Spidey88

Re: Starting a new game

I don't use Hero Designer either, and I've never had any problems. There's no math in character creation that's any more complicated than adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

That being said: not having used HD, I can't say how much it might help speed things up! There's got to be a reason why these guys love it so much!

Re: The little wooden boy

I can't help but think that Little Wooden Boy should be written up simply as:

Xd6 EB (physical), range limited by STR.

"You take that one, Little Wooden Boy!"

WHACK!

-ahem- anyway, back to your regularly scheduled thread...

Re: [NPC]Doom Troopers

Sorry, dude - I feel your pain! Maybe the link to Killzone's picture is a bit too much of a (ahem) distraction...

They do seem like a decent foe for the points put into them: I especially like the various sensory modes and flash defense - it makes them feel more well-rounded.

The camo system is pretty novel, and looks like a good way to make them harder to see without being invisible.

Re: Is it really so wrong?

Dagnabbit! I was going to ask you that!

Re: Heroes

You can watch (any of) the last five or so episodes here

Thanks, dude! For some reason, I thought they only had the most recent episode on the website - glad to know I was wrong!

Re: Heroes

Would anybody be willing to give me the rundown on last week's episode (or show me where I can get a thorough synopsis)? I was out of the country.

(I did see this week's episode, though.)

Re: Is it really so wrong?

Here are some others that I have been dreaming up. See if you can spot them.

 

Lessee here:

A bunch of pseudo-medieval techno-warriors who summon hard-light holograms.

That would be "Visionaries". A show I enjoyed during its brief run on Canadian T.V.

4 Giant (50ft.) Monsters. One is a Humanoid plant with super-regeneration (to the point of duplication). Another is a corspe-like humanoid T-rex that can turn animal-life (including humans) into double-size corpse-like followers and is vulnerable to sunlight. A third is a snake-like being with power over serpents and the ability to spit lightning. And finally, a demonic looking behemoth that can animate stone and stone-like statues as well as spit lava.

That's "Inhumanoids". I only ever saw about 3 episodes on VHS when I was 14 or so - we didn't get it on T.V. here. Seemed kinda neat.

Anthropomorhic Chimera that combine wildly disparate species like moose+seal or panda+beaver. Mind you, I have already had them meet a cuttlefish/bat hybrid, but that's a different toy line altogether.

Sounds like "Wuzzles" (which I saw a couple episodes of circa 1987), with a little Cthulu tossed in for good measure!

Re: [CHAR]Mojo (The Two-gun Variety)

Yeah, I thought about using the "extra equipment" doubler, but as it's an otional rule, I decided not to. And, as he already averages 16 attacks per turn, without penalty at OCV 11, inflicting 12d6 per shot, I figured that he already had enough speed. And I wanted to go with the standard UNTIL sidearm, so...

 

Good point! It was late when I'd looked at the character, so I hadn't seen just how many shots he could deliver...

Re: [CHAR]Mojo (The Two-gun Variety)

I'm not sure if it's "official", but you should be able to buy the second pistol via the "doubling equipment" method - i.e. spend 5 points on a second pistol, not the full 30. With the extra 25 points, you could do quite a bit! Perhaps boost the pistol's power, give him extra limited SPD (only for shooting), or some other thing, like give him a weapon-based multipower for different ammo loads/guns or some such thing.

My two cents - looks cool otherwise!

Re: [CHAR] Vilocita

I'll say this much: at some point, extra DCV will be your best friend - as her defenses are very low. Her DEX is pretty good, but just about any character who's a relatively good shot with an energy blast should be able to hit her without too much trouble - and any villain with any sense will be waiting until she's made her action in a phase so she's helpless to defend!

Save up some character points for some speedster martial arts, starting with Flying Dodge!

You've got a nice breadth of abilities for the points you've used, by the way - lots of different things you can do.

If it was me, I'd probably drop a couple NCM multipliers on the flight and add "no turn mode", or purchase extra inches of running instead (to dovetail with the base inches of running) linked with Clinging (to simulate some of the abilities limited Flight would give you), but that's just me - I can't say I think you made your character "wrong", just that that'd be my way of doing it.

Re: Baseball-related characters in comics/games?

Just reading that makes me shudder. Is there anyone that series DIDN'T offend?

Strangely enough, my cousin liked him quite a bit. He was never really a comic geek, but my interest in comics rubbed off on him a little. Who did he gravitate to?

