foolishvictor

When I hear, "Would you allow this?" my unconscious bias replies points in the direction of "Nope."

4 hours ago, assault said:

Sleepwalking can, of course, be a special effect of a character's powers. Perhaps they can't be used when the character is awake.

Alternatively sleepwalking could be a side effect of using certain abilities.

Power limitation: Side Effect, xD6 Mind Control + Cumulative (give it a high maximum result ensuring the character succumbs to the effect) + Trigger (after falling asleep and before waking up normally)

5 hours ago, LoneWolf said:

With an Accidental Change you cannot change back until the circumstances triggering the change have altered.  That would mean the sleepwalker could not be wakened until the circumstance that triggered it is no longer present.  None of the other complications other than a Physical Complication are any better.  So by process of elimination that means it would be a Physical Complication.

I agree generally with LoneWolf's thinking and I am not knowledgeable about sleepwalking.  That said, if it is set up as a physical complication then there should be some sort of condition (maybe just a roll of the dice) to set it off.  In a sense I see this as combination of Accidental Change and a Physical Complication that is not handled very well by the existing rules.  (It's a game.  It is not a simulation of everything in the universe.)  As a complication, something like sleepwalking will probably require the player and GM coming to an agreement.

I don't see a value to this ability in combat unless you are facing someone who attacks your character remotely through some sort of remote camera or other system that would be affected by the invisibility.  In contrast, regular invisibility in combat can be very beneficial.

If your character is a burglar who consistently breaks into secure places where most of the security relies on remote surveillance then it has some value.  Otherwise it does not appear to provide much benefit.

I am with Grailknight and Chris on this.  It looks like a character limitation.

On 8/18/2021 at 12:59 PM, unclevlad said:

It comes into play heavily if you take the position that...if you can be photographed, you show up on cameras generally.  So it wouldn't let you sneak in;  rather the opposite, in fact.  In some cases you become much MORE noticeable...eyeballs say nothing, camera says something???  OHHHHhhh something's up!!!  

This is a great point however... the limitation is on the character with the power becoming invisible.  From my reading of the OP there was no suggestion that the character with the power could not turn it on and off at will.

If the character could not shut it off then I think an "Always On" limitation would be appropriate.  You are clearly correct.  The value of the limitation depends on context, not some number written in a book.

Regarding Context: I am playing a campaign and one of the other characters in the group has LS: "No need to breath" and LS: "No need to sleep" with both having the -0.25 limitation "does not work in water."  That limitation is in the book under "limited power" but I do not believe it was intended to be used this way...   In my mind, "No need to breath" with "does not work in water" is worth -0.75 and "No need to sleep" with "does not work in water" is worth nothing unless there is a reason to sleep in water...  That said, if the GM does not dunk the characters in water, suffocate them or make them need to sleep then perhaps these powers should be free...  In my mind the value of a limitation is completely dependent on context.  

In most situations I don't see that limitation coming into play.  In other words, "Power loses less than a fourth of its overall effectiveness" which is worth -0  The limitation itself is not that obvious and even if an attacker is aware of the limitation it is still a complicated matter to fight someone when you have to look into a mirror to do it.

In contrast, if the character is visible using something fairly common like polarized sun glasses that might justify -0.25  

Also, if the character is hunted and the hunters are aware of the limitation and happy to share their knowledge with the character's enemies that might be worth -0.25

Bottom line, it is a neat concept but I don't see it being that much of a limitation.

On 8/14/2021 at 3:06 PM, Tjack said:

   I strongly agree with your second point but your first starts to wander into the field of Theology.  A wonderful discussion and one I’d enjoy having either in another thread or in e-mail. But diving into it here could pull things horribly off topic.

I wasn't really intending to start a discussion and I assure you I am not knowledgeable in the realm of theology.  That said, I'm game if you are.   It is a fun discussion.

The point that I was trying to make (and perhaps I did not do a good job) is that omnipotence would not necessarily lead to love or an emotional satisfying relationship with someone else. 

Consider a poor person who believes that having money will fix all of their problems.  That person wins the lottery, inherits a massive business empire or... whatever.  It is possible that having money will fix their problems but I am sure there are examples where it doesn't.  In some cases it may make their situation worse.  Even if the lottery winner had an infinite amount of money the problem is not that they would run out of money.  The problem is that everyone close to them might feel entitled to some of it.  This could leave the infinitely wealthy person feeling like everyone around them is more interested in their money than they are in the person as a person.  That could progress to isolation or a distrusting the motivations of other people.

