Steve Long

Re: Light from Images
 
How far away an Image (of any sort) can be seen depends on the local conditions affecting Sight. The radius of an Image governs how large it can be, not who it can affect. In the right circumstances, someone might be able to see an Image from miles away. For example, an Image of light can probably be seen further at night (when it's more noticeable) than during the day.
 
Since the rules specify a -4 PER Roll penalty for "dark night," +4 is by definition the minimum that's needed to create "daylight" to counteract the darkness.
 
A flashlight could have AoE: Cone, but it doesn't have to. I've built plenty of example flashlights in various books, and IIRC none of them have Cone. What matters is the size of the area covered by the light at its maximum "expansion," not what it looks like as it gets to that point.

Re: Penetrative vs Darkness
 
The GM can permit this if desired, but in that case may require the character to define what types of Change Environment or Darkness a character’s Penetrative Sense can perceive through. Just because two abilities are both defined as Darkness versus Sight Group doesn’t mean they’re both the same sort of phenomenon or “thing,” after all.

Re: Mental Damage Shield and One-Way Mind Scan
 
1. Incorrect. Mind Scan with the One-Way Link (+1) Advantage is still a form of mental contact and thus triggers a Mental Damage Shield.
 
2. Correct. The One-Way Link (+1) Advantage doesn’t change the way Mind Scan works except for one specific aspect (the target cannot use Mental Powers to mentally attack back through the lock-on).

If a character buys Presence that Only Protects Against Presence Attacks (-1), it adds to his PRE only, not his EGO, even if his EGO is higher and normally what he uses to resist Presence Attacks.
 
A character can buy EGO with the same Limitation, but the value remains the same.
 
In either case, as Limited Characteristics these are Powers, and thus not affected by NCM doubling.

Re: Variable effect Healing - Followup
 
It applies to each one separately, as I stated. If you Heal STUN at 12:02 PM, you can't Heal STUN again until 12:02 PM the next day. However, at 12:03 PM you could Heal PRE; then you couldn't Heal PRE again until 12:03 PM the next day.

I don’t currently have access to all of my books and materials, which have been packed up as part of my home renovation project, so I reserve the right to edit or change this answer at a future time.   Yes, the halving effect applies to Simplified Healing.

Re: Charges Question: Stockpiling Clips
 
That's really up to the GM. Personally, I would have no objection, but with the meta-rule that he could never have more Clips in one day than he'd paid for.

Re: Follow Up #2: Charges Limitation on the Multipower Reserve Only and END
 
No, it doesn't contradict my answer. That's a perfect example of something that follows my answer precisely. It's a weapon with a limited supply of energy -- Charges -- that only allow it to be used X number of times per day. Thus, the slots, which are restricted by the Charges, cost no END.
 
An example of the other type of Framework would be, say, a wizard's Multipower of spells. He takes a Charges Limitation on the reserve: 8 Charges (can only change slots 8 times per day maximum; -1/2). Once he changes, he can use the slot he's changed to as often as he wants; it's not restricted by the Charges at all, so it still costs END.

Charges are a tricky Limitation for a VPP, especially one that's relatively easy for a character to change. If a character creates Power X with 1 Charge, but can switch to Power Y which is virtually identical, Charges doesn't really restrict him at all, thus violating the first rule of Limitations.
 
Where Charges works well as a Limitation in this situation is when the character has a defined set of specific spells to choose from. I've created VPPs like that to simulate the magic used by Jack Vance characters like Mazirian the Magician or Turjan of Miir, for example.
 
In the situation you describe, assuming you allow Charges at all, using Recoverable Charges is probably the best bet. I'd be more inclined not to allow Charges or to rework the VPP somehow, personally.
 
If you haven't already, I suggest posting about this, perhaps with a few detailed examples, in the Discussion forum. I'm sure other GMs would have some useful input.

If a character spends Character Points on a power which has Charges that Never Recover, when he uses all the Charges, the power is done and he never gets those Character Points back — they’re gone forever. If a character were foolish enough to put Charges that Never Recover on a slot in a Variable Power Pool, then he’s locked those Pool points into that slot permanently, and once he uses up all the Charges, that portion of the Pool remains inaccessible and useless to him permanently (as do the Character Points he spent on that portion of the VPP).
 
As for whether buying a power with Charges that Never Recover is foolish — sorry, but I don’t answer game design/philosophy questions here. If you haven’t already posted about this on the Discussion board, it might make for an interesting conversation there.

Hey! Just to make sure you're clear, there's no "everyone" who can respond here (though they can read your question, of course). On this board only I can reply. So in a situation where you want to have anyone on the boards respond, post in the Discussion forum, or wherever else is appropriate.
 
