Surrealone

Does the alchemist have the equivalent of a quiver ... to make potion vials/bottles instantly-accessible/ready much like a quiver makes arrows instantly-accessible/ready for the archer? If so, then it would make sense to treat them in a consistent manner with Fast Draw ... but if not, you have a solid place on which to hang your hat for treating them differently.

Heh!

I think it's perfectly fine for someone with 1 STUN remaining of 100 ... or down 9 of 10 BOD ... to keep battling on ... given the origins of this particular RPG system (you know, Champions, the super hero roleplaying game) - so-called 'reality' or even 'cinematic reality' be damned. If people playing this game wanted 'reality', they'd find themselves a nice RPG about going to work every day, dealing with annoying bosses and sexually harassing co-workers, etc...

You must hate most martial arts movies, then ... since the entire premise of the "cool discipline" is absolutely if anyone/everyone just takes a half step back (outside of HTH range).

HM is correct that an actual sling is, indeed, counter-intuitive when it comes to adding accuracy, as someone who can barely throw something well with his/her hands ... likely can't properly operate a sling with any reasonable degree of reliability. There is, however, a noteworthy exception: the staff sling. This is effectively a lever with a pocket in which to place an object to be flung -- something that's light, simple, easy to use, and reliable ... without needing nearly the release timing and specialized practice/knowledge required for an actual sling. Throwing Skill Levels (aka PSLs for Range Mods when throwing) on an OAF sound just fine to me. I would allow Fast Draw to be used to get the staff sling, sling, or whatnot out quickly, but I would NOT allow it to be used to speed reloads, since its use in speeding reloads is for magazine changes (not single-shot reloads) ... and staff slings, slings, and the like are not magazine-fed. The CSL depends. If the staff sling, sling, or whatnot is only usable for throwing potions because of its construction, then I think it's a 2pt CSL ... but if it can also be used to lob ammunition used to do damage, then I think it's a 3pt CSL for a tight list consisting of potions from the VPP, sling stones, and other ammunition suitable for a sling (cast lead balls are, for example, ideal ... and presumably this alchemist does things with lead, right?!) Surreal P.S. Notice I avoided use of the word 'clips' when talking about Fast Draw since, as a firearm instructor, it pains me to see a magazine improperly called a clip. You have no idea how badly I loathe the 'Clips' portion of the 'Charges' RAW. Here's why: )

I watched for free via a subscription service to which I'm subscribed. Yes they could have done more with the whole movie. And hey, I rather liked 'gun kata' as a discipline in Equilibrium. I prefer and used the term 'discipline' instead of 'scientific' because a] disciplines can be learned, b] martial arts are disciplines, c] 'kata' suggests the gun-fu in Equilibrium was supposed to be martial in nature, and d] disciplines don't have to entail cold/hard science. Frankly, I think the movie strongly implies the Cleric was a master of various disciplines ... and the science-angle you picked up on from the movies was just the screenwriter's attempt to explain how bullet dodging was a learnable discipline.

I, too, think it depends on the character. If I want to play a Bugs Bunny-ish character (i.e. cosmic power pool character), high power and low skill balance makes sense. However, if I want to play a superagent 007 type, then lower power, high skill balance makes sense. At a given level of play, both of the aforementioned approaches can accomplish the same sorts of things, but HOW they go about doing so will be radically different in terms of the story that is told for the approach taken by each. This is true to an extent at any power level, but is, of course, most pronounced at heroic levels of game play, where skills tend to yield more bang for the buck due to the number of bucks being quite limited. (Example: A cosmic VPP large enough to allow its user to go desolid is darn spendy compared to a 3pt lockpicking skill ... in a 150pt game. That's an extreme example underscoring why skills tend to be more attractive than powers in such lower point level games.) If skills aren't getting enough play in your game, then perhaps it's the point level driving it. A good GM can arrest that, regardless of point level, but s/he has to want to.

+1 for using Transmit, here.

That's not exactly supervillainous considering that flamethrowers are not (to my knowledge) federally regulated. I believe only 1 or 2 states have restrictions/prohibitions on them, as well (i.e. I think they're 48- or 49-state legal.)

Don't you have players who care about the story, character concept, game play, and math/rules in even/equal amounts? (i.e. One isn't more important than the other; they are all equally important.) I ask because I am such a player ... especially given that 2nd Edition Champions inculcated exactly that sort of balanced approach to the game via the Goodman School of Cost Effectiveness (see attached for a quick trip in the WABAC machine). I've personally found that the Champions/Hero gaming groups I've encountered tend to have 1-2 such players ... something that seems to be unique to gamers using the Champions/Hero System. (I think it's the 'mathy' part of the game that others complain about ... which some of us nerdy types grow to love.)

Netzilla's explanation squares that circle. I agree his suggestion is spot-on.