An omnipotent person might face an endless mass of people asking them to cure their cancer or make them happy...  Perhaps one needs to ask if an omnipotent person could retain their humility.

If you have the time check out the movie Phenomenon.  It is a good movie.

19 hours ago, AlgaeNymph said:

 

• Love's simple: make friends with someone who shares your interests and is comforting to talk with.  I even got that in the real world, much to my surprise.  : )

If love is simple then what do they really need...?  Seriously though, in my mind "love" is shared.  It might be very difficult for someone who is almost omnipotent to find genuine mutual attraction with someone who is emotionally compatible but unable to understand the feelings and problems that the omnipotent character feels. 

My only point is that some people might find love easily but others really struggle.

Option Power: Adaptive Defense

VPP 10 Points, Cosmic 

Base control cost 15

Only for defensive powers -0.5

No Conscious Control -0  => Normally this limitation is worth something however in this context I don't give it any value.

Real Cost: 20

When the character takes damage or is affected by an attack their power pool is automatically allocated to provide it's full value to a defense against that type of attack.  Thus, a character with this type of defense would get a tremendous benefit if they are repeatedly attacked by (for example) mental attacks however the defense would be ineffective if they are hit by enemies with different types of attacks.  

If an attack features, for example, 6D6 energy blast with 6D6 flash then after the attack the pool would allocate 5 points to ED and 5 points to flash defense.  If the character is attacked this way again they have extra protection.  If the character is then hit by a pure energy blast they will have 5 extra points of ED.  After the attack has been resolved the pool would change to 10 ED with no flash defense.

If two characters successfully coordinate attacks which have the same special effect then the defense is only reallocated after the coordinated attack is resolved.

This type of defense allows relatively low powered characters with unusual attacks to have more impact on a fight with a master villain.

Each power is separate but has the lockout disadvantage.  Do these powers lockout every other power this character has or just the others in this set?

The combination of "costs endurance only to activate" and the increased endurance limitation is allowable in 6E but I would not allow it.  Clearly that is something you and/or your GM may feel differently about.

Other than that the concept is neat...

Hero system is a set of guidelines.  It is not intended to mimic reality perfectly.  I once got upset with a GM regarding his interpretation of how IR vision worked.  Part of the problem was that I had worked with IR systems and most people (including GMs) have not.  At a certain point I stopped myself and wondered, "What am I doing?"  The answer is that I was not being fair to my GM.  (In my own defense, the GM told us that if we were playing Call of Cthulhu the entire party would have been killed and my character's IR vision would, in my opinion, easily have detected the threat based on what the GM told us about the encounter after the fact.  That said, the GM and I did discuss our expectations for enhanced senses to hopefully avoid future confusion.) 

Just because the GM is responsible for presenting the world to your character does not mean the GM suddenly understands how IR vision works beyond the brief description given in the book.  Similarly, a GM who is not a pilot probably would not know what an Immelmann maneuver is.  The Hero system rules are already long enough as it is.  

If you want to simulate an Immelmann turn and other aerobatic maneuvers then the player and the GM should discuss those things in advance.   Alternatively, the player should buy the advantage that allows any turn at any time and then apply a disadvantage to the that advantage: (Limited: Only to simulate real world aerobatic maneuvers -1/?, optionally combined with, Requires a combat pilot skill roll -1/2)  This relies on the player to enforce the limitation but it means the GM does not need training as a pilot to be a good GM.

The damage shield appears in Champions III (the supplement.) 

I remember this because I created a character with a damage shield before the concept was officially added to Champions and my GM at the time gave it a +0.5 modifier.  Soon after he purchased Champions III and no changes were needed.

What is the maximum amount of damage a PC can do in your campaign?  What damage could the villain take from the environment?  Once you have answered those questions give the villain sufficient defenses (and perhaps life support) to avoid or mitigate all of the damage.  

I think Tech's approach is the best and simplest.

At some point you might need to give the villain a weakness or two.  Also, if the villain can be restrained, what is to prevent the characters from encasing the villain in cement or something equally unheroic, or is that the point?