Another quick caveat:  I'm not sure why, in your example, the Human Torch has Shape Shift. He doesn't need that power to activate his fire powers, or anything like that. He would only need it if he literally wants to change shape into something else -- a mailbox, a gorilla, or what have you -- while retaining his same powers. I'm sticking with it to answer the questions, but I wanted to make sure you weren't mistakenly paying points for a Power you don't need to use. Feel free to PM me with more questions about this if my caveat has confused you.
 
And now, here's Reed Ri... err, me, with the answers. Where necessary I will restate questions to make sure I understand what you're asking, and hopefully that everyone understands my answer.
 
1.  Linked And Powers’ Duration
Q:  If a character is using a Constant Power and that power is somehow “turned off” (he’s Stunned or Knocked Out, it’s Drained to zero points, he runs out of END to keep it functioning, or what have you), what happens to powers that are either Linked to, or Jointly Linked with, that power?
 
A:  Any lesser powers Linked to, or Jointly Linked with, a greater power which is Constant but somehow gets “turned off” in any manner, those lesser powers also “turn off” themselves at the same time (unless the GM rules otherwise). (In the case of Persistent Powers Linked to a Constant Power, such as Resistant Protection or Life Support, note that they become Constant Powers themselves as a result of being Linked, as discussed on 6E1 384.)
 
If the greater power is itself Persistent, then it remains active if the character is Stunned, unconscious, or the like, and any lesser Persistent powers Linked to, or Jointly Linked with, it remain active as well. If the greater power is actually “turned off” — for example, by being Drained to zero points — then any powers Linked to, or Jointly Linked with, it stop functioning at the same time. (Again, the GM can rule otherwise on any of this if he wants to.)
 
If the greater power is itself Persistent, and the lesser powers are Constant, then they deactivate at the end of the Segment if the character is Stunned or Knocked Out (even though the Persistent greater power doesn’t turn off). The same applies if the greater Persistent power is”turned off” in other ways (such as a Drain).
 
I think that addresses all the situations you described, but if I missed something, please PM me or post a follow-up question in the Rules forum. (It will have to be in a separate thread, since as I said above, only I can respond to threads here.)

2.  Active Points In The Greater And Lesser Powers
See 6E1 383-84 regarding what happens (or may, at the GM’s option, happen) when the lesser power has more Active Points than the greater power. Anything beyond what’s covered there I leave up to the judgment of the GM.

3.  Further Questions
“If the Shape Shift receives a -0 Limitation and it is Jointly Linked to Resistant Protection, would the Shape Shift need to take the “Greater Power is Constant or in use most of the time (+1/4)” offset, making it a positive Advantage to have them linked?”
 
Linked can’t become an Advantage this way; at the worst its value becomes -0.
 
“If the Resistant Protection is drained, then his Shape Shift would stop working as well (and all of his other powers), right?”
 
Any powers Linked to the Resistant Protection would stop in that situation. The same holds true if they’re all Unified Powers.
 
“Also, is it possible to apply the “Lesser Power can only be used when character uses greater Power at full value (-1/4)” effect?  If so, which power should this apply?”
 
That’s all up to the GM.
 
“Do Persistent powers need to take the “Greater Power is Constant or in use most of the time (+1/4)” offset like Constant powers?”
 
The rules on 6E1 384 state:  “At the GM’s option, Linked may be worth 1/4 less if the greater power is Constant or is otherwise likely to be in use most or all of the time.” Persistent Powers by definition are “in use most or all of the time,” so Linking to a Persistent Power entails the ¼ reduction in the Limitation’s value (again, unless the GM rules otherwise).
 
I think that covers everything you asked, but if I missed something, feel free to PM me or post a follow-up.

If I ever get the chance, I definitely want to expand a bit on Chaos Blades -- how the setting and its magic works and whatnot. Not a full book or anything like that, more like an article. Or a chapter in a larger book.

That's up to the GM based on all the usual suspects (special effects, campaign balance, common sense, dramatic sense, etc. ). In some cases a character may buy an ability for that specific purpose (e.g., a speedster's "snatch all the guns away from the thugs in the blink of an eye" power), and in other cases the GM may have no trouble allowing it. But I can also see where it might make some GMs wary, especially if a character wants to do it frequently.

Re: Teleport UAA - Floating Locations
 
That’s a good question — I’m surprised it hasn’t been asked before.
 
If a character has a Teleportation Usable As Attack power, and he wants to buy a Fixed or Floating Fixed Location for it so that it always Teleports the target to a specific location, the Usable As Attack Advantage must be applied to the Location as well as to the Teleportation itself.

