unclevlad

I believe they fixed that particular obscenity.  IIRC, and I was reviewing the tiebreaker points online earlier...SEA/ANA would play, winner is the division winner.  Loser would play the Yanks.  Now, of course, that's ALSO unfair, as SEA/ANA have 2 chances to win 1 game to advance.  

On a more pleasant note...who else is watching Braves/Dodgers?  Not a contest at this point;  Dodgers scored early, pitching's been shutdown.  The point worth noting...the shots of Sandy Koufax in a very nice, almost certainly comp'd seat.   He's 82!!!  DAYUM he looks amazingly good!  Best.  Lefty.  Ever.  At least for a 4-5 year span.  Funny thing?  He would've had Tommy John EARLY in his career had it been available.  And...who knows how things would've turned out?  And a sick point?  Most he ever made in a season was.........$125,000.  For the year.  Not for an inning...and yes, CC Sabathia (and probably a few others) made that much (and actually a lot more) per inning pitched in 2017.

Uhhhh......surprise.....

Down to a 1 score game....

Yeah...in the past, when someone said "they're putting the QBs in skirts!"...I'd blow them off.

Not so much this year......

SO, stat of the night.....

Who has more....

Andrew Luck throwing interceptions.....

or Tommy Brady throwing TDs?

(not like there's any drama as to the outcome...)

I agree with Badger.  The refusal to use a tiebreaker is a severe penalty, UNLESS it's for the 2nd tiebreaker.  Then you can argue it's needed.  The refusal to use tiebreakers also leads to 3- and 4-game scenarios that become SERIOUSLY confusing, and may need a team to play 2 games to advance to the WC.  

Another aspect that I strongly dislike is, these games are counted as regular season games.  Christian Yelich came within 1 swing of winning a triple crown...he'd won the batting title, and was 1 HR and 2 RBI short.  AND he came up, in the game against the Cubs, in a situation to do that.  Nothing against Yelich at all, but it woulda been totally undeserved.  These tiebreak games are *not* "regular season" games, they're playoff games.

Another negative:  Rockies played in Colorado Sunday, then LA Monday, then Chicago Tuesday.  NOT fun, and could have been a lot worse.  OK, it didn't ultimately hurt as they beat the Cubs (YESSS!!!  Chicago can now revert to its normal state...reveling in their teams' failures) but it's not fair.  And the loss of some downtime is nothing to ignore.  Rockies, as it turned out, had 1 rest day since Sept. 7th.  And to a point, that's gonna be more the norm than the rule, because scheduled off days tend to become the rain-out makeup days.

The BCS is always going to be debatable.  There's nowhere near enough interaction between the conferences, and *certainly* not between the "power schools" in them.  Just not enough interconference games to have meaningful sample sizes.

I get the chest-beating, but who doesn't do it?  I object more to schools who do it with no cause...Texas!  USC.  Notre Dame.  Probably throw Michigan in there too.

But #1 on my Loathe List now is OSU.  They're the new poster boys for the Dark Side of big-money college athletics for me.

Trump's done so much damage in so many areas, it's hard to recognize all of them.  I think the longest lasting will be how he's destroyed confidence and trust among our allies.  Yeah, the point that Trump treats everything like a real estate deal...and one he has to *personally* win, and that there's not jack that the other guy can do about it...cuz, he's TRUMP...is one that I saw some time ago.  Trump's idea of a 'deal' is he gets everything he wants.  Who gives a damn about what you want.

At this point, neither the Senate nor the House represent the will of the people.  They represent the will of the controlling factions of the parties...and the #1 factor there is, Don't Let the Other Guys In!!!  That's become the norm over the last few decades, at least, but I think the Trump factor has raised it yet higher.  I think this election is the most important we've ever had, at least in my lifetime (and I'm retired.)  If the voters don't push back at the ballot box, then Congress will continue to huddle belly-down.  Trump will be allowed to be even more abusive over the next 2 years.

Mind...what scares me the most is, this won't end with Trump's departure.  Maybe 8-10 years ago, the thought came to me that we are not a polis or polity, and we don't have a body politic.  Instead, we have poles.  Lots of them.  They act like magnets, drawing like-minded people in, and holding them there.  Self-reinforcing, because hey, all these people agree with me so I must be right!!!  No pole listens to, or certainly believes, any info not in alignment with the pole.  Trump is, at least so far, the ultimate polarizer.

One of the first places to go might be the Senses.  IR and UV might be practical;  complete Nightvision might be your bridge too far.  Ultrasonic hearing, or at least wider range.  Ultrasonic gives a dog whistle as an example, and Wiki says that's 23 to 54 kHz.  I suspect you could breed for up to 40 kHz, that's 1 full octave higher.  PLUS, breed so the higher freq hearing lasts into adulthood better.  We lose the top end very early.  I could also see a few levels of Telescopic, but probably not Microscopic.  

Hm.  Rather than allow a Dex over 20...Lightning Reflexes can be argued to be a good combination of training and breeding.  But going too far gets into the powers-like feel.

