Steve Long

Flying Dodge is discussed generally on HSMA 245-46. As noted there, a character gets one Full Move’s worth of movement when he uses Flying Dodge. If he’s already made a Half Move, then he only has a Half Move left to use with the Maneuver. See the HSMA discussion for other factors and information. Regardless of how much movement a character uses with his Flying Dodge, he only gets to move once. He doesn’t keep getting to make a Full Move every time someone attacks him after the first attack that caused him to use Flying Dodge. He maintains the DCV bonus from the Maneuver until he gets to act again (just like with any Dodge-based Maneuver), but he doesn’t get to keep moving around. If a character uses Flying Dodge and gets hit anyway, he still gets to use the movement he declared as part of the Maneuver. Getting hit doesn’t stop him from moving or cause him to lose any meters of movement.

Yes. This is what the Ignite spell (FHG 133) does. It uses Area Of Effect (16m Radius Selective; +1) to set on fire any object the caster wants within the defined 16m Radius. Then it also has Area Of Effect (1m Accurate; +1/2) so that hitting each of those objects only requires the caster to hit DCV 3. Otherwise, hitting small targets like candle wicks, torches, a piece of parchment, or the like would become difficult if the GM rigidly applies the Target Size Combat Modifier.

The “duration” of Limitations like Concentration, Gestures, and Incantations depends on a couple of things. The first, of course, is common sense: as long as the circumstances that “activate” the Limitation remain in effect, so does the Limitation. For example, as long as a character’s hands are tied, he can’t make Gestures; as long as he’s in a Darkness to Hearing Group field he can’t speak Incantations; and so on. Once the situation changes so that the Limitation no longer applies, the character can then use that power. The second is the GM’s judgment, based on how he wants his campaign to work, his game balance sense, and other factors. In many cases, such as some circumstances involving Concentration, it’s probably enough for a character to suffer the hindrance/penalty/drawback imposed by the Limitation for a Phase. But in other cases, the GM may prefer a shorter or longer duration. There are so many possible situations in which this issue might come up that I’d rather leave it up to the GM’s sage wisdom than try to establish a series of hard and fast rules. Re: your third example, you are correct — if the Delayed Phase Limitation is taken only on the reserve, rather than the slots, it only affects the character when he changes the allocation of the Multipower reserve. If it were taken on both the reserve and the slots, then it would apply to any use of the Multipower.

Per 6E1 406, bottom right, a character cannot partially Limit a Multipower reserve unless the GM permits him to. Since you're the GM setting up campaign ground rules, I say go ahead and permit yourself. Doing it that way will probably make it easier to reference/use during game play, which is another benefit.

As discussed on CC 156, an attack's Damage Classes (DCs) are determined by its Active Points -- 1 DC per 5 points. So let's suppose you have an HKA 2d6. That's 30 Active Points, which means the attack has 6 DCs. The methods for adding damage are discussed on CC 157. For an HKA, the most common method is Strength (STR) -- for every 5 STR used with the attack, you add 1 DC. So let's supppose your character has 20 STR to use with his HKA. That means he's adding 4 DCs, so his attack has a total of 10 DCs (6 from the HKA, +4 from STR). An HKA with 10 DCs does 3d6+1 damage (unfortunately CC doesn't explain this anywhere that I can find, but I may have overlooked a chart or rule). So as discussed on CC 156, you roll 3d6 for the BODY damage and add 1 to the total. Then roll 1/2d6 to determine the STUN Multiplier. Adding damage tends to be one of the trickiest parts of the HERO System rules, so don't worry if you don't grasp everything about it right away. Keeping working with and using the rules, and eventually it will become second nature. The HERO System Basic Rulebook and Volume 2 of the 6th Edition core rulebook both have more information on the subject, including some handy tables that make calculating DCs easier.

