dougmacd

That's from the 6th edition rules: "With the exception of Mind Scan, characters must apply Indirect to Mental Powers before buying Transdimensional." (6e1 p153).

Doug

Are you trying to have an active conversation with the spirit of a dead person? Then Telepathy with Indirect and Transdimensional (to afterlife) makes sense.

Or are you just trying to speak with a corpse to learn information it had while living? That sounds like the special effect of Clarsentience with Retrocognition, with heavy limitations -- only what the corpse perceived, and only what can described in limited conversation, etc.

Doug

PLAYER: So are my dead parents watching over me?

GM: Uh, yeah, sure.

PLAYER: So they can see into the living world?

GM: Yes?

PLAYER: Hey Mom, can you look down and tell me what Prince Mieux Que Toi is plotting right now?

14 hours ago, Doc Democracy said:

My problem with using Trigger or END Reserve for this is that you are actually paying points to limit the use of the power.

Agreed. Is there a reason you don't simply use a limited power?

• +4d6 Blast, Only usable after 12 segments of combat (-1)
• 4d6 RKA, No Range, AoE: Explosion, Personal Immunity, 1 Charge, Only usable at half health (-1½)

Just set the limitation values to something reasonable for the character/campaign. (I.e., dependent on character SPD, average number of rounds of combat, etc.)

Or buy the powers normally and limit them with a Physical Complication:

• Power X deals four dice less damage the first 12 segments of combat (Infrequent, Barely impairing)
• Can't use power Y if health is over 50% (Very frequent, Slightly impairing)

Again, set values appropriately. This makes things a little harder to track -- it won't be obvious one can't use the full power unless you look at the whole sheet.

Doug

Keep the criteria simple. Tracking phases or hits is easy; tracking points of damage or END spent is fiddly.

For my amusement...

Density of the Sun: 1.41 g/cm³

Density of dirt: 1.1 - 1.6 g/cm³

This is reasonably close, so let's just say they're the same density. So an equal volume of dirt and the sun weigh about the same.

Volume of the Sun: 1.4 x 10²⁷cubic meters ≈ 1 cubic meter * 2⁹⁰

6E2 p171: 1 m³ of dirt = 10 BODY

6E2 p173: Each doubling of mass is +1 BODY

So 90 doublings = +90 BODY

Therefore, the BODY of the Sun ≈ 100 BODY

Doug

It's left as an exercise to the reader to calculate the mass of a frictionless spherical cow

On 8/12/2023 at 4:05 PM, unclevlad said:

Multiform.  The two are *entirely* different, with massively different characteristics, abilities and complications.

Weird build idea: multiform to an Artificial Intelligence (6E2 184)! Telepathy to access computer info, clairsentience to access computer cameras/microphones, etc.

Doug

Just now, Ninja-Bear said:

Do you mean Standard Effect? That’s what’s it called. 😁

And it assumes each die rolls a three. (So slightly below average.)

Doug

Ninja-Bear ninja'd my response. At least I got to include some of my message-in-progress.

Starting with https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MagicalGirlTropes and filtering them based off my recollection of Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Card Captor Sakura, Fancy Lala, and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic:

• Befriending the Enemy (A very common tactic of magical girls. It's very likely at some point that a magical girl will at least attempt this)
• Brainwashed and Crazy (Often happens to the Magical Girl's friends or Love Interest)
• Dark Magical Girl (The Magical Girl's rival with a Dark and Troubled Past)
• Gotta Catch Them All (If her goal is finding something)
• Magical Girl Queenliness Test (A Magical Girl princess must prove she can also be a queen)
• Magical Land (where either the Magical Girl herself or her Fairy Companion comes from)
• Mentor Mascot (A small Talking Animal or creature who grants the Magical Girl her powers and acts as her mentor)
• Villain-Possessed Bystander (The Victim of the Week is used by the Monster of the Week to attack the Magical Girl)

Magical Hummingbird MoonBlossom sounds like the mentor mascot, and Princess Shadira fills the dark magical girl role. I would also expect there to be a proper Queen of the Moon Kingdom who's out of the picture -- probably imprisoned by Shadira.

In all likelihood, the Moon Kingdom is not accessible.  The land is being held under the sway of Nocturna;  MoonBlossom only just managed to escape to get Moonray's help on Earth. The long term goal is to return to the kingdom, overthrow Nocturna, and free the Queen... and possibly succeed her.

A fairly typically plot twist would be that Shadira is actually one of Moonray's IRL friends, unwittingly sucked into the magic, and with no memory of her dark magical girl alter ego.  (Also helps encourage the "befriending the enemy" trope.)

