foolishvictor

If you're the GM, and you agree that OIHID and Focus are separately limiting for this character, then ignore the general rule about OIHID and Focus, and allow both.  If you're not the GM, see if you can persuade the GM that they're separately limiting and that both should be allowed.  If that works, see above. If it doesn't work, then I agree with @Oruncrest's advice above.

Yeah, the part where the spear in the neck isn't that bad compared to whatever he does next does seem a little weird.

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...

File as a jpg. Formatted as 11x8.5
 
I included a table of file types, extensions and what pages they are discussed in the HD manual.

I feel like it'd extend to sentient creatures, and to pets and even cute fluffy animals, in a setting where there are other sentient species and the like, which is most conventional supers, IMHO.
 
But, sure, non-sentient robots & monsters, go for it, like an old Sat morning cartoon. 

You mean after I bathe in the appreciation and accolades of my players and count my gold or after I wake up and clean the table?
 
 

Its just a question of what is standard common equipment and what is not for a setting.  Nobody has to pay points for the small life support vs temperature extremes their clothes give them.  
 
Its like Everyman skills: you get this stuff for free because in your culture pretty much everyone knows it.  Don't sweat building most of the world.  I mean its fun to list the body and defenses of common objects in a scenario, but really you can wing it as a GM and treat it with cinematic logic rather than exact math: would this be more fun and interesting for the battle if he crashes through or bounces off?
 
I've told the story here before of trying a move through out of an elevator shed to save a DNPC.  I rolled almost all 1's bounced off the wooden rooftop. 
 
As a more experienced GM I would have let the character crash through without rolling because come on, its a beautiful cinematic moment and we're not simulating The Tick here.

See, that's why I brought up Replaceable.   I don't think there's any precedent, for, say, starting with a mundane piece of gear and 'adding points to it.'
Replaceable was a -1/2 limitation in the original Star Hero, it was to recognize that in a setting where, say, anyone could pick up a 2dRKAe laser pistol, an alien with 2dRKAe laser-eye-beams was not really getting a whole lot for his 30 pts (I believe that was an example, it's been a few... decades).  
 
It was a cool idea and I don't recall it ever being used again.
 
Fantasy Hero, previously, had introduced "Independent" which was another way of dealing with the D&D-esque fantasy bit of "magic items."

I was less clear than I should have been when I said I wouldn't allow Haymaker against a physical entangle either.  Yes, Sapphire can use her Power Bolt 1, and yes, she can Haymaker it.
 
What I'm saying I wouldn't generally allow (as a GM; other GMs may see it differently) is Haymakering a normal escape attempt, where the entangled character applies their STR (or EGO, in the case of a mental entangle) to try and break the entangle from the inside. If the character's powers and SFX allow them another way to attack, and it seems reasonable to use that attack while entangled (such as your example with Sapphire and her Power Bolt I), then it may very well also be reasonable for them to Haymaker that attack.
 
I'm thinking more of a situation where Arrowhead (CC page 202) hits Green Dragon (CC page 205) with his Glue Arrow Entangle.  Green Dragon can't use his Martial Arts maneuvers to attack the entangle because they require him to move. He might be able to use the Escape maneuver against other SFX of entangles, but it doesn't make any sense for it to work against glue.  Pretty much all Green Dragon can do is use his 25 STR to break free. Against Arrowhead's 4DEF, 4d6 Entangle, he'll probably be able to get out eventually, but it may take a while.
 
This doesn't strike me (pun intended) as a situation where Green Dragon can "Haymaker" exerting his STR.  Any extra effort he might bear down and put into giving it everything he's got sounds more to me like a Push than a Haymaker.
 
Again, though... it's often about SFX.  Change the circumstances slightly, and give me a good rationale, and I might allow it.   
 
 

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?

Nice!  👍
 
Might need a bigger MP reserve, though.  Technically, you can maintain that phone call (Mind Link) while also having the light on, using the navigation and translator apps, etc. 

Probably the best way to handle a Cell Phone is to treat it as normal equipment for non-combat use (like a telephone) but a character has to spend points if they are going to use those abilities in odd situations, in combat, or in places where something like that would not ordinarily work or be available.
 
