Tech

Re: Best Gaming Superhero fights ever

One of the funniest (well, it was funny afterwards) was were our Chicago based group met Dr. Magnus, Mercuria and Phosghene (not sure of names but from the old Adventurers Club magazine), plus a couple cameo villains clashed. Everybody in some manner or another, whether BODY lost, statistics lost, Vulnerabilities and/or Suscept or whatever, took BODY damage, heroes and villains alike. It even got to the point where we are trying not to hurt anyone now and the mentalist tries an Ego attack on Dr. Magnus - hits his Suscept, taking Stun and Body damage. The group laughed. The final kicker was after all the Villains are defeated or gives up that one of our heroes uses an Entangle on a villain so he doesn't run away.. hitting his Suscept. Our group was laughing long and loud in disbelief for awhile after that. My oldest brother yells out, "More BOD, More BOD!", only making us laugh even more.

Over ten years later, when someone takes a lot of BODY damage, we call out, "More BOD!"

Re: If YOU have been playing Hero since the 80's why do you still keep coming back?

For me and my brother, 1981. The system continues to be versatile enough that I never left it. Oh, I've tried things like Villains and Vigilantes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Robotech, Marvel & DC Hero System, etc. I even (briefly) looked at Superhero 2044 which I couldn't stand. Still, it was always Champions, back when it was only Champions. I used it to draw the group away from D&D and to the Hero System (sneaky person that I was). I've created dozens & dozens of heroes since of which only a few remain but the point is: with some imagination, you can keep using the system to create new & fresh heroes to use.

Ultimately though, regardless of which system you use, regardless of it's cost and regardless of how great a system it might be, if you don't have good friends to play it with, it won't matter or last long. I fortunately still have those types of friends - the same group from back in 1981.

Here's to you, guys and girls!

Re: Aging Campaigns

Recurring villians in a long-running campaign make me want to save my XP's and buy off my Code Against Killing disadvantage' date=' but not change actual character behavior until the moment comes to end the recurrence.[/quote']

 

Ah, the recurring villain. We've had a lot of recurring villains, including Lazer, Foxbat, Halfjack, Wee Willie (how could you not have someone this weird not show up again) and many others besides. The fun with recurring villains is eventually, at least in our campaign, those villains that have a conscience of sorts will eventually be asked to give up being a villain - and be given the help they need to do just that, if they want to give it up.

 

I've seen villains get cured, retire, get up being a villain (and almost always retired), even change sides and get married to a PC. There have been times when I really wished I didn't have a Code Against Killing on my character so I could pound the living daylights out of a villain but hey, it's part of the character.

Re: Homebrew Organizations

This organization is a whole week and a half old:

The Guild of Swords - this is an actual guild for people, a lodge of sorts for the public and the top members have high-technology easily equal to superheroes. Members may only join upon invitation. The hidden agenda is to nab super-powered technology or unique weapons by carefully inviting the unsuspecting member.

(A little help here requested: how can these guys steal away the technology and maybe even openly oppose the heroes and still not become known as criminal? As I said, it's very new so I'm open to ideas.)

Re: Energy Duplicate

I agree that the Summon is probably the "best" solution, especially if the character is to retain all of their "normal" actions.

 

There are a couple of problems with the Indirect option... the main being that this power would use the actions/phases of the controlling character... the summoned "duplicate" would have their own phases.

Excellent solution. I think I'll go with Summon.

I'm looking at an idea where someone creates a duplicate of themselves. A decoy, if you wish, since the actual person will use it to lure enemies away from themselves and not fight. The decoy will be able to fight though possibly not at full power. If the decoy is 'killed', it fades away since it was composed of energy. This decoy can be summoned again, if wished. As I understand Duplication, once a duplicate dies, that's it - you have to buy a new one.

So, any suggestions?

I know alot of you probably gag at the idea, but that aside how would you build them in Champions terms? What stats would accurately portray them?

Re: Hybrid Characters

I build the character as I see it and who cares if it fits an archetype or not, the character concept is paramount - how it's built is secondary.

Re: Tactics Skill

When I'm GM'ing and a character has the Tactics skill, often this is how I play with it:

1) when I devise something as a GM that the villain is going to do, I tell the person playing the hero with Tactics to roll it. If they make it, they can tell what the villain is about to do and counter it.