Daredevil (cool), and Superpro (bleagh), no doubt due to his love of sports. Thankfully, the Superpro phase was short-lived, as the comic didn't exactly last a long time...

Come to think of it - at the time, I didn't find Superpro offensive (I was only 13 or so). Cheesy and lame, yes, but not exactly offensive.

Re: Need to get the Creativity Flowing...

Well, I'm going to be on vacation for a week starting tomorrow, but I'm sure I could provide you with any number of unusual "animal hybrid" concepts after that...

We've got some interesting banter going on in another thread along those lines:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60063

Behold the might of the astounding Odontomachus-Man!

Re: Sweep Combat Levels

The problem is that someone with 20 2pt levels in Sweep is more accurate when making 2 attacks in a Sweep than someone with 15 5pt levels in HtH making one attack.

Again, the way to deal with this would be to apply the 0-point Lim "Cannot exceed normal OCV" to those 2-point levels. That way you could hit 2 guys as easily as one, but not better!

Re: Interesting page for animal powers

More seriously, pangolin are fascinating and strange.

Very true!

They're all insect eaters, mostly living on termites or ants, but animals eat to live, so they might devour other things, too. Who knew, for example, that herbivores like giraffes eat eggs and birds if they can get them? Or that cattle have been known to scavenge off of the bones of their own fallen kind, for calcium? I expect pangolin might include any insect in their diets, as well as anything they can crack open and feed on that won't run, swim or fly away, given the chance, the need, and the really narrow tiny mouth and fragile teeth they're equipped with. (Except the teeth in their stomachs. Those don't look fragile.)

I suspect that an exclusive insectivore like a pangolin might concieveably eat other insects - but actively seeking out anything other than colonial insects wouldn't be worth their time! Can you imagine how many normal-sized insects a 70 lb. giant pangolin must need to eat every day?

I don't mean to sound unkind. I'm sure you're sincere, well-read, well-informed and dedicated, and no doubt your knowledge exceeds my own. But I've seen too many tree-climbing dogs to believe dog handlers who tell me dogs don't climb trees, as well.

Don't worry - you've been quite polite and reasonable (I hope the same can be said of me). I still stand by what I've said - no brachiation (linguation?), not built for speed, hard time amputating leopard paws, etc. - but I freely admit that pangolins aren't my area of expertise!

For example: I've never shot one, so they may be more bulletproof than I assume (I'd certainly be willing to give a giant pangolin some leeway in this area over a little armadillo-sized one)!

On that particular issue, I'd certainly believe that their scales might help deflect, and reduce the damage from, a glancing blow without needing to be convinced.

The storing air in their stomachs is a claim that puzzles me.

 

I don't know how anyone arrived at the conclusion pangolin do this, or of how one would demonstrate the structure capable of using this feat to store a meaningful amount of air for use while submerged, particularly for a creature that isn't even remotely aquatic. Part of the problem is that pangolin had at one time been so widespread, and cultural iconography about them is so diverse, that mythic tales like this emerge.

This one is odd enough that I can't really comment on definitively one way or the other - it seems totally out of left field, but I admit that I really can't back that comment up with knowledge - just assumption.

(BTW - I was quite sincere with the comment I gave with your rep. I thought your rebuttal was quite clever!)

Re: Interesting page for animal powers

But, I thought the scales were modified hair?

They are - hair and fingernails are both made out of keratin.

Re: Interesting page for animal powers

Ha ha - I was going to bring up aye-ayes, and lo and behold! Right there, on your linky, is one decked out in pirate regalia...

Re: Sweep Combat Levels

Right you are! It didn't even occur to me.

Re: Wild Card's Hero

IIRC, Trips finally integrated his personalities and became The Radical, permanently (with the powers of his other personalities to boot), and essentially flew off into the sunset. That was the last I remember seeing of him anyway. No word on what the heck Sprout is doing, either.

My comment on Starshine's STR was, like I say, based more on vague recollections of people's assessment of him in the books - not any hard facts - so leaving him at 40 STR isn't something I'm going to get grumpy about by any means!

Re: Interesting page for animal powers

Sorry, Comic - I hate to break it to you, but Drhoz is right. Pangolins do not have patagia, nor do they swing by their tongues.

For that matter, they aren't very fast (in any environment, water included), they aren't astounding jumpers, they certainly can't swing through the trees at any speed (though they are decent climbers), their sharp scales are nasty (but won't amputate a leopard's paw unless that leopard is astonishingly persistent and stupid), they are not bulletproof (their armour is composed of the same material as our fingernails, and generally less than 1" thick), etc.

