Deadman

Where is Martial Enemies - Vol. 2? For that matter where is Vol. 1?

Wow, no comments. I guess I forgot how dead the Dark Champions boards have become. Here are a few more from Predators. Charlemagne and Caber Rasputin Speargun Randolph Starr, Starrlight and Starrbright Strad

I would first like to correct you on the naming. You are speaking of Advantages and "Limitations". Sorry, but I was a little thrown by the use of the words. Disadvantages used to be what Complications are now. I think that this ruling will have the effect of Vanillaing (is that a word?) all of the characters out. You won't have a bunch of Power Armor wearers or Weapon Masters since they won't get the big cost break. I actually like it for that very reason. Players tend to min-max using Limitations and this is a way of reigning them in. However, on the negative side it will also discourage truly inventive power construction and limit the flavor of the game. Of course you may see a bump in the use of Advantages that are compensated with Limitations (That Blaster Rifle you refer to may end up AP, Penetrating, Autofire which are paid for with the OAF Limitation). Let us know how it works if you use it. Deadman

Can a character buy Aid (or Drain, Absorbtion, etc.) to Defense (which is halved by the RAW) and then apply the Expanded Effect advantage to Double up a single Characteristic or Defense thereby applying the full effect dice to that element? I cannot find anything that disallows this and I am inclined to allow it. What is the official take on it? Example: The Penetrator wants a Drain which breaks down a target's Physical Defense and constructs it as such. 50 Penetration: Drain PD 2d6, Expanded Effect FULL PD + Resistant Protection PD (+1 1/2) (50 Active Points)

Using AVAD would be the first step. You would go from a Common DEF (Resistant PD or ED) to a Rare DEF (Resistant Mental Defense +1 Advantage) and also have to put Does Body (another +1 Advantage). So the cost would be pretty steep but it would be a very deadly attack.

Any chance of a PDF of Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth? Thank you, Deadman

I cannot speak for the rest of you obviously but for my DC campaign I loved the character writeups in "Predators". The one major failing in the book, IMHO, was the artwork. I just couldn't imagine showing those pictures to my players. So, of course, I created them in Heromachine. The next couple of posts I have included my rework of the characters in those pages. I didn't get to them all but there are quite a few in my collection. El Azteca, El Escorpion, La Vispa, El Tarantula and El Garra Buckshot Caligula and Hotspur More to come. . .

Okay, I couldn't stand it anymore. Power Crusher got a makeover! I know, I know, it messes with the character's mojo. But hey, the guy was a mess. Not that this is much better but at least the colors match. Unless of course they don't. I really AM color-blind after all. Power Crusher (Makeover)

Well a fashionista he ain't. In all his color-blind glory... (disclaimer: The color scheme is directly from the description) Power Crusher!

Worked up a few more. I am really pleased with how Ripper turned out. Ripper, Esper, Ogre, Oculon, Cybermind and Onslaught

Here are a couple of house rules that I came up with that could help. I think they really make the AoE Advantage very customizable as a whole. Area of Effect – Any Area – This seems to be very under powered when compared with the other versions. For this reason I would recommend that the areas be 1m areas and the number quadrupled (8 – 1m areas for +1/4, 16 for +1/2, 32 for +3/4, 64 for +1, etc.). it is worth noting that since they are only 1m high they will need to be stacked to reach the 2m standard. This helps when mapping is done by Meter and measuring 2m areas is difficult. Technically it isn't actually more powerful than using 2m areas since a single 2m area would consist of 7 1m areas if my assumption is accurate. However it does give a lot of flexibility. Pattern Shift – (+1/4 Advantage) – Allows the character to change the pattern of an AoE between uses. It does not alter the scale so if a character had an 8m Radius as the base it could become a 16m Cone or 32m Line in future uses. This cannot be used during a constant AoE’s existence. Configurable – (+1/4 Advantage) – Allows the character to alter the area of an AoE attack between uses. It does not alter the pattern unless that advantage is also purchased. With this advantage the character could make his 8m Radius AoE Blast only extend to a 4m Radius, 5m Radius or other area. The character can only lower the Area not increase it beyond its purchased maximum. If purchased on a Constant AoE power the character can change the Area as an attack action. When changing the Area the Character may not selectively shrink then grow the area to “crawl” the AoE around this would require Mobile. I do so enjoy monkeying with the rules. Deadman

It's been a while. Here's an homage to another Superhero RPG Supervillain group who shall remain nameless. I am sure that most of you will MASTER recognizing them SPEEDily.

