The Mad GM

An interesting thought! It makes pretty good sense, and is not overpowering. Like the other Skill Enhancers, I wouldn't put any CSL/WF stuff in it at all. This is mainly for knowledge or background type skills, maybe one or two utilitarian skills, like Stealth or Survival, per Enhancer. We used to use a variant on this, with a limit of twelve related skills getting one point off, costing 3 points for the "Package Deal". Odd that I never thought of it as an Enhancer. We only allowed one such Deal per character, and any skills bought this way needed GM approval. Also, we played by the convention that if you were using the "Package Deal" you had to take X (I think it was ten, can't recall) number of points in disads that directly related to it - Reputation, Hunted, Distinctive Feature, that sort of thing. It worked fairly well, but it might have worked better if the specific skills available had been agreed on beforehand, and perhaps had been more limited to Background/KS.

In general I like the idea of providing an alternate model for the concept of 'hero'. I have a couple of non-combatant NPC supers in my world, one who runs a bar and another who provides healing to basically anyone. The idea of an organization that provides invisible help is cool - but eventually it won't be invisible. Word will get out. It might make an interesting focus of a game to try to investigate a reported kidnapping (abused child who ran away and is being tended by the monks), then decide whether or not to expose them, then either helping them stay hidden or what-have-you. Or if some villain tries to expose or exploit them in some way, or the leader gets kidnapped, or any number of things. And a small warning: one campaign I was in crashed and burned because of religious issues, and if 'Seraphim' is claiming his powers come from God and is operating in the context of a religious order, then it may offend some players. You know your group, so it's your decision. I myself would probably go ahead with it, but be cognizant of the possibility of tension.

I've always classed them as either Powered, Trained, Mystic, Gadget or Weird, though the lines blur. In general, I just call 'em PC's (for Powered Crimefighters or Powered Criminals, of course). Other terms I've used: Targets Walking Property Damage Fights in Tights Hardcandy (a pejorative term started by one of my players because my villains had so many bright colors to their costumes. A 'rainbow of fruit flavors' was the term, from a then popluar candy ad. I came back with a brick named 'Jawbreaker'.) Personally I like 'tights' more than 'capes' because it's easier to say with a villainous leer. Plus I have shapely calves.

I agree with the Multiform in a VPP. It's a dangerous combination, but if it's an NPC, then heck, go for it. Essentially, every 'form' has to have this one power, but beyond that, anything goes. The tricky bit is actually that you have to write up every character. There is a random character generator at this address: HERO GAMES Random Character Generator Page

By all means, feel free! Am I a published poet now?

Powers and appearance would be the two biggies, but in their absence: The Girl Scout (I have enough trouble resisting the cookies as it is...) The Grrrl Scout New Kid in Town Coed Supreme - or Kid Supreme Ms. Tery (Mystery, get it? Actually, there was a comic by this name long ago) Prima Donna (means 'first lady') The Babysitter from Hell Generation Z Little Miss Muscles Got in a tussle Beating up ninjas in spades Along came a hero Who mistook her for a zero But look who saved the day (more like an editorial cartoon) Ninja-Whackin' Power-Packin' Mama The (Pre- ) Teen Titan (I think this was a comic somewhere, too ) Got a little silly there, but that's all I could think of.

I meant Poser, the software that does human form modelling. I'll go edit my post to capitalize it.

Poser, Strata Studio Pro, and Photoshop Since there is so much Poser (software by Curious Labs, not the insult) work being put up, I'll put up mine from my website: Attack bot

Just don't let the Erinyes of intellectual property law get wind of this. It'll be the mp3 of the fantasy world.

I still think you could get all new furniture with the 2x4 idea.