 
Maybe you should build it as a Variable Power Pool instead!

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 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. 
 

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. 
 

Sorry to pile on, but my experience, not just in Hero, is that GMs & players alike are more blythely accepting of 'magic can do it' than 'tech can do it' (and a lot more accepting of both those than 'skill,' darring-do, courage and the like).  
 
In particular, I've often had GMs balk or at least look askance at a gadget granting Power Defense, so I was quite surprised by that example.
 
That said, and perhaps for that reason, many GMs might be more willing to allow a gadgeteer PC than a mage PC in the first place, precisely because they feel they can keep a tighter leash on the former.

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.)

The special effect of any powers from the pool would be, "magic." This might not seem like much of a restriction, but, "Dispel Magic" would work against any of them.

It's not complicated but it's long.
 
Basically you buy +X DC's that only work when the previous attack hits. But you can't just buy it once, you have to buy it as many times as necessary to reach your maximum conceived damage. So if you start at 10 DC's base you have to buy +2 DC's five times to reach 20 DC max. 
 
The Limitation on each successive DC add should be higher than the previous and you can also link them. The Limitation will also depend on your OCV,. If you typically need a 15 or less to hit the campaign average opponent don't expect much of a Limitation but if you need a 10 or 11 or less.

The idea is that you set a basic Active Point level, and that powers higher than that have to take a lower Real Point limit at a rate of -1 Real Point per +1 Active Point.  It doesn't change how Limitations apply, so you'd have to reduce the Real Cost with whatever Limitations against the Active Points are necessary.  
 
For example:  a GM sets a 50 Active Point target for their game.  A power could have 60 Active Points, but a max of 40 Real Points; 75 Active Points with a max of 25 Real Points; or any combination.  
 
The GM could of course set limits so that ridiculous values aren't reached; the GM in the above example might set an absolute max of 80 Active Points with required Limitations to reduce that power down to 20 Real Points or lower.  
 

One thing to keep in mind with a multiform is that each character is completely separate.  Anything the players wants to use in both forms has to be purchased by both forms.   That by the way goes for skills as well as powers.  To me if a character has a skill in one form and shift to a form that does not also have that skill they don’t get the benefit of that skill.  So if the non-combat form has skills like deduction and knowledge skills to figure out the villains plan they should not get the benefit of those skills once they shift.  
 
When I run a champions game I may require the character to purchase certain skills in both forms.  If both forms are basically the same mind I require them to purchase strictly mental skills in both forms.  For example let’s say you are creating a character like ironman where one form has power armor and the other form is normal.  Both forms should have the scientific skills and knowledge’s.  the Ironman form could lack some skills that the Tony Stark form has if the armor prevents him from using them.  For example armor is bulky enough that it causes problems with fine manipulation I might allow the armor form to skip the electronics and lock picking skills of the unarmored form.  
 
The main thing is to make sure that the players only use what they pay for.   Another way to keep things in check is to not allow either form to go over the campaign limits.  The only difference between the main form and secondary is who pays for the multiform.  In the previous editions of the game the cost of the multiform was always paid by the most expensive.  6th edition changed that, now the cost of multiform can be paid by either form.  
 

I've seen players start to do this but it's never been a problem for me as a GM because of one small tweak I made to RAW and because I've been tough on active points limits.
 
Make Multiform a Special Power as it was originally . That will keep it out of Multipowers and VPP's.
 
If you have a 400 point CP limit and and Active Points Cap of 60 then the main form will have 60 of it's 400 AP tied up in the Multiform. He'll be a 340 Point character with a 300 Point alternate form. You can min-max to mitigate it, but that 60 points is going to make you less effective than the PC's that have the full 400 available at all times. If your PC's want the extra versatility and are willing to trade some effectiveness for it then you should be fine.

What everyone is forgetting is that disguise and acting are actually two separate skills.  To successfully impersonate someone requires both skills.  All disguise does is allow you to alter your appearance.  So in the situation in the original post if the villain makes the disguise roll they look like they are the character they were trying to.  So if Foxbat was trying to look like Dr. Destroyer he would, the players can probably easily tell that Foxbat is not in fact Dr. Destroyer, but may not realize he is Foxbat.  

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....

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...