

What makes them good? Unifying theme? Strong leader? Snazzy team name? Certain power sets?

Obviously the answers will vary on many many factors, but how do you come up with the design?

Originally posted by Bengal

I'm the kid that prayed for my toys to break should I die, so none of the other kids could use them.

LoL

Ahhhh, yes... You gotta love scorched earth policy.

My book fell apart the third day after I bought it!

Well, okay... you caught me. That's not true. Its just as strong as everyone elses.

What is this Wildguard book?

Freak, did you come up with those character ideas on the fly, or are they from your own campaign or some such?

Mayday has an interesting idea. Involving the occult in some way in the Baltimore Project. That needs some more thought, but could definately work. I'm not sure I'd want it a prevailing component in the experiments, but perhaps in there some how.

Winterhawk brings up a good point about genetics being in the realm of speculation in the GA, not yet in science. Chemistry and radiation are better suited as a vehicle.

Farklings examples and discussion all boils down to "brick." And its accurate. The Project would have come up with a brick rather than an energy projector or anything else. Although energy projection might be a minor power for the brick.

A few Grond and Hulk type monsters might be the order of the day. And then a mystical "doctor" or scientist joins the team and brings some stability to the formula which eventually results in Pioneer decades later.

Some questions, though.

I'm not an expert on Golden Age comics, but I'm not sure Hulk/Grond monsters would be appropriate for the period. I think that's more of a Silver Age "tragedy." Can we come up with something else? Perhaps a tainted success of some sort...

But, given the "Grond" result, what would the Golden Age American military/government have done with the poor creatures who represent the monstrous failures?

LoL.....

It might help if I actually asked, more specifically, what I'm looking for. I need the World War 2-era product of the Baltimore Project. I already have a good idea of Pioneer's stats and abilities, so I'm not looking for him, per se.

What did the Baltimore Project produce?

Thanks again.