1. On APG1 80, the text states, “a character can use Absorption with Healing Effect again and again on himself without restriction, though the GM may choose to impose restrictions on it similar to those on Healing if players use a Healing Effect power improperly.” So a character can use it to heal himself, again and again, from Absorption, regardless of his maximum. If the GM thinks this could cause game balance problems, he should of course apply some restrictions that are appropriate for his campaign. 2. If an Absorption power has both the Defensive Absorption and Healing Effect Advantages, the Absorption can only provide defense up to the amount it heals. For example, suppose Brutusk has Absorption 5 BODY (Physical, to STUN), Defensive Absorption (PD), Healing Effect. Per the rules for Absorption, the maximum effect Brutusk can Absorb is 10 BODY, and it only works when his BODY is below its normal starting total. He takes 3 BODY damage from an attack. The next time he’s hit with a Physical attack, he can Absorb the 3 BODY he needs to heal himself. Since his Absorption can only provide 3 BODY of effect, it only provides 3 points of PD, not the full 5 PD it ordinarily could. I think that answers all your questions. If not, or if I raised further ones, please PM me or post a follow-up.

I think the "previous answer" you're referring to is this one: That, in turn, led to the statement on APG2 37. Does that answer your question? If not, please PM me and I will edit this answer to address your concern. Thanks!

Ha! Sometimes overlooking things, followed by procrastination, pays off.

No worries, I'm already ahead of you. I have a small section on Taiwanese mythology that I will include either in the Miscellaneous Mythologies chapter, or as a sort of "appendix" to the Chinese Mythology chapter. And if I can find enough sources, I will turn the section into a full-fledged chapter. Thanx for the suggestion!!

Good question! That’s up to the GM (as are most questions pertaining to how characters can defend themselves against CE effects). In the case of Damage Negation, CE doesn’t necessarily have “Damage Classes” to “negate.” But Damage Reduction, which reduces the damage taken by a flat percentage, might work better.

I suggest looking at the rules for "Combining" on pages 107-08 of The Ultimate Vehicle (which specifically looks at the issue as it concerns mecha/vehicles) and 56-58 and 215-16 of The Ultimate Metamorph.

As a default rule, a character who’s received a Usable By Others power from another character, and then uses Multiform to change his shape/abilities/etc., continues to be able to use the UBO power. However, the GM may change this based on dramatic sense, common sense, game balance sense, 50 Cent, or other considerations.

Generally speaking these are questions I'd prefer to leave for the GM, since it's his campaign. I think the most fundamental issue here is this: is the LS restricted in any way? Since the character can effectively leave his Resistant Protection on all the time (even when he's unconscious), I think the LS really isn't hindered in any way, so the value of Linked should be -0. But, as I say, these are issues to leave up to the GM -- he knows his campaign, your character, and how things tend to play out better than I do.

No. However, as always it’s up to the GM to interpret things when a rule seems unclear or doesn’t specifically explain how it applies in a given situation. If a GM wants to analogize Flying Dodge to Dive For Cover in a situation like that, I don’t think any of us will send the Gaming Police after him.

I’m going to rephrase this in more general terms so everyone’s clear on the question and the answer: Q: A character may have a slot in a Power Framework that requires END to maintain, such as a Constant Power, the “Boost” form of Aid. In this situation, can a character switch the Framework to a different slot, but continue to pay END to maintain the other slot? A: No, as stated on 6E1 400 (unless, of course, the GM rules otherwise). Once the character switches to a different slot, he loses the ability to keep paying END to maintain the first slot’s power.

The Limitation Must Pass Through Intervening Space for Teleportation does not allow a character to move through either energy or physical phenomena — fire, in your example — without potentially suffering harm. That’s what the Limitation does: requires a Teleporting character to move through physical space and encounter any obstacles or dangers it features, rather than automatically bypassing such things the way standard Teleportation does. Whether the character “remains in physical form” depends on special effects and the like; all the Limitation means, in this example, is that the character takes damage from the fire he moves through, whether he’s in energy or physical form. However, the Limitation does not restrict what direction a character can Teleport in, require him to stay on the ground, or the like. So a character with this Limitation could Teleport upward from the ground to the third story of a building, down from a tree branch to the top of a car, or what have you.