Re: Who takes the botched Teleport damage? (was: Damage Reduction and unsafe Teleport)
 
It's just a matter of common sense. Who should take the damage -- the character who got Teleported and thus found his body materializing inside a solid object, or the character standing dozens of feet away who hasn't moved at all? The former, obviously. There are very few situations where this could occur, of course, but if it does occur the person who actually moves via Teleportation suffers the effects.

Back by popular demand! This file, which is also available for free from the Hero Games Online Store, contains all the errata known to me as of today.
 
If you find an errata in the core rulebook which isn't listed here, please PM me to inform me about it. Please don't post it here, because I may not see it. Sending it to me directly ensures that I won't overlook it.
6E Errata 2020-02-09.pdf

Re: Increased Maximum Range vs Megascale
 
They’re both “legal” for that purpose, but “legal” doesn’t always mean “a good idea.” Think of them as Stop Sign sort of powers.

Back by popular demand! This file, which is also available for free from the Hero Games Online Store, contains all the errata known to me as of today.
 
If you find an errata in the core rulebook which isn't listed here, please PM me to inform me about it. Please don't post it here, because I may not see it. Sending it to me directly ensures that I won't overlook it.
6E Errata 2020-02-09.pdf

Unfortunately we have some terrible news to report. Darren Watts, who used to be one of our business partners in DOJ Inc./Hero Games and has also worked for many other companies in the RPG industry, suffered a very serious heart attack last Thursday (December 22, 2022). It appears that his brain was without oxygen for an as yet unknown period.

Darren's currently under sedation at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. While he isn't conscious, his wife Diane tells me he can receive visitors.

We'll keep the forum posted as the situation warrants. In the meantime, please keep Darren in your thoughts and prayers.

My apologies for the delay in responding — I’ve been ill.
 
Technically speaking, for the Focus to be able to use Invisibility, it requires its own Invisibility power (and some means of knowing how and when to activate it, such as being a Computer). However, that would get unnecessarily complicated, and this is a situation that shouldn’t need so much fuss. So the answer is this:
 
A character who has an Obvious Focus that provides him with Invisibility can buy the Invisible Power Effects Advantage for the power so that the Invisibility affects the Focus as well. For this to apply, the IPE must be bought to make the Focus “imperceivable” to all the Senses/Sense Groups covered by the Invisibility (see 6E1 338 for more info on IPE).

If the Focus is Obvious, it stays visible. That includes armor (an OIF) and virtually any item a character is carrying. It doesn't matter if the Invisibility applies over an Area Of Effect, is Usable By Others, or any other thing -- the only issue is whether the Focus is Obvious.
 
Of course, this comes with the usual caveat that the GM can change the rules if he thinks it's desireable to do so. He might rule that worn items are covered by Invisibility, or that they're "semi-covered" so that another person has to make a Sight PER Roll at -4 to see them. Going the other way, he might also rule that "items" defined with, say, Only In Heroic Identity or Physical Manifestation are also "Obvious" enough that Invisibility won't cover them.

Thank you very much for doing that, LL. It hadn't even occurred to me, and in any event it's been maaaany years since CO recognized any of my log-in information.

My own interactions with Darren were infrequent, but always a pleasure. Many years ago I engaged in a defense of Hero System on the then-hostile RPGnet forums, by posting links to many of the diverse fan-created Hero websites, showing what Hero was capable of and what its players had done with it. Darren mailed me a coffee mug with Hero stats on it, as a thank-you.
 
Darren was younger than me, and should have had decades more to enjoy and to contribute to all of our enjoyment. But this game is one monument to his life, and we honor him every time we play it.
 
EDIT: BTW I posted news of Darren's passing on the forums for Champions Online. I thought they should know about one of the major creators of the world they play in.

Unfortunately we have some terrible news to report. Darren Watts, who used to be one of our business partners in DOJ Inc./Hero Games and has also worked for many other companies in the RPG industry, suffered a very serious heart attack last Thursday (December 22, 2022). It appears that his brain was without oxygen for an as yet unknown period.

Darren's currently under sedation at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. While he isn't conscious, his wife Diane tells me he can receive visitors.

We'll keep the forum posted as the situation warrants. In the meantime, please keep Darren in your thoughts and prayers.

Unfortunately we have some terrible news to report. Darren Watts, who used to be one of our business partners in DOJ Inc./Hero Games and has also worked for many other companies in the RPG industry, suffered a very serious heart attack last Thursday (December 22, 2022). It appears that his brain was without oxygen for an as yet unknown period.

Darren's currently under sedation at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. While he isn't conscious, his wife Diane tells me he can receive visitors.

We'll keep the forum posted as the situation warrants. In the meantime, please keep Darren in your thoughts and prayers.