Christopher R Taylor

I did find that with my last game players responded better to having delayed experience given out in bigger chunks than a slow drizzle of small points. 10 points is easier to figure out something with than 3, for at least some players. That feels more like a level up than a slow drizzle of a few points at a time.

Arbenshand: This spider-like creature has only five legs, and looks much like a large skeletal hand, up to 15cm across. Arbenshand live on cacti, and will sometimes drop on targets to bite them with a particularly painful bite (1 body damage but 2d6 stun AVAD [life support vs spider poison negates]). Arbenshand can be tamed by feeding them regularly, and can even seem affectionate, resting on the shoulder or head of their owner. This ghastly pet is considered a sign of status and importance among some Dervish and Beastmen tribes. Aarbenshand are found only in deserts, especially Moskend and Yugavia. They are used to make the poison of the same name.

Its a tough line to work out. I want them to be analogs of recognizable characters, but if they are too similar we run up against copyright problems. I plan on the cover to be a basic duplicate of the Avengers poster (with the alternate characters in the pose) so its a bit easier to work out who's who and what we're dealing with, so that should help. Its worth some thought, though. I would think a super soldier, a god with a hammer, an armored bodyguard, and a guy with spider powers should be kind of clear without hammering people over the head, but maybe they could be more obvious. I am going to work up some more streamlined, simple characters - in that case, they'll definitely have more skills because fewer, simpler powers = cheaper.

Hm so maybe we'll see Wonderman show up in Avengers 2 parter? Something to do with one of the stones could turn him into a being of energy.

Watched Deadpool: hilarious and clever Watched Jesse James Blacksmith: very interesting and nice back to basics concept

The problem with this is that you end up with another $75+ book. The Hero ruleset was so expensive not because Steve gouged everyone, but because its expensive to print big books. Having a smaller, simpler book then a big heavy one with all the stuff means you have a cheaper introduction to Hero. So, now, basically, we have that with Champions/Fantasy Hero Complete and the big books.

Its good to have dreams.

So you're saying a simplified set of rules without all the careful explanations, details on how different modifiers interact with it, examples, and specific rules is a bad idea? That having a separate book with all those rules for those who prefer them and need them also available is problematic and the Hero system would not benefit from this? That's your position?

I really like this answer. Its simple, fast to work up, doesn't turn the character into soup, creates a huge crater, and is a great comic book moment. If you want, you can have some layers be different materials (rock, clay, water, etc) and thus do different damage.

I agree, Vulcan needs to be more dusky and olive skinned. But I think having just one character that's set is not going to exactly offend or horrify anyone, surely. That was my concept, but if people think someone who just gains powers in the time of need of a nation would be a more interesting or better build I'm all for it. Its a risk, but I think most players today are familiar with the idea of the tutorial that ramps them up through power rapidly to their intended power level. And, since these are intended to be learner characters rather than ones people stay with (unless they really want to), its just a way of helping people get used to the concept of spending experience, building characters, and increasing complexity rather than a demonstration of the usual campaign pattern. It is worth having special notes for the GM to make sure the players understand this, though.

Well the playability, learnability, and intimidation factors all would have been better dealt with if, as many suggested in the forums here as 6th was being worked on, a big book with all the details and rules was made, and a stripped down more lean version for players was released as well. Nobody has a problem with the Player's Handbook/DM Guide model. They expect the GM to need more details and specific information. Its an appealing approach, and Hero is really not all that complicated - certainly no more so than it was with 4th edition, when it comes down to actually playing and building characters. There are just more options now and more specific, clear ways to different builds. It just looks intimidating as heck.

Correct, this would be an accelerated tutorial. Read back the previous posts, we discussed the idea. Except for that's how the god is portrayed in every single instance of mythology, legend, and stories, so it would be weirdly forced to make him something else. I figure since every single other character has a male and female version one is acceptable to not be binary. People who cannot stand the idea of playing a guy have all those other choices. Unless we decide to make Spellbinder always turn into a magic girl, an option I find very entertaining. I agree, and I'm going to go over them and lean them up a bit. The simplified character sheets make them a lot easier to use but still they need toning down. As for more skills; those can come in the experience blocs. I am a big fan of characters "always having" abilities that never show up until later issues. I mean, sure, Captain Keen might be a geologist, but its not until episode 4 when the rock monsters show up that he even uses the Geology skill.

