oryanfactor

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions Yansuf, I stand corrected, thank you. The Secret Service was begun in 1865, not 1860, and did not formally protect the President until 1901. Can you beleive they used to let familes picnic on the White House Lawn?? They had sheep grazing it as well?? Ah, for the good old days. Washington felt the President should live on a street, not in a palace, and that's how it was for a long time. I was livid with Clinton for closing Pennsylvania Avenue, but Bush has kept it closed, so that isn't much better. Yeah, I know we're post 9/11, but that never stopped FDR, who faced considerably larger challenges. Just to clear it up, the Marshalls service was "organized", so to speak, under the Department of Justice on July 1st , 1870, and that may be why the Secret Service was created, as the Marshalls were disorganized. There was a fourth option open to Congress in 1901 you didn't consider, which was to leave it status quo. Yes, McKinley was shot in public in Buffalo, and you can't leave the President unguarded, but one wonders why they didn't engage a permanent protection force after 1865, with Lincoln? Do you know if this was because of the same backlash against military law-enforcement that followed Reconstruction? oryan

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions The Secret Service is not so named because they are supposed to be unseen (although an invisble Secret Service agent is a neat idea). They were named that almost by happenstance. They were created in 1860 to supress counterfeiting, and did not provide presidential protection until the death of Pres. William McKinely in 1901. The TV show Wild, Wild West makes Jim West and Artie Gordon protectors of Ulysses S. Grant in the 1870's, but this is purely fictional. The "Secret" part is that they were the alternative to the more public United States Marshall Service, the only other Federal service of the time. oryan

Re: Gesture/Incantions Thinking Zatanna's fishnets and top hat were a bad idea was.....well....a bad idea. Zatanna's outfit has got to be one of the best ever ideas in comics outfitting, and so inspired Paul Dini from Batman Animated/Superman/JLA that he found a lookalike, and married her. No kidding. http://www.mistylee.com/photos.html oryan

Re: Help with a character Not only do I think Paper Tiger should have a nemesis named Scissor Lizard, but may also have a rivalry with Rock Roc, the Raptor of Stone. You know, Scissor cuts Paper, Paper covers Rock, but Rock breaks Scissor. I hear the groaning from here..... You could have Charges, even if ordinary paper is used for the animals Summoned. The power is in Tiger, not the paper itself, but he uses the paper to focus the ability, and it can run out. This is much like Gambit, or, before him, The Tattooed Man. oryan

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions Thia, I'm gonna have to take issue with you on this one..... Question #1: The heck she doesn't. I disagree that a protectee having a say in how they are protected "is a device of television". Since the Secret Service does not discuss publically their methods and policies for protection, neither myself nor Thia have any idea what they really do, but you can bet your last nickel that a person, even the President's daughter, who strenously objected to the Service's interference, would quickly take the issue to court to get left alone. In the real world, both Jimmy Carter and Harry Truman both told the Secret Service where they could go, with Truman taking long walks around Washington, and Carter walking up Pennsylvania Avenue to be inaugerated. They're both Presidents, so it's a little different. If memory serves, Jackie Kennedy didn't want her kids monitored by the Service, so she left the country and had Onasis hire bodyguards. The President's Daughter/Circus Owner example is married, therefore an adult, and would likely have the right to refuse protection. For the second question, regarding weird, supernatural threats to the President and First Family, etc.; ....how do you know there aren't any....(bwah-ha-ha). No, seriously, if there were threats lile that which existed, the Service would be on that like hawks on a chicken. The third question sounds like a nightmare, and I'm sure the President's Daughter beign a slayer or somesuch, she'd have to keep a secret ID to function, but I'm sure the Service would make allowances. After all, rumor has it that Jenna Bush attended nude parties at Yale, so..... Also, the Secret Service is not ALL powerful. In Chille, I think it was, about two years ago now, the President was walking to a reception with full detail, when the local guards, who had been in a hissy match with the Service over security since Bush arrived there, walked in between the President and one of his Agents, blocking the agent from continuing with the Pres. Bush heard the commotion behind him, turned around and grabbed the agent through the local guards by the coat, and yanked him, yes, yanked him through the line. oryan

Re: Some GMing Advice? Please Thia, Interesting idea about stopping a clock to save the world. Have you used this plot? Immeidately, it made me think of one of my favorite books, The House with A Clock in The Walls by John Belairs. The plot surrounds a young boy, who moves in with his uncle, a would-be magician. The sounds of a clock can be heard throughout the house, but cannot be found. It turns out, when the clock runs down, the world will end and the dead will rise.... You might want to look up this book. Now as I think of it....kinda reminds me of the Doctor Who story, The Girl in the Fireplace and just a hair of the Tick-Tok from Peter Pan.... oryan

Re: Learning Hero I just wanted to add to that note about rolling skills, and 11- being the 50% mark. I found a list of rolling probabilities with 3D6 that will make it more clear. Hope this helps, and welcome to Hero. 18- =100% 17- = 98% 16-= 96% 15-=92% 14-=87% 13-=80% 12- =70% 11- = 60% 10-= 50% 9-=39% 8-=28% 7-=19% 6- =12% 5- = 7% 4-=03% 3-=0.5% Note: Mutants & Masterminds is no easier, and nowhere near as prescise. oryan