10 hours ago, LoneWolf said:

What I am trying to simulate is a suit of powered armor that has a battery that powers the armor. Its combat systems draw a lot of power so the suit is not able to operate at full combat readiness for long periods of time.  Other systems like enhanced senses draw significantly less power and can operate for much longer periods.  If the all the power in the batteries are used up all systems requiring any power no longer function.   Out of combat the armor can function for about a day, in combat with everything running it will probably exhaust its power within a few minutes especially if it is using its weapon systems.   So if the character has to fight too long he will end up with a lot of systems that no longer function.  

 

Purchasing the END reserve is not the problem, the problem is getting it to work right.  If I make the minor power cost END the END used means the battery has to be so large that it become too expensive to be practical. Purchasing an END reserve with 20,000 END simply does not work.  It would also allow the system to operate at full combat readiness for way too long.  I could make the minor power not cost END, in fact most of them by default do not.  But then I end up with a situation where the minor powers continue to function when there is no power.   The END batteries will be small enough that the character will occasionally have to completely deplete them.  

 

What I am asking is do other people think this is limiting enough to be worth a -1/4 limitation.   If it is not going to reduce the cost of the power then I might as well just keep the powers not costing END and have them available with no restrictions.    
 

Derek's suggestion makes a lot of sense because simplicity makes for a good game.  That said, his solution misses the concept of the non-combat systems depleting the END Reserve when the powered armor is active but out of combat.

If you are not afraid of keeping track of some numbers then I suggest adding a miscellaneous power draw on the END Reserve by a small amount when out of combat.  For example it could draw 1% every 15 minutes.  Thus, the END Reserve would be fully depleted after 25 hours.  Using this approach, if the fully charged powered armor has an END Reserve with 1000 END and sits idle but ready for two hours (8*15minutes) then it will have consumed 80 END (8% of its total) while waiting.  At that point a fight breaks out and the powered armor has 920 END remaining in the END Reserve.  During the fight it consumes 350 END leaving it with 570 END.  That's 57% of a full charge which is enough for it to sit idle but ready for another 14 hours before being depleted.  

Whether or not the limitation is worth -1/4 depends on the campaign.  If the powered armor is needed for long missions and is difficult to recharge then the limitation could be higher.  If powered armor is always used near a base where it can be recharged easily then it is probably worth nothing.  It would also depend on how often combat occurs and how long combat lasts.  Also, can the powered armor use it's non-combat systems (enhanced senses) while recharging?

For most campaigns I think -1/4 as a limitation is reasonable.  If there are missions with long durations or multiple, long combats between chances to recharge then -1/2 could be justified.

Lonewolf, my suggestion to you is to forget the rules for a moment and imagine how you want the powers in the powered armor to function.  I find it helps to put it in writing.  It forces me to stick with a single idea.  Once that is done consider when the powers work and when they won't work.  How limited are the powers?  To quote a book: A limitation which doesn't limit the character isn't worth any bonus. 

Simply requiring the a character have some END does not sound limiting to me but in your campaign it might be.  How often do characters have zero END?  Does every enemy have an effective END Drain?

Both Stonewild and Simon have provided solid advice in their earlier posts.

As a suggestion you should:

#1. Build the power as you imagine it.  Let your imagination go wild but write down what it is you want from the power.

#2. Determine what the power looks like in Hero

#3. Consider adjusting it if you feel it is too strong (or perhaps too expensive) or too weak.

Here are a few questions to help:

How large a radius should the nighttime effect field be?  (Increased Radius?  Megascale?) 

Is the effect gradual or does the field end abruptly?  (Change Environment - Explosion limitation -0.25 for a "gradual" effect)

Does the field affect other visual enhanced senses like UV and IR vision? (Normal Sight or the whole Sight Group?)

Does the villain pay END for this field? (Reduced Endurance Options)

Does the field continue after the villain stops paying End to maintain it?  If so, for how long?

Can the villain used it at range?  (If not then take the "No Range limitation")

Does the field move with the villain or is it static. (Check Area of Effect advantages - Mobile)

I think the right approach is just to buy up defenses and take a limitation for them indicating that only the cybernetic arm is protected.  The character might also buy some skill levels with maneuvers like block or martial block.  In order to prevent the character from taking body damage via the arm I would recommend getting hardened armor and discuss with the GM what level is appropriate to ensure that the rest of the character's body is not harmed by damage to the arm.  Hero system covers all kinds of possibilities but it may not cover every imaginative idea you have.  Sometimes you just have to work with your GM.