Hmm...a bit of physical, nonresistant Damage Negation is a nice way to say someone's tough.  Resistant...or negating energy...that's getting into powers.

Most injuries in preseason *games* aren't among the regular season starters, simply because they don't play.

Holding out in preseason, the risk is that when you do come back, you're rather too likely to be rushed back in.

All of Kansas City is getting together to sign a big THANK YOU card to send to Vance Joseph.

Yep, there's plenty of preseason injuries, including season-enders.  That's the major reason why the NFLPA fought for limited contact during preseason...and probably a factor why the owners went along.

If Bell tries to report in week 10, I think the Steelers will suspend him for Conduct Detrimental to the Team.  And I can't believe he'll have any support in the locker room;  I'd say it's 100% gone now.  Finally...we'll have to see, but I certainly *hope* he finds his free-agent value has also TANKED.

Personally, I've got little sympathy for star players who are already getting paid ridiculous money.  Poor baby was *only* gonna make $14 MILLION for a year.  After $12M  last year.  And, oh, poor baby only made about $4M for his 3-year rookie deal...gee, how does he avoid the soup kitchen?

12 teams so far have gone for 30+.  And Chiefs will probably blow through 30 too.  A 6 passing TDs game...5 in the first half.

Yeah, Bucs defense is non-existent, but let's face it, they're not unique.  13 games in the books, with Pit/Balt to finish, then KC/Denver.  714 points in the 13 complete...averages out to 55 a game.  Yes indeed, there is no D in NFL.

How about -X on all social skills, whether they're PRE skills or not?   (Most should be but I don't feel like looking.)   Quite a few are Everyman skills.

Also, perhaps, some Poverty.  Getting a job, keeping a job?  Tough.  Finding a place to stay...pretty tough.

I'd look hard at this as the GM, tho.  Assuming this isn't gonna be a solo char...why would the other PCs hang out with him/her?  "Ewww, we don't want to deal with those guys, they hang around that CREEP!"  How badly does this hose the char dealing with almost anyone else?  Something like -2 on all PRE skills could represent a relatively low level of near-subliminal influence.  No one wants to follow the guy because they always get that bad vibe.  Still, this is the kind of issue that can have more impact on the whole game than is desirable.

1 hour ago, Badger said:

 

Mahomes isn't a rookie though.  So, he is probably a bit less of an argument for this.  And more of the groomed the rookie for a season and now it is time to see if he is ready (which happens more frequently)

But go back even 8-10 years...and he'd not necessarily be starting this early.  Groomed for just a year is still next to nothing.  Still got someone fundamentally untried, who's setting the league on fire.  That's probably the point...not so much rookie or not, but the whole "we can catch lightning in a bottle too!!!" wishful thinking.

Cousins is playing better than the record suggests.  HOWEVER, the record suggests the Vikes messed up in sinking that much money into him if the rest of the team isn't up to snuff.

So if you're playing Draft Kings daily NFL...

and didn't have Goff as your QB this week...

say goodbye to your money.  You gonna LOSE.

Sidebar...in 2016 and 2017, there were 3 games where a QB threw for 5 TD passes.  There have been 3 in 2018 *already*.

The New Normal is, I think, not waiting...toss the kid in once the vet you never trusted anyway barfs it up on the field.  "Well...we tried."  That's the worst that can happen, in the coaches' minds.  Even taking a smackdown that knocks him out for the season, hey, the coach can say, we tried to win.  It's pure BS, IMO;  I think it's appeasement.  But we've got kiddy QBs doing great things...Mahomes.  And Mayfield pulled a rabbit out.  

Swapping the QB is the next best thing to firing the coach.  It might be problems with everyone else, but you can't fire the entire O-line and receiving corps.

It's no surprise to me that Rosen and Mayfield are getting their shots.  What remains to be seen is, will Jameis get back onto the field any time soon?  

I considered the Aid approach, but the inherent aspect that Aid points fade makes things weird.  Decreased fade rate really doesn't help;  they still fade...and you still have max effect issues.  It kinda works from an SFX perspective...the Aid represents a temporary, unstable patch.  Throw in a somewhat offbeat Regen, 1 BODY per turn, Triggered by the Aid, only to offset the Aid fade.  Thus, the Regen "shores up" the patches made by the Aid, gradually.  As a power description it's not bad.  The Aid's totally basic...Self Only, to BODY, with the damage limitation.  The Regen aspect...the Triggered I don't mind, given that it's a non-automatic trigger.  But the only to offset the fade is not altogether to my taste.  

I was never asking how to build the power...but re-reading the OP, ok, that was clearly not how it was taken.  I felt I'd implied the base power WAS Healing, because Regen won't have Self Only as a limitation.  Apparently not.