There's a Glossary that begins on 6E1 22 (that's Sixth Edition, Vol. 1, page 22). Both 6E core books also have an index that includes most (if not all) acronyms that we commonly use. For acronyms for books -- 6E, FH, HSEG, and so on -- most supplements have a sidebar or text box somewhere in the introductory section that lists them. If there's still one that leaves you stumped after all that, you're welcome to post here on the boards and ask. The Discussion board will probably get you an answer the quickest. Welcome to HERO! Great to have you aboard.

Your GM is incorrect (unless, of course, he wants to change how the Advantage works -- it's his campaign, of course). As described by the rules on 6E1 342, Penetrating means that a certain amount of the damage gets through, based on the amounts shown on the dice. I haven't double-checked the math in the example you gave, but the methodology is accurate.

1. The rules for Charges on Endurance Reserves are on 6E1 206. If the GM permits Continuing Charges on an Endurance Reserve, those rules apply: when a character uses a Continuing Charge for his Reserve, that gives him the defined amount of END at that time. If he doesn’t use it all by the time the Continuing Charge runs out, any “unused” END “vanishes,” so he doesn’t get to use it. In the event the Continuing Charge lasts longer than the Reserve’s REC period (typically 1 Turn), and the character has bought REC for it, the REC functions as normal for Endurance Reserve. (There might be some potential for abuse here, which is why the GM’s permission is required.) 2. I don’t normally answer “how to build” questions, but for once I’ll make a quick exception. While there may potentially be a number of ways to create a power with a “cooldown” period between uses, the one I would recommend is the Delayed Use Limitation, which is on APG1 144 and FH 162. It’s specifically created for just that sorta thing. Beyond that, I’d suggest posting on the Discussion board (where anyone can reply, not just me) to see what other ideas Hero fans might have. I think that covers everything, but if I missed something, please PM me or post a follow-up. Thanx!

I’m not entirely sure I understand the question. Unless there’s some aspect that I’m missing, the answer is A — the slot has to be large enough to cover the entire Active Point cost of the power, which in this case is 66. The fact that part of the power has Trigger on it doesn’t change that. If I’m overlooking something in your question, please hit me with a PM or post a follow-up here, and I’ll give it another shot.

Since this is a request for general discussion and input, not a rules question, I've moved it to the Discussion board, where anyone can reply (rather than just me).

An Image is able to move within the Area bought for it (if the Image doesn’t have the Area Of Effect Advantage, then it can only move within the 1m radius Area where the character created it). If the Image is bought with the Mobile (+½) modifier to Area Of Effect, then the whole Image can move according to the rules for that Advantage, which could make the characters or objects within it potentially seem to move long distances. (If the Image only affects a 1m Area, then a character can buy Mobile for it without buying the base Area Of Effect, as noted on 6E1 324.)

It primarily means it doesn’t become more of a Limitation, but it could also apply to the Power Modifier when it’s an Advantage. The primary idea here is not to make Time Limit cheaper once you’ve established it should be an Advantage for the power in question. Whether the GM also doesn’t want it to become more expensive because of Continuing Charges is up to him. Personally, I probably wouldn’t worry about it unless the value of Continuing Charges became pretty large (+1 or more), but each GM has to decide for himself where the campaign balance tipping point is for his game.

