foolishvictor

Thank you for your responses Derek and Drunkonduty, I have to admit that this particular situation (trying to use a haymaker to escape an entangle) has never come up in a gaming session but the reason might be that it does not seem to be an obvious combination. I feel it is context specific. For example, I would not allow it to be used against hand cuffs but I might allow it to be used against (for example) a glue power after the player character legitimately tries (ie full strength) to escape the glue entangle. Each haymaker attempt would have to follow a more conventional attempt. Entangles (an Mental Powers generally) are very weak at low power but can be extremely powerful at higher power levels. I am not fond of the combination of pushing and haymaker in this context simply because it would be so strong. Again I would not allow something like that to be used against conventional restraints, like handcuffs but I could make an exception in some contexts.

The rules do not seem to mention using Haymaker versus Entangles. It gives players a chance to escape an entangle provided they do not mind losing an extra segment. Typically a Haymaker add 4D6 damage to a normal attack however the books include other uses of Haymaker 6e2 p 69. Surprisingly, using it to get out of an entangle (mental or physical) is not mentioned. As I see it, if you can haymaker a mental blast (to get +2D6 effect) then it seems consistent to allow a character to use haymaker to break out of paralysis bought as a BoECV Entangle. A generous GM might also allow a character to push their Ego while doing a Haymaker. I am curious to hear what others think about this as I wonder if it might unbalance the game.

A couple of years ago I was able to snag the 6E1 and 6E2 books from eBay brand new at what amounts to their original retail price. That said, they don't come up often. Since you have a preference for 6E I would also recommend Champions Complete it has everything you need but perhaps not as much as you might want. It may be difficult to find a new copy however inside it is black and white so a print on demand version should work fine. I would also recommend getting Champions Powers. It has a ton of good examples. (It is nearly twice the size of Champions Complete...)

This is a very odd concept. (I applaud your creativity.) If you wish to combine the physical aspects of combat with mental powers then my suggestion would be to make use of the "Trigger" advantage. HA 6D6 + 0.5 Trigger + 1.0 Based on ECV => Real Cost: 45 in this example. In game terms, when "The ID" succeeds in a moveby (or other maneuvers) it "triggers" the BoECV HA attack. If you need more D6's to simulate a haymaker then you might buy more D6's with the limitation "Linked (-0.5)" Optionally, you could add another limitation for the reduced DCV and extra segment needed for a haymaker. As a guess those that last two would be worth -1 for a total of -1.5 +HA 3D6 +0.5 Trigger + 1 Based on ECV -1.5 for disadvantages => Real Cost: 9 So... Is it worth an extra 9CP to have access to a haymaker? Is that what you are trying to simulate or am I missing something?

I feel when designing new powers that push the rules a little it is worth really understanding what the objective of your new power is. Once you have chosen to add the "Based on EGO CV" advantage on the power is there a reason why strength would boost the damage of the attack? Why not use ego? The power you are proposing seems a lot cheaper than a comparable EGO attack with No Range since HA in 4e is 3CP per D6. In fairness, HKA when boosted by Strength is somewhat cheaper than RKA with No Range. That said, characters focusing on Ego combat tend to be weak when the fight is up close... As always it is up to the GM.

Regarding Power Gaming, I could be mistaken but it is my experience that everyone has done it to some extent at some point. I can comfortably say that I have been guilty of it. In my mind any character with a decent attack and the teamwork skill could be considered a power gamer. Seriously, can anyone name a more effective way to spend 3CP to boost any characters offensive combat effectiveness with any attack at no end cost? On the opposite side of the spectrum there are character builds which just don't work well in combat. Consider a superhero with a weakness to bullets and low defenses and fairly light attacks. It is only a matter of time before this combination becomes problematic. I am not suggesting it is wrong to play such a character but if you want realism in your campaign it might be worthwhile to have a spare character design handy just in case... Sometimes a player needs to balance the vision they have for a character with a set of requirements or guidelines that the GM feels is needed for the player(s) to be effective on a mission. Conversely, sometimes the player needs to keep their character's abilities in check to ensure others can contribute meaningfully. Part of the GM's role is to try to ensure that every character gets a moment in the spotlight even if they cannot be meaningful in every scene.