Lucius:  the "doesn't work against rare damage" limitation is not one I'm counting here, as it's going to be present in any approach you use.  So, no, your build's along the lines of what I was considering...but I'd actually NOT included Decreased Re-Use, I'd bought more Healing.  But the Decreased Re-Use is in response to an awkward rule...you can only apply Healing once a day?  Ugh.  Why not stay with maximum effect rules along the lines of the other adjustment powers?  If I've got a 4d6 Healing power, then who cares if I Heal 4 BODY in the morning, then 8 more in the evening?  Why is this out of line?  But it is the RAW.  You're applying Decreased Re-Use, I suspect, because RAW is poor.

I'll also note:  the insane COST of Decreased Re-Use shows that the cost basis for Regen frequency is just WRONG.

Duke:  I hear where you're coming from.  If you ditch the capped aspect, but then force it to be Self or Other...that feels right for 10 points per die, or at least close.  I may do something like this...a little different, likely, as forcing someone to buy both separately is begging for a multipower so you're just covering slot costs.  (Heck, Healing generally *often* fits into a multipower, so as a practical matter the Self Only or Other Only isn't that significant.)

I'll think about this...

Every attempt at defining it with Regen becomes a cheesy mess of limitations that are artificial, IMO, and distortive.  I hate starting from a very ill-fitting baseline and trying to twist it out of all recognition into something else.

Your only argument for making it Regen seems to be that "self only Healing is Regen."  WHY?  Regen is one route for it...but it's not the only route.  Yes, it's got some massive advantages, especially if you allow the totally broken costing for per-phase or per-segment Regen.  In many cases, it's the best route, sure.  I don't care.  I want the effects related to Healing.  it's the concept in my head for how this power works.  

Can anyone explain to me why Healing can't be used?  DON'T try to sell me that the Regen angle is better, just that the self-only healing breaks the rules, or even contorts the rules to a greater degree than trying to have Regen act like Healing does?

Lucius:  skipping the Wounds Only part...everyone's pretty much comfortable with the -1/4...the differences are major.  These characteristics about powers are different:

Healing:  is a terminating, attack action;  costs END;  is Instant;  generally does quite a bit at once;  and it's also capped.  Self or other.

Regen:  not an action;  no END;  is persistent;  generally does a little at a time;  it's not capped.  Self only.

So you are literally forcing a complete redefinition of everything to convert the one into the other.  I'm ONLY changing "self or other" into self only.   

Hugh:  come on.  Hell no, I'm not asking for 20 BOD per.  It's written right now as 4d6, so 12 total.  Yeah...that's all he can heal.  But, he can do that in 2 phases, using the Full Effect rule in APG.  Call it a limit on how much he can patch in a short time.  Figure this is like he's taking a Recovery...for BODY.  It's limited...that's fine.  That's the intent.

I KNOW the differences between doing it with Healing and doing it with Regen.  Yes, Healing has a cap.  That's fine.  

He has a particular type of control...he can reconnect everything.  That doesn't imply it's autonomous, and for this character, it's not intended to be.

Is there some philosophical argument that says, if you want self-heal only, you MUST use Regen?  I do not want it to have Regen's properties.  I do want it to be as if someone else Healed him...just that he's doing it to himself.  And he can't do it to anyone else.  

Something he has to focus on, means it takes 1 or more actions.  It is NOT a Constant power at all, and I don't want it to be.

Also, these simply don't mimic Healing.  He can *quickly* fix 10 BODY...couple phases, using the full effect suggestion in APG.  Not 3+ turns.

No, I don't want Regen.  This is something he has to actively focus on doing, it doesn't happen automatically.  

The power set I'm building...the character can convert his body into fibers...including Kevlar and carbon fiber, and even stuff like carbon nanotubes.  Nothing metallic but that still leaves a WHOLE lot to play with.  So I'm tossing in stuff like stretching, armor, and extra limbs with no fine manipulation.  He's also got a major Transform to create stuff.

So...an implication of this is he can heal himself.  BODY only, clearly.  But there's 2 limitations:

1.  Self only.  

2.  Only wounds, or the byproducts thereof (like bleeding if used).  Doesn't apply to drains, damage from toxins, and the like.  Basically, it's re-knitting ripped tissues, blood vessels, etc.

There's a Self Only for Aid...but not on Healing, surprisingly.  I'm figuring -1 for that.  For the wounds only...I'm thinking -1/2 at most, and even only -1/4 might make sense.  It's not that likely to make a big difference;  a -1.25 total limit means the' power costs 44% of active, whereas a -1.5 drops it down to 40%.  So likely only a couple points at most.  

Sure, the END pool is used up, the point is, after violating the rules, he's still got however much END was in the pool.  So he can continue to act, potentially continually in violation, until he uses it all.  

And if everything has to cost END, that forces a massive END Bat...cuz that includes all defenses.  You're also probably saying powers can't generally buy reduced END...which also means the END Bat has to be very large.  It's a big PITA for this kind of broad-based power concept.

Hmm.  Another approach...if this is a VPP, and if a skill roll is required to change powers, then 

a)  all powers in the pool are reset

b)  the skill roll to change the powers suddenly gets a big honkin' penalty, like -5 to -10.