I honestly think that Surrealone has a valid point. Unfortunately we could argue about it for hours (I think we have already) and not get anywhere. The reason is that frankly the maneuver was shoehorned into a place it had no business being. I think that many of us are trying to justify it based on what the rule says and therefore come up with a way to have it make sense. The fact is that it won't actually make sense because it was designed for a HTH attack. If they had introduced another maneuver specifically for Ranged and Mental powers we wouldn't be having this discussion. The question becomes how do we limit such a maneuver in a way that it balances the massive increase in Damage Classes? I am going to try the series of maneuvers that I came up with in my game and I will let everyone know how it goes. My initial thought is that it does address the main problem but I am sure there are those that would argue that it punishes Mentalists unnecessarily. If you think this then maybe you should control my mind and make me think differently. I warn you, you will probably need EGO+30 though. Deadman

LOL...well anyone that was attacked with a Mind Link and actually let that attack hit is a fool. It says in the RAW they can immediately disconnect the Mind Link if they are attacked. 6E1 pg. 258 Any character in a Mind Link who has a Mental Power can use it through the Link against any other character in the Link. Such attacks do not require an MCV Attack Roll (they automatically hit), but making one is an Attack Action. Of course, since a character must voluntarily accept a Mind Link, such “attacks” are rarely violent (unless the subject was tricked into accepting the Mind Link). If a character wants to turn off the Link to stop the attack, he can shut it off as a Zero Phase Action. In some situations this may count as a “defensive action” that the GM allows a character to Abort to. Next, Per my Haymaker policy I wouldn't let Mental Attacks do a True Haymaker. Mental Attacks would be limited to doing a "Power Haymaker" which would allow them +2DC at -1 OMCV and -2 DCV. See the description above.

Well first the Block or Dodge would be the same as if it was a physical attack in that it would essentially take the place of an attack. Other than that I don't see that any concession is needed. Mental Attacks already have a +2 Advantage on all other attacks in that they are inherently Line of Sight (+1/2), No Range Modifier (+1/2) and Fully Invisible to all but Mental Senses (+1) and this doesn't even mention the cheaper cost and generally lower defenses of people with regard to DMCV and Mental Defense. Truth be told they are already way out of balance and smart players can readily take advantage of this. No, I would say that adding the Block and Dodge Maneuver goes a very short way to actually trying to level the already unbalanced field. Generally speaking Mentalists run around with at least a good 4 point advantage on other archetypes with regard to OMCV/DMCV so I don't feel it unbalancing at all to let a normal character give up an attack to try to dodge or block. As I said before, it also give characters a reason to at least HAVE OMCV. As for the all or nothing nature, this is tempered by what the Mentalist chooses to do. If they are greedy and always looking for the +30 effect on Mind Control then sure they may be disappointed when a target breaks out on his 0 Phase action. However, if they are smart and use their powers wisely they are almost guaranteed success on the lion's share of their attacks. Even their direct damage attack Mental Blast has a huge advantage over standard attacks. Not only does it hit more frequently but in most cases will deal more damage per hit than a comparable standard attack. I love examples... In many campaigns the average OCV/DCV hover around the 9 range with attacks in the 60 Active Point area and defenses around 30/30 or so. In contrast DMCVs tend to be no more than 5 in most cases and Mental Defense, if present, may be about 10. So what you have is about a 65% chance of hitting with a physical attack with Damage of about 12 STUN. On the Mentalist side they will have a >90% chance of hitting with about the same STUN (11 if MD=10). This must also take into account that they get no Range penalty and can launch attacks from anywhere they can see the target. The damage looks pretty balanced but the chance to hit! Wow! The problem with Mentalists is they generally don't have a high DCV and probably have rather low physical defenses but yet they have the opportunity to Dodge or Block an incoming physical attack. Shouldn't a target of their powers have the same ability? YMMV, Deadman

I do see your point as to a mental assault on someone who is out of combat and unprepared. However, how you do you differentiate that from someone in combat that has no idea that a mentalist is even around? How is it different than the Clever Assassin in 6E2 pg. 50? According to RAW Mental Defense is persistent so unless it is a campaign specific determination I would assume that it is on. I am of the opinion that the Line of Sight and No Range Modifier for Mental Attacks is enough of a benefit that taking this away does very little in terms of effectiveness. I personally don't like the double damage rules for Surprise or unconscious opponents anyway. As a compromise it is a House Rule in my campaign that the damage doubling comes after defenses. The caveat to that is if the doubling is due to something that the character brought on himself (vulnerabilities for example).