Active Point Cap! No spell can have more AP than 1/4 total points in character plus 1/3 INT(that's just an example, many other such ratios exist, like only up to 2xINT or EGO or PRS, or only up to EGO+INT, or whatever). That limits starting mages to about 40 points, roughly 8 damage classes, equal to a decent starting fighter. As they gain experience, it forces them to buy more spells rather than simply beef up the ones they already have, because the AP goes up slower than the points available. Or you could limit it lower, say 1/5 total points, and force them to rely on effects that only magic can do, like Flash, Invis, TK, etc. I've never taken it this far, but you could simulate different colleges by having different ways of calculating the AP max. But you have to be careful, because it takes twice as long for EGO to go up as it does INT or PRS. And using total points means that they don't have to spend it on the required stats, the max goes up regardless, and they can spend points straight away for more spells. As long as the total cost multipliers for the stats are even, with the same fraction of total character points, it could work. And you can enforce such a rule easily on MP or VPP, since the pool cost is the AP limit anyway.

If it's a multipower, two different slots is pretty cheap, but you're still essentially doubling the cost of the power (Though 2xend is a larger lim than incantations). I agree that having a voice no one can hear means you don't get the points for incantations as a lim. Why not set up your spells as VPP, with some sort of penalties if you deviate from your pre-written spellbook, as opposed to the more general 'only from spellbook' limitation? Or simply write up the alternate with some hefty lims (if this one effect is all you're after) If your GM doesn't allow VPP or MP for mages, then variable lims is the most straightforward, and not that expensive. Replace I&G with -1/4 Variable Limitation, then every time you use the power, choose -1/2 worth of limitations: I&G, I&Conc (1/2 DCV), Conc (0 DCV), 2xend, Extra Segment, Side Effect, what-have-you. The exclamation point is mainly so that you don't use it for conditionals, like "Only at night" vs. "Only during day". Foci are also problematic. Your GM may require you to list the possible limitations you would use.

My earlier comments about possible shield multipowers were intended for swashbuckling, non-real games. It also assumed a fair amount of GM discretion, and the assumption that the power was in fact a skill. I was just throwing out possibilities, and Missle Deflect came to mind. I also don't seriously consider the 'running' slot as a reflection on real world shield use. It just sounded like fun. In my games, shields are typically DCV only, or used as an alternate weapon without offhand penalties for a block or martial block. But I run fairly loose, and if the players set up a situation where the shield is acting more as armor, I'll run with it, but it would be a fairly unusual situation.

I had a city where the lights were small summoned and imprisoned spirits and fairies. Their writeup included a light spell, and they were too weak to leave. For a more humane approach, they could be automatons instead.

How much do you charge for active sight? At first blush it seemed sort of munchkinny, since essentially everyone around you gets to use it and you didn't have to buy Usable By Others. But heck, it's just a flashlight/light spell. It really shouldn't cost much in any case, and only one person has to have it. I'm curious about your writeup.

Thanks!

My parents have a copy of an isometric view map of medieval Turin framed and mounted on their wall. They inherited it from a relative in Italy a few decades ago. It has its limits as a gaming aid because the scale is dodgy and the angle is a little to close to horizontal, but it makes a fine prop and a dandy background. Does anyone know where I can get something like this?

Hand the player (whom I'm assuming is average size) a twelve foot 2x4 and ask him to swing it around, only holding onto the last 24" or so. Then tie a 10 pound weight on the end and ask him to do it again. If he's willing to pay to replace all the furniture in your house, let him use the sword.

A very bright light in a dense fog just makes bright dense fog. Other than providing some sense of direction (knowing where the light is coming from), it doesn't alleviate the problem of being in 'darkness'. Another 'darkness' effect I've come across is a visual blur - stepping into the area makes your vision incredibly nearsighted. There was some sort of defense that made you immune, though I can't recall what it was. Again, light would have no effect, even locally. Another one i've thought of is a darkness that makes fairly bright light come from everywhere - essentially mild snowblinding. It was linked to a small flash attack that only happened as you left the 'darkness' area.

How about: 3) +4 Lvls with Block 4) Missle Deflect (just hide behind it like in Braveheart) Admittedly, the lvls with block are not as beneficial in a big melee as the overall DCV, but it seems more like the special effect, and against one superior opponent, it might be more useful. Heck, these slots only cost a point. With that in mind... For the more whimsical/swashbuckling: 5) +6" running, only downhill (Legolas in TT), additional +4", if surface is slick (toboganning, anyone?) Requires Dex Roll 6) +4d HTH (smash) 7) +2d HTH AP (edge smash) The list goes on...