Re: Some GMing Advice? Please VR Dragon, Good Luck and welcome to the Hero System. I'm just re-learning it myself after years and years. Relax on the GM-ing thing. It's an issue of writing, really. Just imagine you are the producer/director of a film or TV show, and you need to make a new series. I do recommend a sit-down with the players to gage their interests as they are your "audience". Find out what sort of characters they'd like to play. Once that's done, begin asking questions. Where might these characters live? What is their world like? Do they have a vehicle or base they work out of? How do they get mixed up in strange adventures? What may happen as a result? What you wind up with is a Story Bible. Keep in mind that when Star Wars began, George Lucas had a 13 page outline called The Adventures of Luke Starkiller. Star Trek began life as "Wagon Train to the stars, The adventures of Captain Robert April and his faithful assistant Jose' Tyler. Even Scooby-Doo was originally "Who's Scared??", a pastiche of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and I Love A Mystery, a sixties comedy about two friends in high school and a 1940's radio show about two detectives in a van. Things change dramatically between planning and execution, so don't think you're stuck once you write up the plan. You know what sorts of stories you like, so write that. That's your game. Here's a true story. I have a friend who used to take out ads in The Hollywood Reporter advertising he was making a film. He intended to, but had no money. He found he got dozens opon dozens of headshots from the most beautiful actresses you could ever imagine, all wanting jobs in the film. He would call them up and ask them to dinner to discuss the film, and eventually married one of them. Now he makes movies for real. His latest movie? National Lampoon's Cattle Call, about a guy who starts a fake talent agency to meet girls. Now you know....the rest of the story. oryan

Didn't quite know where else to put this question, but I'm willing to bet one of you fine folks has some knowledge of this.... I thought it might be beat to use the Five Chinese Brothers, from the story of the same name, in a fantasy setting, but I can't remember enough about them, nor can I find them online! As I recall, one of them had an iron neck, another could swallow the ocean and another was invulnerable to fire. Does anyone have more info or know where I can find some? oryan

Re: How to build: instant learning A thought occured to me where "instant skills" might be appropriate, even if in a VPP. In the film, "The Matrix", Neo asks Carrie Moss's character, "Do you know how to fly that thing??" (In reference to a helicopter). She replies "Not yet." Immediately following this exchange, Moss gets a "download", which allows her to fly the 'copter. oryan

Re: Gesture/Incantions Neat way to do handle it in terms of Clea or Doc Strange and such, and of course the Spectre or Phantom Stranger would be able to cast spells with no limits......but Zatanna does require sdrawkcab gniklat for any abilty of significance to function. She may be able to say, light a candle magically or cause her car keys to fly off the table into her hand, but for any serious use of power, she needs the words. (humming doesn't count) oryan .raeppa yeht naht resolc eb yam rorrim eht ni stcejbo

There's an interesting thread just posted about wether or not Superheroic Characters may take Gestures or Incantations as a Limitation on Powers..check it out.....coincidently, I had a similar question regarding Automoton Powers. The 5th Edr specifically bars Player Characters from taking the Automoton Powers from page 458. I can think of a number of "comic book" characters for whom these powers might be appropriate: Plastic Man--Being made up essentialy of a rubber-like material throughout his body, Plastic Man might take Does Not Bleed or No Hit Locations. Hitting him in the foot is the same as hitting him in the head. Robotman (Doom Patrol)--because his body is a metal shell, Takes no Stun, Does Not Bleed may work for this character. However, because he does have a human brain, hits to the head may affect him normally. Alternately, Robotman's body may simply be a Vehicle for the brain. Also, these things may apply to other characters who's forms aren't normal, such as Swamp Thing, Wonder Man, the Golem, The Metal Men, et al. Does anyone allow players to take Automoton Powers or how would they simulate a character with these rather unique forms?

Re: Gesture/Incantions Superhero Mages barred from taking Incantations or Gestures?? Got one word for ya......Zatanna! But seriously folks.....many "comic book" mages require either Incants or Gestures to make their powers work, like the aforementioned Dr. Strange, Zatanna, or even the Demon and Captain Marvel (who alternately might just take a limitation on activating the powers). There need be no limitation.