Doug

If you've seen it, Buffy the Vampire Slayer also fits the magical girl tropes.

4 hours ago, Hugh Neilson said:

While true, the poster was discussing variable slots.  That would put the breakpoint between 7 slops (MP cheaper) and 8 slots (VPP cheaper).

I now want to call a fixed entry in a multipower a "slot" and a variable entry a "slop"

Doug

"I put 20 points of my slop into flight..."

14 hours ago, Logan.1179 said:

I know a Gax actually, which is why this one really spoke to me.

Oh yeah, that Gary guy!

Doug

Look, I didn't want to be the one who said it, but someone had to!

6 minutes ago, C-Note said:

Hyperdrive: Teleportation 62m, MegaRange (1m = 1 trillion km; +4) (310 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Week, -4 1/2), OIF Immobile (-1 1/2), 4 Fuel Charges (Recovers Under Limited Circumstances; -1 1/4), Conditional Power (Power does not work in Common Circumstances) (Non-Functional In A Gravity Well; -1/2), Requires A Roll (Skill roll; Dimensional Navigation; -1/2) [Notes: Jump-2]

Total Points: 33

I've never played Traveler, but I assume there's a navigation computer to offset the -31 to the skill roll?

Doug

(Eek!)

4 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

I suggest going to this archived webpage from an earlier version of the Hero Games website, and scrolling down to the download links under "Character Portraits." They were offered as free downloads back then, so would be fully legal now.

I was going to ask if there's any reason why someone doesn't upload those files to the current site, but it looks like Tasha did it back in 2015.  Under Downloads / Graphics:

• 2nd Ed Champions Character Outlines (corresponds to Character Portraits from the archive.org link)
• Lemming's Champion Outlines (corresponds to 1982 Portraits from from the archive.org link)

Doug

A lot more interesting poses there than I remember

The standard Characteristics block is a mess.

First, the Costs should be on the left, like they are for Powers, Equipment, Martial Arts, Talents, Skills, Perks, and Complications, I.e., everything else! And if you want to omit costs, chop off the left column from everything.

Second, the block is too tall; the Cost/Name/Val simply doesn't take up enough width. The space to the right is typically used to record additional notes, but there's still a lot of room. So list multiple characteristics per line!  This technique is already used in Champions Universe (pp. 54, 55, 60, 94, 160), for sidebar entries.

Third, what's the deal with Running, Leaping, and Swimming?  These unwanted step-children are surely characteristics as much as OMCV or Endurance, but end up purchased under the Powers section. Shouldn't they be included with all the other Characteristics?

...but even I'm not 100% sold on the last point. It's just awkward as to where to list them:

• At one characteristic per line, you've made the second point even worse.
• At three characteristics per line, you can add them all to the bottom, but each line is now dangerously wide...
• At two characteristics per line, where do they logically go?  Split them across two lines, or add one value to the singleton SPD entry (e.g., a line for SPD/RUN, and one for LEAP/SWIM). 

Doug

Even more rambling to follow, but not tonight

On 4/24/2021 at 9:17 PM, Christopher R Taylor said:

Check out this thread for some character sheet ideas, might be closer to what you have in mind?

On a simplified character sheet for introductory/convention play, is there any need to list Speed?  The characteristic is just a proxy to determine the segments on which your phases start; if you're also listing Phases, the SPD value is superfluous.

Doug

In the mood to resurrect a dead thread

Yeah, looks like the average of 4d6 drop lowest is 12.24, so the last die is effectively rolling a standard effect of about 2 pips over the average of 10.5 on 3d6. The -1/2 limitation on last die sounds right; -2 is way too much.

Doug

Pips, not DC :-j

You're always getting 3d6, so I would only put a limitation on the 4th die of effect: 3d6 Killing Attack, plus 1d6 KA, Only adds damage if roll is higher than lowest face of other dice, Damage added is only equal to difference between this die and lowest face.

Someone could probably work out the probabilities, but -2 or more seems reasonable.

Doug

Ah the joys of typing on a kindle (-_-)

I'd personally do it with a Susceptibility (or Physical Complication). 

Putting a Limitation on the power gives me bad vibes, as it's really only limiting the last few points. If a 10d6 Blast is used at 9d6, there's no downside.  It's only the last 1d6 that's truly limited.

That having been said, if you know the player will be pushing the power regularly, then a limitation is fine; at that point the effect clearly is putting a downside on the use of the power as a whole.