I would tend to agree with the sentiment that the attack is considered very focused and movement even 1m away would throw off the attack (explained somewhat in the Accuracy Haymaker portion). Of course in the options I am suggesting if you don't want that to be a possibility you could opt for a Power Haymaker and take the lowered DC bonus (and the -1 OCV).

I thought I would break this out into its own thread since it is getting buried under the discussion going on it the other thread. I really want to see what everyone thinks. I will preface this by stating that my first course of action is normally to tweak something that doesn't make sense to me. In the case of Haymaker there are a few things that irk me since the change in 5E to allow all powers to use it. I fully understand the thematic implications and do support them for the most part. I offer the following as a way of tweaking Haymaker to make a little more sense (well at least to me). First it must be agreed upon that Haymaker actually combines two elements to get the massive Damage Class bonus that it gives. The first is reaching deep into one's self for more power. The second is taking careful aim to maximize the damage. If we use those two elements we can actually break them out and construct something that would be somewhat "realistic". Power When the character reaches deep within himself for more power he winds up and puts everything into his strike. Since it is raw power the character isn't truly focused on where he is hitting and is able to adjust his aim unlike the accuracy portion below. It could be constructed as a Martial Arts Maneuver as below. Since it is a standard maneuver I will ensure that it comes out as 0 overall points. The Power portion of Haymaker can do up to +2DC on ANY attack (4 pts. I averaged the points to increase DC on Normal and Killing Attacks) It is inherently inaccurate and receives a -1 OCV (-1 pt.) It unbalances the user and as a result gets -2 DCV (-2 pts.) It takes time to build up the power taking +1 Segment to land (-1 pt.) Total Cost: 0 pts. Accuracy When the character aims his attack carefully he takes the time to make the shot count. Doing so means that he will get a bonus to damage at the cost of being very focused on hitting a specific place. This would be constructed as a Martial Arts Maneuver like so. The Accuracy portion of Haymaker can do up to +2DC on ANY attack (4 pts. I again averaged the points to increase DC on Normal and Killing Attacks) It is inherently accurate and gets +1 OCV (1 pt.) It makes the user stand still to aim for -2 DCV (-2 pts.) It takes time to aim taking +1 Segment to hit (-1 pt.) If the target moves even 1m the attack misses (-2 pts.) Total Cost: 0 pts. Notice that the Power portion isn't restricted by target movement but if the target were to move out of LoS, behind cover or out of range the attack would miss as with any attack. On the other hand the Accuracy portion is effected my ANY movement by the character as the attacker is concentrating on hitting one particular spot. I would say that either option could be used by itself thus making a Power Haymaker or an Accuracy Haymaker would be possible. But the real benefit is that the two can be combined for a True Haymaker which would look like this. True Haymaker Combining the Accuracy and Power results in a whopping +4DC on ANY Attack (8 pts. Even though the cost for normal attacks is doubled Killing is not so I settled on 2 points per DC) It means that the character is both unbalanced AND stationary which results in an even worse penalty than the two combined -5 DCV (-5 pts. ya, ya, ya I know that per the Martial Arts rules you can subtract more than 2 DCV...deal with it) It requires time to aim and build power taking +1 segment to hit (-1 pt.) If the target moves even 1m the attack misses (-2 pts.) Total Cost: 0 pts. As a result we have what is exactly equal to the existing Haymaker maneuver. So what does it really do for us? Well I'm glad I asked. It gives the GM some leeway as to what attacks can be used with each option. For Example. . . Mental Attacks can only use Power since they don't really benefit from Accuracy (Ultimate Mentalist Mind hit locations notwithstanding). Of course the attacker could always push the attack for an additional 2DC. Beam Attacks (Bullets, Arrows, etc.) may only use Accuracy since the Power is beyond the user's control. Characters cannot use Accuracy vs. Barriers, Entangles, etc. (This addresses a particular pet peeve of mine). Of course they could always push as well. To Sum up we now have the following options for Haymaker. Maneuver Phase OCV DCV Effects Power Haymaker 1/2* -1 -2 +2 Damage Classes to ANY Attack Accuracy Haymaker 1/2* +1# -2 +2 Damage Classes to ANY Attack True Haymaker 1/2* +0# -5 +4 Damage Classes to ANY Attack * : This maneuver takes one extra Segment to perform and lands at end of Segment #: If target moves even 1m in any direction the attack misses So there is my idea for tweaking Haymaker to address some of the failings that I see but stay true to the rules as a whole. What do you think?