There are several possible ways. The best way to make your spear return to you after you throw it "like Thor's hammer" is to build it without using the Limitation Focus. Even though it looks like a Focus, in fact no one can keep it from returning to you, so it really isn't one. The special effect is that the spear flies back to your hand after you throw it, ready to be thrown again. Depending on what your GM thinks, you might be able to use Limitations like Physical Manifestation to represent the fact that on rare occasions the spear acts more like a Focus than, say, a routine Blast. Second, you could dedicate one 3-point Combat Skill Level to making the spear "bounce" back into your hand after you throw it. This is how characters like Daredevil and Batman often buy/use their billy clubs, theme-shaped boomerangs, and similar sorts of weapons, and it's how Wild West gunslingers ricochet a bullet off of three or four objects to hit the bad guy in the back of the head. (This requires one CSL per "bounce," though.) Third, you could buy Telekinesis, Trigger (whenever you call your spear back to you), Only To Return Spear To You (-2). Those are my typical ways of building an ability like this. What other ideas do you Herophiles out there have?

As discussed on 6E1 263-64, knowledge of the target’s location depends on the strength of the Mind Scan lock-on: at Greater Than EGO, the attacker simply knows the direction to the target, all the way up to EGO + 20, in which case the attacker knows the target’s exact location. (The GM may also provide further information, such as “He’s not on ground level,” depending upon the strength of the lock-on, as discussed on 6E1 263.) Me fully getting into the complex subject of “tracking” a mind via Mind Scan will have to wait for APG3, so consider these general guidelines to tide everyone over until then: 1. To “track” a mind that a character has a Mind Scan lock-on to, he must have a lock-on that’s at least EGO +10 strong. A weaker lock-on than that breaks as soon as the target begins to move substantially. Determining what “substantially” means is up to the GM, but I generally consider it to be a significant form/amount of movement. Walking between floors in a building doesn’t count; nor does walking around in a small, defined area (such as a corner park or a restaurant). On the other hand, getting into a car and driving away, the target activating his Flight and zooming off, or teleporting halfway across the city probably are “substantial” enough to break the lock-on. The attacker does not know which direction the target started to travel when the lock-on broke. (Alternately, depending on the situation the GM might let him learn that one bit of information if he succeeds with an EGO Roll at the same penalty to the character’s OMCV from the table on 6E1 261.) 2. If a character has a Mind Scan lock-on of EGO +10 or greater, he is able to track the target as he moves, with a few caveats. First, if the target moves into an area with fewer (or the same number of) people than the area where the attacker established the Mind Scan lock-on, the attacker can automatically “track” the target without having to make any rolls. (This assumes, however, that the target’s moving at a fairly slow rate of speed, such as walking, or driving in a car at normal urban speeds. If the target’s moving with “significant” speed, see the third point, below, for further guidelines.) Second, if the target moves into an area with more people than the area he was in when the attacker established the lock-on, the attacker must make another EGO Combat Roll (at the new, harsher, modifier) to maintain the lock-on (regardless of the target’s velocity). If he succeeds, the lock-on remains intact; if he fails, the lock-on breaks (but the attacker is aware of roughly what direction the target was traveling). Depending on how fast the target’s traveling, the attacker may have to make EGO Attack Rolls on each of his (the attacker’s) Phases to maintain the lock-on. If appropriate, the GM may add up all the people in the areas through which the target traveled since the attacker’s last Phase and use that larger figure to determine the OMCV penalty. Third, if the target travels with “significant” velocity — such as activating FTL Travel, driving at high rates of speed (60 MPH or more), or Teleporting over a metropolitan (or longer) distance — then the GM may rule that the lock-on breaks automatically. At the very least, the attacker should suffer a large penalty to the OMCV roll to maintain the lock-on: double (or more) the penalty listed in the Mind Scan Modifiers Table on 6E1 261. 3. In any case described above where the attacker has to make an EGO Combat Roll to maintain his Mind Scan lock-on, if he succeeds with that roll he does not need to re-roll his Effect Roll — all he’s doing in this case is maintaining the existing Effect Roll. However, he may choose to re-roll the Effect Roll (perhaps because he hopes to establish a stronger lock-on to make it easier to keep tracking the target). If he does so, he must accept and use that second result. I think that covers everything in your question. If not, please PM me or post a follow-up. Thanx!