Having changed the cost to 1End per 5 active points did you feel the need to make other changes too? To be honest, I find the charges limitation to rarely be much of a limitation even at 1End per 10 active points. (If the charges are genuinely difficult to recover then that is another matter.)

In 3rd edition the effects of Mind Control began at the target's Ego value and then increased by the target's ego per increased level of effect (instead of ten.) In 4th edition they changed to the current system I would be curious to know why they switched it. It provides a strong incentive to boost your Ego even if you have no mental powers. Using a point system mental defense (along with power defense) seems to be something that gets neglected in many builds.

Let's try looking at this another way. Consider identical twins. One is naturally able to interact with others easily and the other is so shy eye contact is uncomfortable and conversations are virtually impossible. How would this be reflected in terms of stats? Keep in mind they are physically identical. Now consider twins that are absolutely identical mentally and physically. One is injured causing him to lose a lot of weight. He recovers but is still very thin and weak. Meanwhile, the other has devoted his life to bodybuilding. In terms of interacting with other people they would say the same thing, possibly even the same way. If physical size and muscle are not important (for example when meeting an alien species perhaps) their respective ability to interact might be the same whereas their interactions with other people might be affected. Here is another example, Dr. Crazy has extreme difficulty interacting with other people however he has constructed a gigantic mechanized suit of armour that he wears to terrorize people for fun. How would this be reflected in stats? Strictly speaking if you wish to dive into the details you could probably identify a dozen psychological and physical characteristics and assign a point cost for each just to deal with presence. Rather than getting hung up on the word "presence" try asking yourself how impressive someone (or something) is. You might need to interact with someone to realize that they are impressive or you might notice it when you see them. As GM its your call. Personally, the notion that a character who has paid CP for a presence score cannot hide in a crowd makes no sense unless that character has a disadvantage (or complication) making it hard for them to blend into a crowd but that is just my 2 cents.

I am with Ockham's Spoon on this. My feeling is that presence is used by a player or character. The character might not stand out in a crowd at all regardless of their presence score, until they put it to use. A good role playing session should have dramatic moments now and then. It is in these moments when presence becomes very useful. (As well as interactive skill rolls of course...) IMO, a character that stands out in a crowd should get a "Distictive Features" complication. That complication might be related to the character's presence score but it does not have to be.

The great thing about Hero is it lets you (as GM) use the rules as you see fit. I reviewed 6E1 and your interpretation is there so I guess I get a slice of humble pie... It sounds like your villain cannot use other attacks while whirling the chain. If so, perhaps a lockout power limitation might be appropriate.

If the electrical NND damage is useable anytime the character entangles with the chain then my suggestion would be to use the "trigger" advantage on it where the trigger is success with the entangle or perhaps an unsuccessful escape from the the entangle. I would not purchase "constant" for the area attack unless the character can do other attacks while also using the area attack. (An area of attack action with no range does not really need a "to hit" roll but maybe that's just me.) A character using an attack in a continuous way should probably get the benefit of the constant advantage in this context provided nothing happens to interrupt the attack and the character is paying end for it on their phases before and after the attack occurs. Additionally, the player should be clear that the character has not stopped swinging the chain. Swinging the chain around is probably a "gestures" limitation and if it reduces his mobility you might add a limitation there as well. If the character is easier to hit when swinging a chain around then perhaps you should consider a concentration limitation on it too. Just my 2 cents.

I am a long time lurker here. The first RPG that I played was D&D 2e. I played Champions and Rolemaster a little bit in high school (early 80's) but spent a lot of time in high school as GM for Aftermath! (I have heard a lot people express concern about the learning curve in Champions but after Aftermath! it's a breeze. Our little group had a lot of fun with Aftermath! and in some ways is very similar to Hero System.) I played a bit of Palladium on a university work term while living with a friend of mine who was the GM. I picked up some 4e books in the early 90's but I was moving around a lot at the time and never played... In the last year or so I picked up a bunch of used Hero System books from eBay. There are some great deals out there if you are patient. Recently I have been playing Champions by email and it has been great. Regarding my handle, it describes me pretty accurately....