I am not a fan of using summon, duplicate or a follower for the arm because it could be (for example) mind controlled to attack the character, unless that is something the OP might want...  

On 6/17/2021 at 5:10 PM, Christougher said:

Leaky: This -1/4 limitation only applies to defensive powers.  It treats all attacks against it as if they had the Penetrating advantage: The BODY rolled on the attack dice gets through the defense, so the character takes that much effect, plus anything higher than the level of the defense.  If the attack is already Penetrating, the amount penetrated increases by +1 for every die rolled.

I am playing a character in a 5e campaign who is cybernetic.  The concept is that her flesh is intact but her nervous system, organs, skeleton and muscles are reinforced and enhanced with replicating alien nanites.  Effectively, she is like a robot encased in flesh, a bit like the original Terminator  

Since the flesh is on the outside, the first point of killing damage that hits bypasses the "armor" provided by her internal nanite reinforcement.  Consequently, she is still susceptible to things like a choke hold, a taser or a poison dart.  When she was hit by a penetrating attack, the first point of killing damage got through and then her armor acts normally.  Additionally, normal blast attacks that do more body than her regular PD (or ED) will automatically do one body damage as well before her armor is taken into consideration.  The GM allowed this as a -0.25 limitation (first point of killing damage bypasses armor) 

I really like the concept of "Leaky" defense.  I just want to add that it is important for the GM to determine what effects the defense protects against.  Things like NND attacks which are ineffective against resistant defenses come to mind.  In contrast, simply allowing the first point of killing damage through no matter what removes any ambiguity however it means the remaining defense is statistically more effective than the "Leaky" defense Christopher proposed for any KA attacks with more than one D6.

It sounds like you feel entangle is the way to go however another option might be to use Stretching (with an OAF) to Grab the opponent.  Stretching will allow the attacker to pull the target  ("Get over here!")  It also plays a little better with skills a martial artist is likely to have anyway provided the attack has a relatively short range.  Optionally, the "Stretching" may prohibit the use of another melee attack.  Thus, the target is automatically freed when the attacker switches to a conventional martial arts attack.  Similarly, the attacker could only immobilize one target at a time (unless, of course, that is not your intention.)

It is just a suggestion.  

I never really understood why Scorpion needs to hit someone after spearing them in the neck and yanking them forward. 

What do I know...?

I am not getting that result...(?)

Thanks to Covid-19 I have completed all of the Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski.  I have no issues giving them a strong recommendation.  The author's writing style is unusual but it works.  If you do pick up the books be sure to start with "The Last Wish" and "Sword of Destiny"  which are both collections of short stories.  

I have not read "Season of Storms" yet...

One of the changes between 5e and 6e is that the price of stretching was reduced significantly.  In 5e it costs 5CP per inch.  In 6e the equivalent would cost only 2CP.

If you build your 5e character around stretching it will not be cost effective from a power gaming perspective.  That said, stretching can be extremely versatile in dealing with all kinds of issues.  Another thing that I like about it is the concept is simple.  Everyone understands the concept of stretching.  That is not always the case for other powers.  Thus, it is fairly easy to use stretching in creative ways without really long explanations of what you want to do and how you think it might work.  All that I am trying to say is if you want to build a character that is focused on being stretchy it may not be the strongest character in terms of fighting for a given cost in CP.  In the good group of RPG enthusiasts creativity is far more important.

I have a 5e character that uses animated hair (extra limbs + stretching) and our game is a lot of fun.  That said, she only has a few inches of stretching and I would not describe the character as "stretchy."  She relies on martial arts for fighting which seems to be a common theme among many of the builds that others have posted.

Whatever you choose I hope you have fun!

Hello Derek, 

I don't want to beat this thread to death but I am interested in your take on this.

On 4/4/2021 at 10:53 AM, Derek Hiemforth said:

 

I wouldn't allow Haymaker against a physical Entangle either.  I don't think an escape attempt is a type of Strike maneuver; I think it's an application of STR (or EGO, in the case of a mental Entangle).  Again, the right SFX might sway me, but in general, in my brain, I think most reasons someone might say they should be able to Haymaker are actually just rationales for why it makes sense for them to Push their STR/EGO.

