Dino

The problem you're running into is that the STR and damage rules for Hero System were specifically designed to AVOID this sort of thing. Hero uses a linear damage system paired with an exponential lift system. This allows a character with a 50 ton lift to have a reasonable STR score, and fight non- powered characters without takeing thier heads off. In books like the Authourity, the authors were trying to present a "realistic" view of superpowers. The desighners of Hero and other superhero games were trying to reflect "classic" comics (which are far more playable). The easiest way to get this kind of feel in Hero, without changeing how STR works, is to give everybody (or everybody with superhuman STR) the free ability to convert thier normal STR damage into killing damage. So a brick with 60 STR can do 12d6 normal, or 4d6 K depending on how pissed off he is.

I usually run Shadowrun at Cons (tradition), but I'll see if I can come up with something fun and action oriented to do in Hero. Do you care what genres we run?

I like the idea of writeing it up as a side effect, but I'd put it on a defensive power (like armor for the suit).

back on topic... I've never understood why people insist on playing old verions of games when new versions come out. It's one thing if you check out the new version and don't like the changes, but quite another to just refuse to change out of stubborness. Hero 5th is in my opinion "4th ed revised", and that's a good thing. 4th had a lot of good rules and advantages scattered throughout various supplements, so that you needed to collect them all to make it a good game. 5th is "cleaner". It feels alot like 4th, but is more internally consistent and complete. I particularly like the way the genre books provide how to advice on a setting without adding unnessary rules, and the ulitmate series which add nothing but rules for the thing they cover. In the end it's worth it to go with 5th ed just so you can use all the swell new product that is being churned out, and maybe even play a game (or share ideas) with someone who doesn't know your particular group's house rules... My group played for years with a home brewed version of 3rd editon because we felt 4th was a little too "dumbed down" and poorly thought out. When 5th came out we finnally got exited about Hero again and switched over compleatly. It's really nice to have a definative guide and scale (even if you choose to modify it from there), and it's been a breeze to introduce new players too. I reccomend it.

Can a character take the Independant limitation on one of the slots in a multipower? If so, when he loses the power, does he lose the real points for the power before or after dividing for the multipower slot?

"Operation Mindcrime" (with apologies to Queensryche).

I belive there is a GURPS sourcebook (or 2) for ancient Rome. The GURPS historical books are generally a good resourse for any genre/system, by the way.

Woundn't it just be easier to force your players to learn Hero rather than create a bastardized system that will dissatisfy everyone? Better yet, get new players.

My group has traditionally used the local university game guild as a recruiting pool. Every semester, we go up and run a game for the sole purpose of finding players we like and inviting them into our regular games. Kinda mercenary, but effective.

Let me ask this again. Is the +0 OCV/DCV penalty listed for club weapon manuver correct? I assumed that it was a typo, but it wasn't corrected in the errata.

Page 254 of the Hero 5th edition book says that the Club Weapon manuver has an OCV/DCV modifier of +0/+0. Does this mean characters can do normal damage attacks with KA weapons for free?

most bang for your buck: Simulate Death talent, Usable as Attack (+1). For 6 active points you can put anyone to sleep with no defense (assuming you make your ego roll).

I think you might save a few points my making the VPP a multipower. You can always add new tricks as slots with experiance later. Pretty cool write up, overall. I question the imbalance beween the character's high STR and CON and his average BODY (although most people seem to do this). I would make his stats more balanced in general, except for the ones that are directly related to his powers (like DEX).

I think you might save a few points my making the VPP a multipower. You can always add new tricks as slots with experiance later. Pretty cool write up, overall. I question the imbalance beween the character's high STR and CON and his average BODY (although most people seem to do this). I would make his stats more balanced in general, except for the ones that are directly related to his powers (like DEX).

I equate the number of Superpowered beings in a given campaign to movie stars. There are probably only a few thousand in the world, but they get a lot of attention from the media. They also tend to gravitate to big citys, so people in those areas are more likely to run into them on a day to day basis.

With skills such as survival, which cost 1or 2 points per category, how do familiaritys work? If I put a point into survival, do I get an 8- with all categories, or just one?

Can AoE attacks be spread? Can you take Beam Attack limitation on an AoE?

My friend just picked up a copy of this book and I thought, well it might have some ideas I can rip off and do better, but I've been playing Hero for 14+ years, what do I need this for? This book rocks. The powers are simple enough that they can be easily modified, and come in several power levels to choose from for easy scaling. They fit into frameworks nicely and really give players alot of ideas to build on. I started a new superhero game last night with three relative newbies and got solid characters out of them all. I highly recommend it for all players, even if you don't think you need it.

Re: Hero Sys, GURPS, and Star Hero books. GURPS Space. Now as in the past, Hero system is great for rules and ideas, but has virtually no usable source material. GURPS remains as un playable as ever, while continuing to crank out the world's best sourcebooks.

Don't forget the massive penetrating RKA that affects whatever is in the target hex.

Yeah, It sounds like something that would be good for a one shot, like at a Con or something, but I couldn't see finding enough players who would be interested in a full campaign.

I played in a D&D game once where one of the players had lost his voice the day of the game. So our DM ran a scenario where a whole town was under a silence field. We couldn't talk to each other about anything but game mechanics, and had to invent ways to get each other's attention in character and hand signals. It was quite fun. (Did I mention the demons, or the fact that most of our spells had verbal components?)

Yeah, things like Life Support and Mental Defense are way to cheap for game balance in a Heroic game. I basically had to write up all the spells myself to make sure they had the right "feel". Also attacks are much less usefull if you only get one shot: That 2d6 RKA with one charge is pretty useless next to the warrior armed with a bow that does the same damage, and can do it every phase...

Way back in 3rd Ed. I figured out how to write up D&D style magic in Hero: Start with a VPP. Give it limitations such as Need spellbooks to change slot and Must be well rested to change slot. Then write up each spell as a slot for the Pool with a single charge limitation (fuel or continuing is ok), as well as things like Incantation or Concentrate. Because the spells are slots for the VPP, a character can acuire new ones in character and add them to his spellbook without spending Character points. Because each one has a single charge, it "goes away" when he casts it (unless he memorized multiple copies of it), and takes up it's real cost in points out of his pool. When the mage buys up his pool, he gains the ability to cast "higher level" spells (more AP) as well as memorize more spells at the same time.

Since people are plugging thier favorite artists here, I should show off my friends' art. This is HotBlood by my friend Marc Curlee, and Silver Sorceress by Jacob Blacmon. Hmmm... I can't seem to get the attachment to work.