I've noticed a pattern with early release reviews: they're dazzled by effects and spectacle, then later go "you know, it wasn't really all that great" too often. But really good movies tend to get tepid reviews that later on get better. Professional reviewers are usually a bit more objective and consistent.

For the record, armor piercing surprised me at 1/4 and I sense that its too cheap for what it does, particularly at the superheroic level but have not tested it out extensively. Old school 12d6 or 8d6ap vs new 12d6 vs 9½d6ap, that's a pretty big jump.

1) They are 300 points because the idea is that, over the course of the adventure, they will get "packs" of experience in bundled powers that are more familiar and similar to "levels" until by the end of the adventure they are 400 points. 2) I agree some of the builds are kind of complicated, but they're meant to be presented as super simplified versions to the players. Vulcan looks more complicated than he is, because he's basically two character sheets on one - the player would get only Vulcan's powers. But you're right I think they have more complexity than they probably ought. 3) The idea is to have several stages of an adventure, each one introducing different rules to help in a tutorial fashion with the game and showcase basic superhero standard adventures, so its got to be longer than just one session.

...That is an interesting option. Instead of showing up out of nowhere, there's just always someone who becomes The Patriot when the time comes. Would save a lot of points, and let me throw higher presence on them base, add in those combat levels. Somethign to think about, I was trying to reduce complexity but that's not too bad.

I agree, you're right he needs more CV. I think I want the gun to be not a focus because its such a basic part of his character; he just always has a gun as a soldier. I'll give it some thought, I'd rather he be very impressive even if someone hasn't heard of him, just more so if they have.

Which is fine, but you need to be aware of it ahead of time.