It would make a cloistered mage in his tower much more powerful if all his spells were able to be indirect, invisible effect, and megascaled, but the average 'go out and zap baddies' mage would have little real use for it. It is a big genie to let out of the bottle, game balance wise. I know this for a fact because back in the day we assumed that MP and VPP pools were Real, not Active, point caps, and things got way out of hand. It makes people without MPs and VPPs (any non-magic users) vastly outgunned. Defenses, triggered spells, movement, etc suddenly becomes much more powerful. And because of the high AP, they will be difficult to suppress or dispel. I realize that this is not your specific intent, and you would limit it to certain limitations, but just be careful with it. I'd restrict such things to being plot devices, myself. Throwing a curse from the protection of a fortress is not very heroic anyway. Look at LOTR.

If you get into the ultrapowerful, then common things like possesions and rulership may not be enough. You may be trying to become a god, and there are forces in the universe to stop that (the Furies come to mind), and even if you succeed, there are other gods. A variant on the 'Day of Dread' might be the discovery of a new type of something that grants someone - anyone - immunity to magic. Another is that you are fighting to save the universe from dissolving because the gods no longer hold it together. Or the gods allowed you to get this big because they need someone that powerful (and apparently they can't interfere directly) to keep the moon from falling out of its orbit. Think big! Castles? Feh! The energy released in an earthquake (which presumably is the reult of an angry diety) is the equivalent of a dozen nukes, just spread out alot and without the nasty fallout. Maybe the characters are living in Atlantis, and just now complaining about the water levels rising.

I agree with several posts that the Active Points is pretty high, and the NND dice pretty high for a choke. Some other thoughts: Invisible characters would be immune (unless 'casts a shadow' was defined as the fringe effect). Darkness would dispel it, since no light is hitting the character to cast a shadow. A sight based Flash might dispel it. Someone with shadow based powers might also be immune, or at least partially so.

I'm not sure what the multiform would add to the "duplication with a few only-when-recombined powers added in", but it may help distinguish the team-up form. The main problem my group would have is absenteeism - In the last few weeks of gaming, at least one person would be absent (twice I was out of town). You could simply say that my character is present but passive at those times. I think the altenating control per phase could get troublesome, both in terms of back biting and whatnot. it could be that each team member has some speciality that the uber-hero can only use if they are in control - The Martial Artist, the Gun/Blaster, the Brick, the Mentalist, and the Leader would have the uber-sword. This makes much more sense if the control can only be passed in post segment twelve: "The well-intentioned but stupid guy will muscle through his flame attack, grab his Cosmic Oscillator and turn it into a pretzel, then the grim angst boy will take out his armor couplings with some well-place shots, then I'll dice his exposed underbelly with the Crystal Katana, while the weird kid makes those stupid chirping noises that are actually cusswords in Japanese." But then you would have to set most adventures in an urban setting where whipping out the uber-sword would cause too much colateral damage, and most of the adventure is the seperate heroes maneuvering the space weasel out to the deserted quarry, the abandoned amusement park, what have you. Or tracking him down to his lair in the hidden grotto beneath the fretful scientist's palatial beach house, etc. You could also place a time limit on being in the form - like one minute per day - which is plenty for a one on one combat, but not enough for much of anything else.

My first off the cuff answer would be to make one uber-hero and give him duplication - with each duplicate being a seperately written up character, played be each player. A cool idea, but... However, whenever vehicle combat looms in my games, the gadgeteer is really in the spotlight (being the typical vehicle provider), and everyone else is looking to bail out so they can get in their licks. In this situation, bailing out defeats the purpose, so while the others don't actually get to do anything but kibitz (which is occasionally all they do anyway), only one person gets to call the shots and roll the dice. This may work out fine, especially if the time that the uber-hero is needed is fairly limited (as it seems to be in most examples) to putting the big smack down on the titanic killer space weasel or what have you. It might also help if the person who gets to spank the..., I mean, fight the weasel is not necessarily the strongest when they are all separated. It sounds like a interesting premise for a tight team game, and I would love to hear how it plays.