If Sapphire, (CC page 197) is caught in a 6 Body, 6 Def entangle then she should be able to use her "Power Bolt 1" 12D6 Blast to try to escape, correct?  She would not have to rely on strength (hopefully.)  Champions Complete does not go into detail regarding when a Haymaker can be used.  In contrast 6E2 p68 states that " Although Haymaker applies to any attack..."  which suggests that Sapphire could Haymaker her "Power Bolt 1" to 16D6.

That said, one could argue that a Haymaker requires the character setting themselves up to deliver a more effective attack.  To use the example of Sapphire again, if she tries to haymaker her Power Bolt 1 while entangled, the entangle would prevent her from doing so but it would not prevent a regular use of the Power Bolt 1 ability.  It would also not prevent her from pushing her Power Bolt 1 ability to escape the entangle.

I think the important aspect to all of this is that the entangle power needs to be effective but balanced.  Your response suggests that using Haymaker as a way of escaping Entangle weakens Entangle powers generally in a way that was not intended.  Is that correct?  

6 hours ago, Sketchpad said:

I had worked out some functional Wealth rules that went beyond "Hi I'm Wealthy" that worked pretty well. When we used it, there was some clear definitions in what we called "Gadgets" aka super gear that gave the hero an advantage, and "Gear" which was stuff you could buy in the local department or specialty shop. Oddly enough, we always defined hero costumes as Gear, but it had a limit in what it could do. Worked out pretty well. Hmm... might be a good subject for a PDF.

I have a quick question.  When the "gear" a character wants is above and beyond the mundane gear does the character pay the difference in cp or do they have to buy the whole thing?

Example:  If a mundane car is 20 cp and the character wants a mundane car that can generate a 10 cp smoke screen.  Thus the car the character wants would be 30cp.  Does the character pay 10cp (for the improvement) or 30cp for the whole vehicle?

4 hours ago, Greywind said:

That depends on the point of the car. If Bob just uses it to go to work, shopping, and the like, it's free.

If it is the Batmobile, it's going to cost.

I agree with you Greywind but I would add two little details.  First, the character should have the 1cp perk for a driver's license.  Second, in my opinion any character with the "destitute" limitation should not own a car unless they also are hunted by repo men (and women...)  Other than that as long as the car is ordinary and generic I do not see a problem with the character using the car to do things that are mundane.

3 hours ago, Derek Hiemforth said:

Remember, kids: in Superheroic campaigns, you have to pay CP for anything you want to have routinely!  Make sure to work out the CP cost of that iPhone!  (Maybe the innate Senses would be cheaper...).  

I decided to take a crack at it:

Cell Phone Multipower: 30 Active Points, Common limitations: OAF -1, Cost End -1/2, 1 easily recoverable charge, lasts 6 hours (+0, because otherwise it is cheaper to get rid of "Costs End" but the phone's use should be limited by battery capacity)

real cost: 12

Mind Link 5cp, No Line of Sight +10, up to 16 participants (Conference Call) + 15 = 30 Active Points, Only to others with a cell phone & requires knowledge of their phone number -1,

real cost: 1

Radio Perception and Transmission, Active Points 10, 

real cost: 1

Navigation App: Navigation skill at 14-,  9 Active Points 

real cost: 1

Translation App: Universal Translator Active Points 20 (OAF -1)

real cost: 1

Video Recording App Eidetic Memory Active Points 5 (OAF -1)

real cost: 1

Images Sight and Sound to replay video recording,  Active Points: 5 -The images are too small to fool anyone and they do not fill a hex. (OAF -1)

real cost: 1

Change Environment, +1 to light level, one hex only, Active Points: 3, OAF -1, No range -0.5

real cost: 1

So, I am already at a real cost of 19 and I did not include any games!  If your character is regularly somewhere with sketchy cell phone service then that could also be a limitation...  

I just find it unlikely that a typical normal person would all walk around with a 19 point device that superheroes would have to pay for. 

That said, in some places it might be "normal" for people to carry a gun but that does not mean I would allow heroes to use a gun except as a prop unless they paid for it.