Re: Make a Green Lantern Oath Ok, I'll give it a shot....maybe I'll get a little green point.... What darkness has wrought, What evil may sow, They shall not evade, My Green Light's Glow.... Oh, I'm amazed I haven't seen ths one.... ...And I shall shed my light over evil, for dark things cannot stand the light... ....the light of the Green Lantern! oryan

Re: Casual Survey: Age of players and Hero's utility vs. other games Oddhat-- OMG, you mentioned Risus. Now that's an easy game, but it isn't just "fudgy", its fudge covered fudge ice cream floating in a fudge fondue. Risus is as crisp as last summers potato chips. Seriously, Risus is a lot of fun, and about a half click from "cops and robbers" oryan

I was just curious as to the age of those of us in here interested in Hero System. So, I thought I'd ask. The reason I'd like to know is to get a thumbnail of wether Hero is a system with appeal to new gamers, and to younger gamers, or more of interest to those who might have picked up Champions "back in the day". I'm 37, and first bought Champions when it came in a blue box 20 years ago. I never did run a campaign with it, but thought it was theoretically a much better gaming sim tool than D+D, even Advanced. I found Villians & Vigilantes, and did run an excellent campaign with it. That Game is slightly fudgy, but runs smooth as a clock and is very easy for new gamers. However, I found that to tweak powers the way I wanted them, I had to use 1/2 powers, 1/4 powers, 2x powers, and realized I was back in Hero System. So, recently, I went out and bought Hero Fred revised and Mutants & Masterminds. What I'm finding is M&M is a great system, in that it uses D+D type stats, has a neat damage system and uses a Hero like point buy system, but lacks a coherent center in terms of mechanics and the rules are all over the book. I could run it, but I'd be fudging all over the place. If I'm gonna "run a game", I want to use a system that actually works. Hero fills that role well, but seems like engineering characters and gadgets takes forever. Your observations and thoughts would be welcome. oryan

Re: Draining SPD to Zero Say Hugh, Then how do you get those "rep" things? the little green pips?

Re: Draining SPD to Zero As a defense, one could create Time Defense, which allows the target to shift the effect of XDM down the time chart for every point of DEF in the power, sort of like Power Defense, etc.

Re: Draining SPD to Zero The short answer is...no. The point here is not to stick it to the player, but was thinking reallt in terms of an interesting role-play situation, and in a certain way, in the favor of the player. Stasis beams are a staple of comics and science fiction, and I actually wanted to find a way to do it, as I aluded to earlier, that doesn't allow the character to be harmed. See, in the Potato Man example, the character has been "frozen", either in time or in physical form, but there's several places to go from there. Just "saying he's in stasis" is the unfair route. That doesn't give the player an "out". Let's use Superman as an example. Being in physical stasis would bar Supes from using his awsome strength, but he might be able to put Heat Vision or "Super-Breath" to good use to escape. In fact, he might be able to just fly away, unable to "move", but very able to take off. Assuming that the character is in a temporal stasis, the time factor in which he finds himself should be quantifable somehow, that's why I suggested from phase to phase. That doesn't nescessarily stop the character from acting, just puts him in a different relative viewpoint to his opponent and allies. Lastly, being placed at SPD 0, the character would be truely frozen in game terms, no actions are allowed. In that situation, which is very "game legal", the villian should not be able to walk up and punch the character in the mouth while the hero is frozen. One strange example of this sort of scene that wierdly stands out in my mind is the "Mork" episode of Happy Days. (C'me on, you watched it, don't lie) The one where Fonzie is frozen by Mork in the living room. Fonzie is finally able to break free as his thumb slowly rises up....... oryan

Re: Draining SPD to Zero I "get" the Entangle, which would work, but I really like the Extra-Dimensional Movement, usable as attack, with SPX of Caught in Time Loop, moving one phase back and forth at the same time.......that's evil... or alternately, with SPD -0 or less, you could say he "takes" damage normally, but it doesn't "show" until he heals the SPD back to 1, whatcha think?

Re: Draining SPD to Zero You folks thought up several different angles to this thing that I hadn't thought of (i.e. the Desoild Entangle, Extra-Dimensional Movement, SFX trapped in time frame, etc.). cool. What I was trying to do is imagine Potato Man, stuck in place, Drained to SPD 0 or less, but without being vunerable to being Zapped by Dr. Oftheweek's Radium Skrooching Gun while being caught in "stasis", and how that might work. BTW, originally the device was titled the Hyper-Encephlo Nerve Dampner, but I suck at speeling. oryan Say, why am I an "imcompetant normal"??

Suppose a villain, Dr. Oftheweek, Drained down Potato Man's SPD to -5, usng his hyper-encheplo nerve dampner, thereby freezing him in place. Potato Man can't move a muscle to act. However..... Since his SPD is -5, would he take damage from an "ambient" attack, like cold, heat or poison gas in the area, since that damages each phase? Could you damage him with a punch, since he's " in between ticks of the clock"? And am I using the wrong power for this special effect? oryan

Re: Heroic vs Superheroic I'd been thinking about how to handle just this question recently. To me, the main difference is that Heroic Characters have the Maxima and get free equipment, Superheroic ones don't. Use Superheroic characters for Champions, Heroic characters for more pedestrian games. If you want to use a Heroic character in a Superheroic game or vice versa, just do that. It's like a "guest star" spot. However, if the characters interact more often, then have the Character acclimiate to the campaign at large thru a re-write, which should be minor. Example: Superman is Superheroic in his stories, and Heroic in Lois Lane's. Lois is Heroic in her stories, but Superheroic in Superman's.

I'm just getting back into Hero after years of learning it....never did play a campaign....and had a question. How long should it take to figure out characters? I've been working on a Leprechaun character and am hours into it. Am I overdoing it? What have players found is the most time effieicient way to develop characters? KR