In a previous thread we spoke about using Mental Powers with Haymaker and the implications and results of doing so. Should other Maneuvers be fleshed out to include Mental Powers especially Defensive ones? It is my opinion that non-mentalists should have at least some chance of interfering with an incoming Mental attack. So the following maneuvers should be made available to them. Mental Block (Mind Bar) - Uses OMCV vs. OMCV to allow the target of a Mental Attack the ability to block it. I like this one because it actually gives a character a reason to use OMCV (an otherwise useless Characteristic for non-mentalists). Mental Dodge (Evasive Will) - Gives the defender +3 DMCV as he concentrates his Willpower to evade the attack. All other aspects of the maneuvers would be the same as their HTH counterparts including Abort, Phase and so forth. Because Mental Powers are invisible to normal senses I would adjudicate that the target would have the briefest of opportunities to utilize one of these maneuvers as the Mentalist enters his mind. Additionally I would personally say that Mental Powers bought with Invisible Power Effects vs. the Mental Group could not be perceived in this way and the target wouldn't have the ability to use them before the attack hit him. I don't know if it is in the rules anywhere but Mental powers do not get the benefit of surprise (as they are inherently invisible anyway). Thoughts?

I will preface this by stating that my first course of action is normally to tweak something that doesn't make sense to me. In the case of Haymaker there are a few things that irk me since the change in 5E to allow all powers to use it. I fully understand the thematic implications and do support them for the most part. I offer the following as a way of tweaking Haymaker to make a little more sense (well at least to me). First it must be agreed upon that Haymaker actually combines two elements to get the massive Damage Class bonus that it gives. The first is reaching deep into one's self for more power. The second is taking careful aim to maximize the damage. If we use those two elements we can actually break them out and construct something that would be somewhat "realistic". Power When the character reaches deep within himself for more power he winds up and puts everything into his strike. Since it is raw power the character isn't truly focused on where he is hitting and is able to adjust his aim unlike the accuracy portion below. It could be constructed as a Martial Arts Maneuver as below. Since it is a standard maneuver I will ensure that it comes out as 0 overall points. The Power portion of Haymaker can do up to +2DC on ANY attack (4 pts. I averaged the points to increase DC on Normal and Killing Attacks) It is inherently inaccurate and receives a -1 OCV (-1 pt.) It unbalances the user and as a result gets -2 DCV (-2 pts.) It takes time to build up the power taking +1 Segment to land (-1 pt.) Total Cost: 0 pts. Accuracy When the character aims his attack carefully he takes the time to make the shot count. Doing so means that he will get a bonus to damage at the cost of being very focused on hitting a specific place. This would be constructed as a Martial Arts Maneuver like so. The Accuracy portion of Haymaker can do up to +2DC on ANY attack (4 pts. I again averaged the points to increase DC on Normal and Killing Attacks) It is inherently accurate and gets +1 OCV (1 pt.) It makes the user stand still to aim for -2 DCV (-2 pts.) It takes time to aim taking +1 Segment to hit (-1 pt.) If the target moves even 1m the attack misses (-2 pts.) Total Cost: 0 pts. Notice that the Power portion isn't restricted by target movement but if the target were to move out of LoS, behind cover or out of range the attack would miss as with any attack. On the other hand the Accuracy portion is effected my ANY movement by the character as the attacker is concentrating on hitting one particular spot. I would say that either option could be used by itself thus making a Power Haymaker or an Accuracy Haymaker would be possible. But the real benefit is that the two can be combined for a True Haymaker which would look like this. True Haymaker Combining the Accuracy and Power results in a whopping +4DC on ANY Attack (8 pts. Even though the cost for normal attacks is doubled Killing is not so I settled on 2 points per DC) It means that the character is both unbalanced AND stationary which results in an even worse penalty than the two combined -5 DCV (-5 pts. ya, ya, ya I know that per the Martial Arts rules you can subtract more than 2 DCV...deal with it) It requires time to aim and build power taking +1 segment to hit (-1 pt.) If the target moves even 1m the attack misses (-2 pts.) Total Cost: 0 pts. As a result we have what is exactly equal to the existing Haymaker maneuver. So what does it really do for us? Well I'm glad I asked. It gives the GM some leeway as to what attacks can be used with each option. For Example. . . Mental Attacks can only use Power since they don't really benefit from Accuracy (Ultimate Mentalist Mind hit locations notwithstanding). Of course the attacker could always push the attack for an additional 2DC. Beam Attacks (Bullets, Arrows, etc.) may only use Accuracy since the Power is beyond the user's control. Characters cannot use Accuracy vs. Barriers, Entangles, etc. (This addresses a particular pet peeve of mine). Of course they could always push as well. To Sum up we now have the following options for Haymaker. Maneuver Phase OCV DCV Effects Power Haymaker 1/2* -1 -2 +2 Damage Classes to ANY Attack Accuracy Haymaker 1/2* +1# -2 +2 Damage Classes to ANY Attack True Haymaker 1/2* +0# -5 +4 Damage Classes to ANY Attack * : This maneuver takes one extra Segment to perform and lands at end of Segment #: If target moves even 1m in any direction the attack misses So there is my idea for tweaking Haymaker to have it address some of the failings that I see but stay true to the rules. What do you think?