PATRIOT The Captain America type character of the group, an old soldier that never dies. This character has the least obvious places to grow in, although more equipment would make sense (a knife, IR goggles, etc), and a multipower of gun tricks such as disarm, etc would be useful. I didn't buy regenerates from death because that never makes sense in comics. Everyone comes back from being killed anyway, so its a waste of points. Patriot is a somewhat blatant ripoff of The Old Soldier from Astro City, and is built more around stats and skills (and massive presence attacks) than powers. What the spirit was who showed up and apparently granted this character their immortality (in fact, they aren't immortal, no nation lasts forever) is up to the GM. Was it a time-traveling patriot? Was it just some hallucination that later the Patriot kept changing to fit the world that they came to visit later? Was it some personification of Liberty or the USA? Was it all made up? No one knows. This is the visual inspiration for the character: BASE STORY: The Patriot was one of the first colonists from Europe to land on the new world and set up a colony in what would become Virginia. The colony faced several attacks by local tribes and the Patriot fought them, then when the place fell apart, the Patriot joined a tribe and lived with them. In a vision quest as part of the tribe, the Patriot was confronted with a glorious woman of great beauty holding a star-spangled flag who told the character that they would be the defender and protector of a great nation that would one day rise on that land. The Patriot was wounded in battle and seemed to die, but disappeared and showed up again, defending colonists again when new settlers arrived. Again and again through the centuries, this character would reappear at key times of great need, from the French and Indian Wars to the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and on through history, always on American soil to protect the nation. Now, the Patriot has appeared once more, but this time the character is staying longer - why, no one knows. Patriot is known as someone that tells the truth, acts with honor, can be trusted, and is famed for their fair play and love of their nation. FEMALE STORY: She was a spitfire, a girl that was always willing to fight. When the other girls were sewing dolls, this character was up on the wall firing at attacking waves of enemies. Through the ages, people have been surprised to find that The Patriot is a woman, but they're always grateful when she arrives with her great skill and knowledge. And her leadership is incredibly inspiring to all. The Patriot is a symbol of feminine courage and love of country that has always been beloved and appreciated. MALE STORY: He never looked like much, a gangly teen with unruly hair, but when it came to fighting, The Patriot had more fire and more courage than all the others in the colony. The local tribes were very impressed with his courage and the fire in his heart, accepting him as one of their own. As the years have gone by, the Patriot has filled out and grown, and now he is a huge, strong man that inspires awe. Patriot Val Char Cost 25 STR 15 Lift 800lbs; 5d6 (9d6 with combat training) 20 DEX 20 23 CON 13 14 INT 4 18 EGO 8 20 PRE 10 Presence Attack: 7d6 6 OCV 15 6 DCV 15 4 OMCV 3 4 DMCV 3 9 PD 7 With Combat Luck: PD 15; rPD 6 9 ED 7 With Combat Luck: ED 15; rED 6 5 SPD 30 10 REC 6 40 END 4 12 BOD 2 40 STN 10 20m RUN 8 8m SWIM 2 10m LEAP 3 Characteristics Cost: 185 Cost Power 2 Life Support (Longevity: 400 Years) 9 Regeneration (1 BODY per Day), Can Heal Limbs 33 Gun: Blast 10d6 (50 Active Points); OIF (Focus: gun; -1/2) 16 Combat Training: Hand-To-Hand Attack +4d6 (20 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4) Powers Cost: 60 Cost Skill 3 Breakfall 13- 3 Climbing 13- 3 Concealment 12- 2 KS: Famous battles 11- 5 KS: History 14- 3 Oratory 13- 3 Paramedics 12- 3 Stealth 13- 3 Teamwork 13- Skills Cost: 28 Cost Perk 3 Positive Reputation: Very famous hero (A large group) 14-, +1/+1d6 Perks Cost: 3 Cost Talent 6 +2/+2d6 Striking Appearance (vs. all characters) 12 Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED) 3 Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalty) 3 Environmental Movement (Exceptional balance) Talents Cost: 24 Total Character Cost: 300 Pts. Complication 10 Distinctive Features: Not from around here, awkward and out of place (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 20 Hunted: Temporal villains Frequently (As Pow; NCI; Harshly Punish) 15 Psychological Complication: Extremely patriotic (Common; Strong) 20 Psychological Complication: Code of honor (good guy/hero code) (Common; Total) 5 Rivalry: Professional and Romantic (representatives of other nations, must prove better; Rival is Less Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry) 10 Social Complication: (Not from around here, lost in time) Frequently, Minor 10 Social Complication: (Public Identity) Frequently, Minor 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN Time based powers (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x Effect Time based powers (Uncommon) Complication Points: 100 Patriot.hdc

White Scream The Death’s Head Shrew is named for its hairless white head and gray body, and it is tiny as all of its kind. But its bite contains a powerful hallucinogenic venom which makes victims relive their worst nightmares, fears, and experiences while it lasts. Even after the visions fade, the victim is a drained and shivering wreck. Effect: Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF (fades 1 body per minute) and Drain 1d6 Presence and Endurance in stages, recover per hour Stages: 3 Delay before effect: Victim’s Phase Time Between Stages: Victim’s Phase Origin: Forest, Plains, Caves Rarity: -2 Preparation: 1 dose per shrew, milked or extracted from glands Form: Ingested (no flavor) or Insinuative for d3 hits or d6 turns, stores d6 days Resistance: Life Support vs Animal Poison Cost: 9 silver

I remember the horrific fights over what "linked" meant in 4th edition. 5th cleared an awful lot of that up, and was a huge breath of fresh air after a long time when it looked like Hero was dead. The company was putting out a different product, for crying out loud.

I think we should go with old school viper stock stuff. they started up a Yahoo group to talk stuff over but you have to jump through such hoops and tell so much information, get a phone call and all this crap to sign up I just don't want to do all that. Its like signing up to college or something. We need a blood sample, your social security number, your grade school transcripts, a personal testimony from a non-related person in your past, five pieces of ID!

3rd edition also added more than a few new powers and such (power pools, disadvantages, and so on). It was pretty extensively a change compared to 2nd edition.

Jet Li is still doing martial arts movies, he just said he wasn't going to do any more movies teaching the principles and history of Kung Fu. I think he's a pretty solid actor, I'd love to see him do more movies that don't require him to beat people up constantly, but that's gonna be tough with his limited English.

Not any more than you donate a piece of your arm to someone.