Steve Long

Re: Okay A question about posting Conversions to Hero We would generally prefer that you not post anything on these boards that violates someone's copyright, and that includes conversions. If you have permission from whoever owns Gatecrasher (Domibia Games, if it's what I'm thinking of and my memory hasn't failed me), then it's fine. We're not the Ultra-Strict IP Police or anything, but as owners of intellectual property we know how we'd feel if someone posted a conversion of our rules without our permission, and per the Golden Rule try to act accordingly.

Re: Follow Up PM, and Can Be Disarmed Limitation. 1. Yes, of course he can. If breaking something destroys it permanently (or until fixed), that’s probably a Focus. 2. What forms of Limited Power a character can take for a power, their effect, and their value, are up to the GM.

Re: Running and Turning follow-up... and more! 1. The rules for multiple Move Bys don't have anything to do with a character changing "facing." They serve a number of functions, one of which is maintaining game balance. 2. No, he uses his full STR.

Re: Shapeshifting - Which Power for REAL change Shape Shift is not "illusionary." It, and many other powers, can create "real" change.

Re: Skin to Skin contact required That’s up to the GM. If he decides to allow that, he should set the value based on the nature of the character, the campaign, and so forth. There's one published example, the Transference Touch in the USPD, that you can consult as a guideline.

Re: Random rules questions. 1. It’s the difference in Active Point costs. Recalculate the power’s Active Points with the new Adder or Advantage, then subtract the original cost — that’s how much the Adjustment Power has to “add.” Do the reverse for a removal. 2. No — though the GM could concoct one, if he likes. 3. The character continues to act on DEX 0. In effect this means the Limitation isn’t restricting him for a while — but if he’s DEX 0, that’s a mighty small consolation. 4. See 5ER 373. 5. About 71,000, by my count.

Re: Racial Package Deals Since this isn't a rules question, but a request to start a conversation about a rules issue, I've moved it.

Re: Shrugging them off! No, unless the GM rules otherwise.

Re: Running and Turning... It means just what it says in the rulebook: a character who's using Running can turn "as often as he wants," unless the GM chooses to impose a Turn Mode to reflect existing conditions. For the most part, the HERO System doesn't have rules that dictate character facing; a character who's just standing in a hex can turn around ("change facing," if you will) whenever he wants, provided the GM doesn't forbid it to keep him from unfairly exploiting the rules or the like.

Re: New to HERO and looking for advice on some issues... Haven't read the whole thread, so someone's probably mentioned this, but just in case they haven't, I'll point out that there's a table something like this in both Sidekick and 5ER -- though admittedly both are described as simply one possible scheme, since some GMs may prefer to set the benchmarks elsewhere for their own campaigns. That's about as much as I think needs to be said on the subject; I'm definitely not going to dive into the morass of trying to "benchmark" published superheroes or Fantasy characters.

Re: What Would You Like To See In Upcoming HEROglyphs Columns? Yup, still reading -- though in fact last Friday was the day I had set aside to write columns (wrote five while attending a seminar -- multitasking, I believe it's called ). We're considering a collection, but if so we'd sell it as a PDF, not as an issue of DH.

Re: Combined Powers Question That power's built the way I wanted it to be built to reflect the way I want it to function. If you (or your GM) wants to change it to represent something else, go right ahead.

Re: Oil Slicks and Sliding On The Ice Since this is a "how to" rather than a rules question, I've moved it to the "Discussion" board so anyone who likes can offer an idea. My two ducats: what you're describing is a textbook example of Change Environment. In fact, if you look in the rulebook, you'll find ice sheets on the ground used as an example of a CE power. Look in The Ultimate Vehicle, and you'll see that CE's used to build the Oil Slick Sprayer.

Re: What's the most useless supplement you'd actually like to see? I don't think this book would be sufficiently long, or of sufficient interest to the general RPG-buying public, to merit consideration of a proposal, much less development of a manuscript. (The same applies to pretty much all the other suggestions, but to this one especially. )

Re: Stretching and indirect 1. The Does Not Pass Through Intervening Space Advantage does not impart any Indirect properties to Stretching that Stretching does not already possess. If a character wants that type of Stretching to be Indirect, he has to pay for that Advantage. 2. No. 3. I’m not entirely sure I understand this question, but I’ll try to answer what I think you’re asking, and you can post a follow-up if necessary. The Does Not Pass Through Intervening Space Advantage does not render a Stretching attack un-Blockable, or provide any other benefit or expanded attack capacity other than what’s discussed on 5ER 221. It has the effect described in the book, no more, no less.

Re: Block and Two Weapon Fighting See the Rules FAQ under "Two-Weapon Fighting" in the Skills section.

Re: Stretching Question 1. Characters cannot buy Advantages like Area Of Effect and Explosion for Stretching unless the GM rules otherwise, in which case he can figure out how he wants that to work. 2. No, as described on 5ER 222. Otherwise the Advantage would be pretty meaningless.

Re: Two Secret IDs? That's up to the GM to determine based on the nature of the campaign, how restricted he feels the character is by these secrets he keeps, and so on. It's a campaign management issue more than a rules matter.

Re: Cellular imitation That's up to the GM. Common sense, logic, and game balance dictate there has to be some reasonable grounds for copying someone -- for example, just saying "I want to copy Brad Pitt's DNA" isn't enough, there'd have to be some reasonable basis on which someone could form a copy. But there's no requirement to touch the person to be copied, to have a special sense, or the like; if there were, that would be noted in the rules. You can certainly impose a requirement like that with a Limitation.

Re: Growth Momentum!!! Well, it was in the 4E rulebook, which came out in 1989, IIRC. Whether it was around before then I don't recall.

Digital Hero subscribers interested in playtesting/testreading Villainy Amok can now find the manuscript in the usual place. However, I forgot to change the deadline -- it's not today. It's two weeks from today, the 31st. If you have any comments or questions, please post 'em in the "Company Questions" thread of the same name.

Digital Hero subscribers interested in playtesting/testreading Villainy Amok can now find the manuscript in the usual place. However, I forgot to change the deadline -- it's not today. It's two weeks from today, the 31st. If you have any comments or questions, please post 'em in the "Company Questions" thread of the same name.

Re: Flash and Desolidified Characters See 5ER 148.

Re: Normal Sight for a Computer See 5ER 459 for information about Computers and senses.

Re: +v/5d6 Maneuvers without knockback The v/5 Element does not impose any requirement on characters to do Knockback or suffer damage — that’s one way in which they tend to be better than the standard Move By or Move Through, which is why characters have to pay Character Points for them instead of getting to use them for free. If a character wants to create a maneuver that has that requirement, he can use the Take Half/Full Damage restrictive Element to build the maneuver and work with the GM to define the damaging aspect as only affecting him if he fails to do Knockback. As always, the GM should evaluate each situation individually, and decide based on common sense, dramatic sense, special effects, and considerations of game balance what happens. Regardless of the maneuver used, a GM might decide that a character who’s stupid enough to charge right into a brick wall has a significant potential to hurt himself.