I have looked through both the Throw maneuver and Using Characters As Weapons sections of 6E2 but could find no reference to it. First Question is: What is the DCV of a character that is thrown by another character while he is still in the air? I could realistically see a few scenarios The thrown Character is 0 DCV because he has no way to maneuver. The thrown Character is 1/2 DCV as a carryover from the Grab. The thrown Character is full DCV since he has been released from the Grab. Here is an example of why I ask. Teammates Brick and Ramrod are battling Hammer and are finding that he is very resistant to harm. They decide to perform a maneuver they have been working on. Brick grabs Hammer on Phase 3 and Hammer fails to break out of the hold on his next phase. On phase 5 Brick throws Hammer toward Ramrod. Ramrod does a Move Through on Uberman what DCV does he have to hit? The second question is: The damage would be tremendous but how would it be calculated? Would it use the Distance of the Throw as Velocity to determine relative Velocity? So if Brick could throws Hammer 48m would that be added to Ramrod's velocity for the Move Through? Would Brick's STR Damage be added to Ramrod's Move Through Damage? Would it be considered one attack or two coordinated attacks? I am asking because I am looking for an official ruling. My take on it is that the Throwing Character would be required to hit a hex so that the Move Throughing Character knows where to concentrate his attack. Both Characters would need to make a Teamwork roll to properly time it and then the Move Through would have to hit the Thrown Character at 1/2 DCV with OCV modifiers for the total of the relative Velocity (If Ramrod has 32m of Running it would be -8 OCV for 80m of Velocity). Damage would be calculated as a Move Through using the Throw Distance and Movement of the character doing the Move Through. In this case STR+v/6= STR+80/6= STR+13D6. Thank you, Deadman

I honestly think that this is essentially something that may have slipped through the cracks during design. I think that I would adjudicate that an additional advantage (Constant Attack +1/2) would need to be purchased for it to do what I am speaking of. I believe that Uncontrolled would be more in the vein of a fire and forget type of power. In other words it operates independently of the user. The way I see this one he is definitely still using it consciously as he will know when he gets the lock. Though technically the advantage cost is the same so it may be a moot point. My take, but I would still like to see suggestions.

Would this work? Progressive Lock: Mind Scan 3d6, Invisible Power Effects (Invisible to Mental Group; +1/4), Cumulative (36 points; +3/4), Damage Over Time, Target's defenses only apply once, Lock out (cannot be applied multiple times) (4 damage increments, damage occurs every other Segment, +2 1/2) (71 Active Points); 8 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Minute each (+1/4)

I guess the point is that he would have to make another attack roll if I just bought cumulative. How could it act similar to a Constant Blast which does damage every phase as long as the attacker spends END. That sounds like it could be some sort of limited power on Mind Scan. Something that limits the effect roll based on how many times you use it.

Your first example is the correct one. The mentalist is looking for a target and rolls his to hit for the area he is scanning. If he hits he rolls a small amount of dice, say 3d6. On his next phase another 3d6 is rolled to add to the effect and so on until it reaches the capacity of the Cumulative advantage.