I'm sorry if I seem hostile - it's certainly not my intent.

They are very cool animals, but they're not some kind of "super-animal".

Re: Sweep Combat Levels

I've had this come up myself more than once, having more than one character who's had all sorts of extra limbs...

One would think that Penalty skill levels would be the way to go, since they don't actually give any kind of bonuses - just counter negatives. Thing is, there's a fairly limited list of things you can counter with PSLs, and Sweep penalties aren't one of them.

So, from all the discussion I've seen (and all the questions I've asked about the exact same thing), buying CSLs to deal with the Sweep penalties is the official way to go. Thing is, you can't get any point break for the limitation "only to counter penalties without going over base OCV", since you can't properly apply limitations to anything less than a 5-pt. CSL. It's a situation where you can take a limitation, but it's entirely a matter of principle, since you don't get any points back from it. (I can't remember where I've seen the rules for "taking a limitation for zero points returned to match the concept properly", but I know there's precedent somewhere.)

In a nutshell: you can't take PSLs to counter Sweep penalties, but you can take 2-point CSLs and manipulate them so they act exactly like PSLs.

That's the official answer, as I understand it. Hopefully that comes out clearly!

The shorthand way to deal with it, IMHO, is to just say "the heck with it" and say you've bought 2-point PSLs to counter Sweep penalties. It at least covers the effect you want, without the long explanation (since it might as well be the same thing). You just tell your GM that they are actually limited CSLs, but this is the shortest way to write them on your character sheet!

Re: Interesting page for animal powers

yes, it would have to have some pretty strong limitations, and very limited range of signals, too.

 

Yeah - I was thinking more from a gaming perspective. Realistically, it would be almost useless to anyone who wasn't gifted with the same abilities as Odontomachus-Man, but you might be able to make an argument that anyone with a good enough sense of smell might be able to figure out the gist of it (maybe even everyone, if he's pungent enough).

You could think of it like D&D's Saurials: they emit various smells based on their emotional states. Enough time spent in the company of one, and you might be able to figure out the smell code for fear, triumph, hungry, etc.

Glad you seem to like Bivouac, by the way - he was fun to play against the PCs! His team, the Swarm (led by a beefed-up Hornet) has some history with my GMNPC, and launched an ambush against our plucky heroes.

Everyone was pretty sure the guy flying around at high speed firing venomous organic darts with deadly accuracy was Bad News; and the 8', four-armed beetle-man who punched the team brick through several feet of concrete, knocking him out? He got taken mighty seriously. Super-fast insectoid martial artist? Taken out on phase 3 with a lucky hit from a thrown vending machine, from a nervous brick. Termite-man who could use tunnelling to drag foes through several meters of rubble, trapping them underground? Taken out after a few phases by a very frustrated martial artist/TK specialist. A few little ant-guys? Meh. Bigger fish to fry - we'll deal with him later.

Later, they realized he was probably their biggest problem, and couldn't put him/them down, either! The energy projector was sending the little guys flying all over the place with an area effect attack, but every other phase, I'd start humming "The ants came marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah...", and more would come out of the woodwork. Bivouac escaped at an opportune moment, with dozens of him carting off his unconscious teammates to fight another day.

I look forward to using the Swarm again (insert chilling laughter here...)

Re: Wild Card's Hero

Personally, I'd be inclined to bump Starshine's STR a bit - I seem to recall him being described as quite powerful, even for an ace. That's based on my own vague memory, though - not on any hard facts - so take it with a grain of salt!

Re: Interesting page for animal powers

Good call on the double KB! And naturally, he'd have clinging, exoskeletal armour, etc. like you say (I am an entomologist, after all;))

Maybe tracking for the scent group, usable by others, must pass through intervening space (or something like that) to represent laying down scent trails for other folks with disc. scent?

Do you think you'd have to limit the pheromone telepathy to other ant-beings? Or would it work for anyone, or perhaps teammates who spent a couple points in LS: pheromone communication?

A bit of a tangent (or tang-ant):

I made a villain character a while back called Bivouac (named after a grouping of army ants): he was essentially a humanoid ant with low-level super strength, an exoskeleton, nasty mandibles, etc. On his own, nothing to sneeze at, but not overly powerful - any starting superhero could probably take him out. Thing was, he had shrinking coupled with duplication - he could essentially split himself up into hundreds of mindlinked 3-inch-tall ant-men. And, at that size, not only did he retain his STR of 30 and moderate defenses, but the edge of his mandibles were effectively much sharper (and penetrating as a result). He could only create 8 duplicates at a time, but with the right setup, he could have tons already prepared...