That came from out of nowhere. Something smells fishy...

Not necessarily. Under your house rules, someone can apply Accurate (+1/4) to the already-AoE Darkness ... and now s/he is right back to targeting the hex without paying the hefty price for UAA per RAW. There are, of course, very legitimate (i.e. non-munchkin) reasons to do so. Given this, I believe you're quite a generous GM. Here's some math to support my belief in your generosity. (I am not trying to change your mind, at all. I'm just quantifying your generosity in granular terms -- as a mental exercise and for fun.) Consider: Psychic Static (UAA: 35 real points): Darkness to Sight, Hearing and Mental Groups 1m radius, Alternate Combat Value (OMCV Vs DCV; +0), Accurate (+1/4), Ranged (+1/2), Line Of Sight (+1/2), Usable As Attack (+1 1/4) (52 Active Points); Psionic (-1/2) Versus: Psychic Static (non-UAA: 17 Real Points): Darkness to Sight, Hearing and Mental Groups 1m radius, Alternate Combat Value (OMCV vs DCV; +0), Accurate (+1/4), Line Of Sight (+1/2) (26 Active Points); Psionic (-1/2) Explanation: In both builds, above, the player rolls against the so-called 'hex' to land his/her Darkness at Range. However, when UAA is applied, the power automatically becomes No Range (per 6e1 p356 and 6e1 p358), which means the Ranged (+1/2) advantage must also be applied in addition to UAA (+1 1/4) in order to maintain ranged functionality. (LOS is applied here to make the actual attack LOS-based, important for this implementation because the mentalist character has penetrative vision and the power is Psionic ... i.e. a non-mental power built to behave a lot like a mental power ... but not 100% like one since it's applied to DCV not DMCV due to it being centered on an area, not a mind. For a non-mental power this could just as easily have been No Range Modifier (+1/2), so don't think of LOS as being material to the discussion; it just made sense for this particular power build.) By allowing someone to roll against the DCV of the target (instead of the so-called hex) to 'stick' an AoE power to that person such that it cannot be escaped, you effectively give away +1 3/4 worth of advantages on Darkness -- translating to 26 active points not spent using this example -- which means those points are usable in some other way (perhaps to cover more sense groups or implement more Advantages with this very Darkness?) if the example power is in a framework. This also translates to 18 real points not spent -- which reduces MP slot costs or real points running against a VPP ... if the power is implemented as-is (instead of using the 26 active points to cover more sense groups or add Advantages). The example power sans UAA + Ranged can also be implemented in smaller (active point total) frameworks than the same power with UAA+Ranged. That's a lot of active point give-away just for rolling against DCV. To be precise, it's 5.2% of a 500 point character total ... and 10.4% of a 250 point character total. Note: If you would squash Accurate (+1/4) to try to preclude the above as a matter of GM fiat, the example above can also accomplish pretty much the same thing by taking Alternate Combat Value (OMCV vs DMCV; +1/4) ... and then rolling against the target's DMCV (which, in typical games, won't be much higher [if at all higher] than the hex's DCV unless the target is also a mentalist). This is, in part, why I selected a mental special effect for my example power ... because it shows a legit use of Accurate (+1/4) based on SFX ... and the same outcome (high OMCV rolling against a much lower defensive value, be it the hex's DCV or a target's lower DMCV) can be readily achieved in two different ways that each make sense for the power. Personally, I'd be ecstatic if a GM gave me the kind of option you give in this case. A 5-10% active point giveaway is a BFD to folks like me who enjoy the number crunching exercise (a la the Champions 2nd Edition Goodman School of Cost Effectiveness) every bit as much as we enjoy the storytelling and roleplay. I can do a lot with 3 active points. 26 active points is like hitting the lottery!

That sure as heck isn't RAW. Given the cost of buying Darkness as UAA, that's one heck of a nice house rule (i.e. a lot of points given away).

Since there are two questions, I'll take them separately. Regarding Darkness blocking visible light, RAW gives us this guidance on 6e1 p238: "If Darkness and Images (to create light) are used in the same area, the Darkness “wins” — it negates the effects of the light. If a character wants a light strong enough to overcome the Darkness, he needs to buy a Dispel/Suppress Darkness Linked to his Images." As for making it stick to someone so that it moves with them, there's a clear-cut way to do that (which uses Darkness as an example!) described on 6e1 p359: "Usable As Attack allows a character to 'attach' a Constant Power to a target and have that Power follow him as he moves. For example, Darkness to Hearing Group 1m radius, Usable As Attack, would “stick” to a target and move with him as he moves, thus preventing him from escaping its effects." Note: I would not expect Darkness to block/cancel the effects of a Change Environment that creates solar radiation felt as heat, for example; I feel you'd need Dispel/Suppress for that. i.e. Darkness effectively cancels out the use of sense groups ... with a special effect of being devoid of light (i.e. dark) in the case of light being needed to see ... or devoid of sound waves (in the case of sound waves being needed to hear) ... or whatever special effect is dreamed up by the player to explain the inability to use certain sense groups effectively while within the area of 'Darkness'. (This becomes particularly interesting for things like Radar ... where an area of Darkness will actually show up on Radar as a blank spot into which Radar doesn't penetrate ... meaning someone knows there's something odd there, but can't perceive the actual anomaly.)