It sounds like the player/GM have already decided on the character build. That said, you did ask about the value of a limitation "not while duplicated" and "only while duplicated", so perhaps you are still looking into costs... The value of the limitation would depend on how useful the duplicates are. If the duplicates have weaknesses that the primary form does not possess then the limitation for "Only while duplicated" might be higher. It is always up to the GM. That said, (-1) seems about right. Another option (if the GM is okay with it) is to put some powers in a multipower where each of the slots of the multipower is associated with a duplication state of the character. So... did you write up each Double as having duplication in order to produce each of the "Single"s? ...Or did you write up Quad having duplication (up to 3 duplicates) with "altered duplicates" advantage and having an advantage of being able to generate "Single" at the location of the Double duplicate? This second option seems confusing to me but could work as duplication with the "Trigger" and advantage. As for new names it would be helpful if you provided a complete write up.... That said, "Combo" for Quad seems like an obvious choice... Perhaps a military reference like "Squad" would be more appropriate, like "The Brute Squad"... just a thought... cheers, FoolishVictor

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hero-System-Sixth-Edition-Volume-1-Character-Creation/122982180579?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D50963%26meid%3D7c346b5e57d54307ad6959d2a742f293%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D15%26mehot%3Dlo%26sd%3D122982180579%26itm%3D122982180579&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A79772a0f-3484-11e8-813f-74dbd18079db|parentrq%3A79b66c791620abda4bc85a4bfffa019a|iid%3A1 The seller had 2 available but I bought one. The price is $65 Canadian which is about $50 US (plus shipping.) This is by far the best price I have seen for the book in new condition. The book I received is new but it is also 8 years old... There is a little bit of "wear" in the corners of the cover but no real damage. Regardless, I am very happy with the purchase. cheers, foolishvictor

I always try to start from a concept and see where it takes me but the point total is important too just to try and keep things balanced.

Maybe I'm a bit nuts but I like the examples in the margins. It is not the cleanest look but the examples illustrate what is being described in the rules. Clearly everyone has different preferences. I agree completely. My only problem with it is the "Complete" in "Champions Complete." If it was "complete" there would be less of need for examples imho. just my 2 cents...

I would agree with the posts above. Champions complete has everything you need however I find it a bit lacking in terms of the examples of powers that are in the 6e rule book margins. The "Champions Powers" book gives a lot of great examples for powers. So I agree completely with Kimmitt's post above. That said, sometimes my self control is lacking and I end up buying more books. Some other books that are quite good for examples are: the Villian Teams book and the 6e Grimoire.

Imagine for a moment that you are not designing a character and just list what the benefits and drawbacks are. Forget about character points and just make the list. Once you have have the list you can produce the character. 1. Does the second head think independently of the first? Do they argue? 2. Do the different heads take action independently? If the heads are called A and B, can A do mental attack while B is using the rest of the body normally? 3. If this character were attacked by a mental blast or some other mental power how would it be addressed? Would both heads be attacked by the one attack? Would only one head be attacked? 4. How does having two heads affect the game? Once you try to answer these questions the rest becomes much easier. The Hero system is really flexible but to take advantage of unusual character concepts you have to put some work into it...

I'd love to play myself but that whole life and job thing gets in the way... Besides, MegaCrusher needs a team around him. He is a bit of a one trick pony.

Hopefully you will put him to use a some point!

Hi Steriaca, The section I was directing you to in the big 6th edition books is very clear and it would allow the aid/drain effect to remain while the VPP is used for something else. The important thing is that you and your gm are on the same page. If you are the gm then you get to make the rules...

Hi Steriaca, As far as I know the rules allow you to keep the change from any adjustment power (aid/drain etc.) when the adjustment power is part of a power framework. The change from the adjustment power degrades normally at whatever rate it normally dissipates. Which edition of Hero do you have? If you have 6th edition book check out p139 of the first book.

Depending on the sensitivity of the tentacles you might also want to buy enhanced senses +to Perception , touch only, tentacles How accurately can they hold something? They will start off with a -3 penalty as "extra limbs" unless you also get ambidexterity. As for costs, my recommendation would be to focus on what you want the character to have and then look at the cost. Keep in mind that many of the abilities you want can probably work in a multipower. Don't forget to include complications: distinctive features

Champions in 3D is all about content and ideas. There are not that many characters written up in detail. A 6th edition book would be great but I'm not sure how much different it would be. It is one of my favourites along with Mind Games and Strike Force.