Doug

9d6 Blast plus +1d6 Blast, Self Owie (-2)

1 hour ago, unclevlad said:

Where is that stated?  When you make no sound, why can sound from your mouth pass?  It's NOT restricted to sound when you move;  your breathing, your heartbeat are inaudible.  If your breathing can't be heard, why should another expulsion of breath be audible?

I had to dig around a bit, but APG2 p29 states: Activating Invisiblity (Mental Group) does not “sever” or deactivate a Mind Link or voluntary mental contact via Telepathy, any more than being Invisible to the Hearing Group prevents a character from talking.

Doug

(For those who are still pursuing the argument)

On 3/14/2022 at 3:22 PM, Logan.1179 said:

Pet peeve of mine. We can and should eliminate pi.

Doug

https://tauday.com/tau-manifesto

On 1/11/2022 at 6:39 PM, Christopher R Taylor said:

Something occurred to me while in the shower: what if you could use Absorption to work on powers that are not attacks.  As in, Absorption used as an Attack vs, say movement on the target.  Every time they move, you get END.  It opens up a huge range of interesting options and curious builds in my mind.  Your strength only feeds my force field! 

I like the idea conceptually, but I wouldn't model it mechanically with Absorption or Aid.

Buy an increase to the absorb-destination-power with a limitation "Only if an enemy within X meters used Y active points of absorb-source-power since my last phase".  Obviously this requires significant GM interpretation: bigger X's should reduce the limitation and bigger Y's should increase it.

Spitballed powers:

• Absorb Kinetic Energy - Regenerate 10 END/Phase (APG p114), Only if an enemy within 12m used a Full Move action since my last phase (-½)
• Counter-Exertion Field - 4rPD, Only if an enemy within 6m used at least 20 STR since my last phase (-½)

Doug

Keyword it for brevity: "Must absorb 20 STR within 6m*" ...with full description at the asterisk.

7 hours ago, Steve said:

I’m looking for input in what sort of individuals or businesses might congregate around such a place

First, I love the name of the town.  🙂

Putting aside typical occupations for a town -- @archer has covered it better than I could -- it seems like businesses to support the tower would focus on collecting/creating "wizardly materials":

• paper/vellum/ink/bookbinding - scribes, supported by spinsters/tanners
• candles to read them by - candlemakers, supported by beekeepers?
• flasks/vials/fine metalwork - glassworks/silversmiths, supported by miners?
• generic "material components" - So many apothecaries, supported by scouts/rangers/gatherers (not sure the correct occupation name), who are in turn regulated by a forester

Then again, it's entirely possible these are jobs for which the apprentices are responsible....

Doug

A great resource: https://gamingballistic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Medieval-Demographics-Made-Easy-1.pdf

On 1/12/2022 at 12:11 AM, lamorric said:

I feel like I am making this too hard.

 

A character with Telekinesis +40 STR grabs and throws a villain straight up. How much falling damage does the villain take when they land?

Keeping it simple: the villain takes the character's (full) telekinetic STR as damage.

The target will hit the ground with the same velocity with which they were thrown up. Given they were "imparted" STR worth of velocity, call that STR worth of damage on impact. Conveniently, this is the same effect you'd get from hurling them into a wall (see Throwing a Character, 6E2 p82).

Keeping it complicated: that section has additional rules on whether you're aiming. Hurling the villain at their own hex (DCV 3) is full damage, while hurling without aiming (DCV 0) would be half damage when hitting the ground.

In fiction, I've never seen super strong people throw people up for damage. To deal damage, it always seems to be characters smashing flying/floating characters down into the ground (e.g., Superman-World-Of-Cardboard or DBZ). The fling-them-up maneuver seems reserved for buying time (e.g., Squirrel Girl vs Kraven the Hunter).

Doug

It seems a little unfair to apply realistic physics damage to Hero's cinematic throwing distance

1. Gray. For her wolf form and play on Ashley. I also was thinking Feral, but all of your descriptions focus on people's sanity; that might imply the most sane of the group is the least stable. Depending on her level of self-deprecation/sense of humor, RBF (always by acronym)!
2. Metal Ivan You say he hides his mechanical nature, and nothing in your description indicates his shtick, so I have no suggestion.
3. Lock-On, in both the sense of his focus and his literal target

Doug

Easy Ivan?  He is pretty chill...

On 7/25/2021 at 8:08 PM, Writer10q said:

Hey so im making a character and her name is avi, she has telekinesis, mind read, and can go into peoples minds (some of this costs energy) she is a psychopath and is great with knives, any ideas for her villain name?

Edge

Doug

...of the knife blade.... or sanity?