Per 6e1 p209: "The Sight Sense Group provides the following Sense Modifiers: Discriminatory, Range, Sense, Targeting. The Discriminatory effect provided by the Sight Group is not the full Discriminatory obtained by buying that Sense Modifier, but rather an effect of somewhat cruder degree. For example, a character can tell two people apart based on their visual appearance, but cannot always determine a person’s ethnicity or religion through Sight." Also per 6e1 p209: "THE COST OF STANDARD SENSES ... Normal Sight: 35 points" My question: What is the precise breakdown (including the verbiage for the Detect, if that's what was used) of the 35 points comprising Normal Sight?

APG1, p74 has Possession. (It's classified as a Mental Power, if one cares...)

Alright, got my vote in for Darren Watts’ Golden Age Champions. (As of this writing that makes him only 11 votes behind Sentinel Comics, which has 99 to Darren's 88.) Keep it going...

So where does one actually vote? (Not at that link, that's for sure. That link is for nominations...)

That's what happens with teenaged heroes, I suppose.

Captain Monster trying to calm down a crowd? C'mon. What wise player uses a PRE attack when situational modifiers are heavily stacked against him/her???

The PRE you purchase sans limitations is, indeed, its own defense. But the PRE you get from Reputation, from Striking Appearance, and from dice granted based on things within the PRESENCE ATTACK MODIFIERS TABLE ... don't give any defense. I raise this as a point for consideration because most of the dice in PRE attacks ... tend not to come from raw PRE that was purchased ... and instead, come from modifiers, Reputation, and/or Striking Appearance.

It's 6e thing put in place to address lack of Comeliness in 6e. (Frankly, Striking Appearance does a much better job of capturing the concept that someone may look a specific way (be it big/mean, cute/hot, weird/alien, etc. ... compared to the largely-ignored COM stat in 5e and earlier.) The 5e equivalent would be to increase Comeliness and explain what is remarkable about the character's looks to your GM ... who should add 1d6 to the PRE attack based on every 10pts of Comeliness applicable to the PRE attack.

It doesn't need any love because, point for point, a high PRE is one of the most effective purchases/abilities in the game ... when used properly. Key to this is that some of the things that can give you the PRE to work with, attack-wise, are very cheap ... and they don't also provide defenses (examples: the Reputation Perk and the Striking Appearance Talent). Also key to this is that high PRE defenses are rare. Note that PRE attacks in combat suffer a -1d6 penalty ... just because you're in combat. Successful use of Oratory (which requires an audience of 3 or more ... and does suffer moderators for a crowd being hostile) will add +1d6 to a PRE attack ... thereby countering the negative for being in combat. (If the Oratory roll is made by half, it adds +2d6!) Beyond that, consult the PRESENCE ATTACK MODIFIERS TABLE (5er p429) for a look at relevant adjustments to PRE attacks. Your previous action (very violent?), positive Reputation (i.e. Perk) that is recognized by the opposition and aligned with actions, your soliloquy and its alignment with the foregoing, and your Striking Appearance should all play into the modifiers. It's not uncommon for a 25 PRE brick who 1) made a successful Oratory roll, 2 ) just caved in a car's roof, 3) has +2d6 positive Reputation (i.e. Perk) for being very violent, 4) yells "You better run unless you want to end up like that car!", 5) and has a Striking Appearance of 'Hulk-Like' ... to A) offset the combat modifier with Oratory, B ) get +2d6 for the extremely violent action, C) get another +2d6 for Reputation due to the opposition recognizing both the Reputation and its alignment with actions, D) get another +2d6 for an excellent soliloquy, E) and get another +2d6 for the Striking Appearance ... for a total of 5d6 (base PRE Attack) + 8d6 (PRE Attack modifiers) = 13d6 PRE Attack. That's a lot of dice ... for little cost. (See why PRE needs no love, yet?) It is, of course, the GM who should be determining the applicability of the modifiers based on your actions, and soliloquy ... while your Reputation, Striking Appearance, and Oratory are driven by your character sheet, complimentary rolls, and how well you've aligned your actions and soliloquy with them. The GM should also determine which side has more people, better technology, the upper hand, etc. .. and modify based on those things, too.

There, I fixed that for you by adding what's in bold red.