Sure: a half-dozen little ant-men aren't very intimidating. You fly up to get some distance, and half of them throw their counterparts at you (STR 30 + less wieght than a baseball = distance). You try and brush them off, and find them very sticky (30 STR + Clinging) - and OUCH! Those little buggers can bite! Then a few dozen more start streaming out from that sewer grate...

His Achilles heel? Area attacks that do Knockback. He took an extra 18" from every hit at micro-size!

Re: Wild Card's Hero

Hmm... Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's just "Deuces Down" that's between "Card Sharks" and " Death Draws Five".

I did just finish "Death Draws Five" this afternoon: while I wouldn't say it feels the same as some of the earlier novels (IMHO), it isn't too far off. John J. Miller was the sole author, and as a result, the book is mostly populated with his characters (Billy Ray, a dash of Yeoman and Wraith, Father Squid, John Nighthawk) - but there's a lot of others in it too (Peregrine, Fortunato, Jerry Strauss, and a few others). Alas, no Sleeper in this one.

A general overview of the book: eh. Not bad. Not nearly as dark as some of the books, that's for sure (for good or for bad).

I didn't care much for "Midnight Angel" - I found her to be rather one-dimensional, and bordering on a sexist portrayal at times. A "strong woman"-type religious fanatic who's got issues actually being "strong".

Still, it was nice seeing Billy Ray in a lot of the spotlight.

Re: [Character] The Arctic Spirit (HELP!)

By this I mean... 600 points means, in his head, means, say, "a character known for his extraordinary STR would have around 60 STR", and he feels it should mean the same to us. Telling us this would constitute, to him, giving us unwarranted information on his villains. =/

 

Think of it this way:

You guys are packing some serious power, and probably very experienced heroes. Granted, I don't know the campaign world - but if it's one where superpowered individuals aren't brand spankin' new, and some are pretty well publicized, wouldn't it stand to reason that your characters would have at least a vague idea where they stand?

Excerpts from the Esquire interview with the Boston Blaze:

"Yeah, I'm strong. Not quite as strong as Captain Terrific, I think. I saw him lift a oil tanker on TV once - From the look of it, I think I might have been able to, but it'd be iffy. Still, I'm pretty good. Everyone is always saying how strong Ant-Guy is for his size - that's true, no doubt about it (I mean, look at him! He's like 140 soaking wet!) - but I know I'd cream him in a straight-up brawl. That fight against the Incorrigible Grump a few weeks ago? Ant-Guy threw a couple of cars at him, sure - but you could tell it was taking him a lot of effort. He wasn't just flicking them around like ping-pong balls, ya know - he looked like he was really putting his back into those throws, and straining to lift them as quick as he could. No offense to the guy (especially considering how he stopped the Grump's rampage and all), but I could have thrown them one-handed, easy. Heck, I could lift a dump truck one-handed (though it'd be hard to keep it steady). Man - the Grump, though? He's got us all beat. I fought him once, just to keep him offa some loud dude in a tank that was yelling at him (and was gonna get creamed). I go in, trying to be all friendly, and the Grump just won't have it. He clocks me so hard, I flew through 4 buildings before I stopped. I couldn't do that, not to somebody half my size, on my best day."

"I guess I'm pretty lucky, powers-wise. I got the classic suite - strength, speed, toughness, stamina - plus I can fly and shoot lasers from my hands. Sure, Bolt's a little faster than me (and his maneuverability puts me to shame), but that's fine. I don't have to worry about bullets! And Professor Beam? Man - I saw one of his fights once too. That guy blew away a gun-toting maniac through the back of a bank vault! (I still don't know how he knew where to aim.) That would have taken me, like, 10 solid minutes to burn through. Still - though I'm not top-drawer in any one category, all of my powers put together make me one mean customer."

Not necessarily award-winning writing, but I hope I've got the point across how I don't think it's metagaming or "cheating" for me to have an idea where the Boston Blaze stands, relative to the rest of the superhuman world. I mean, HE should have some idea - why shouldn't I? I have to make him fit the concept, after all. How can I possibly ensure he's close to, but a peg or two below, the STR of Captain Terrific or guys in his "weight class", without having some idea of where that imaginary standard is?

EDIT:

Whoops! You beat me to that last post. Best of luck with the game, and I hope you can shake the GM out of his paranoia eventually!