2) when the player states his character is going to do something which could have tactical bad results, such as "My hero is going to fly towards the agent and blast him" when you know several agents with energy rifles can now all target him, roll that Tactics skill. If you make it, I warn him that his Tactics skill warns him this could be a bad tactical move and why.

Creative use of the skill is needed. Often, the player who has the Tactics skill asks if he can roll the skill to see if, in combat, he can figure out who is the best enemy to target for an attack or something along that line.

Re: What skill would you use to see if someone is lying?

What skill would you use to see if someone is lying?

 

Conversation?

Acting?

Perception?

 

I'm not talking about the power...Detect: Lie...it seems there should be an appropriate skill that folks are likely to have as an Everyman skill that would make sense to use for lie detection...I just can't seem to find one that fits in the rules.

 

Thanks.

Don't forget the skill that any brute could use: threaten.

BigMan: I grab the thug and shake his socks loose. "You better not be lying to me!"

Thug: No, I'm not!

Re: House Rule: Banning Multipowers & Elemental Controls?

In the campaign I'm in, we've always used Elemental Controls and Multipowers. Once in a long while, we use Variable Power Pools. I have one character who has a small Cosmic Power Pool. Without the use of EC, MP and VPP, some of our best (and sometimes most odd) concepts simply wouldn't be possible.

I'm not one to generally make simply characters, although we do have those in the campaign. I like to create detailed characters beyond the simple ones and those require the use of a Elemental Control, Multipower and/or Variable Power Pool. I have no problem with the use of them. By the same token, I'm also aware of those drawbacks.

Re: Anyone here find a use for Takofanes yet?

No' date=' I'd like the heroes to actually have a chance to [i']survive[/i] this adventure.

Time for a surprise: our GM a long time ago threw our hero team into the Tomb of Horrors. One of us almost got killed but survived. Hey, it might be the tomb of horrors for D & D heroes but throw superheroes into the equation and it's a whole new ballgame. We won.

Re: Disadvantage Base for Talented Normals

I usually just think about building him/her with traits that I think are appropriate for the position/character instead of worrying about point totals. If I were worried about power levels I would calculate amounts afterward and see roughly how they compared' date=' but I rarely find the need. Most of my NPCs wind up having more Disadvantages than would be required point-wise to build them.[/quote']

 

For the most part, that's how I play them. However, there are times when I want to know exactly how skilled they are, in the event of a dramatic speech (Oratory/Persuasion), the supervillain takes a shot at the mayor's car leaving (Driving skill), a superhero/villain does a presence attack so what's their Presence and so on, etc etc.

 

Overall, I don't use stats for NPC's but for those I do, I like to rather go with the official ruling.

For you GM's out there, what Disadvantage base do you give to a talented normal, such as a Mayor, Police Chief, etc. This is a talented normal who interacts with the PC's on a regular basis so a character sheet is warranted. I know some GM's play them on the fly without a sheet but for this one, I'd like one.

So, GM's, what say you?

Re: Help needed: character who causes intoxication

Let's not forget intoxicated people also think less when they act, being much more prone to brash and sudden behaviour. Alternatively, they may act sullen and opposed to action. This depends on the personality of the drinker. Let's try to avoid: Mind Control (act drunk)

Re: Favorite Abuse

Inspector Cluseau rides again:

 

25d6 Luck. You'll have ON AVERAGE four 6's, plus or minus. Given the descriptions of this degree of luck, you're foes automagically defeat themselves at that point. Anvils rain from the sky, and the universe goes out of its way to make you happy. Silliness abounds.

For a mere 5pt in an ultra instead of 125 pts, I have a character who drops anvils on people whenever he wants. 'Course, he can't make foes automatically defeat themselves but what's the fun in that?

Re: This week on "Champions"...

TODAY at 7 p.m. (Sat, Feb 4)

Destroy The Snake : Although regarding Viper's technology as weak, Dr. Destroyer realizes that in a few years Viper will be able to attack him by sheer numbers and starts to eliminate their bases. The heroes are caught in the middle as two titans battle each other and the fate of countless innocents hangs in the balance.

Re: CHAR: Thor. (Marvel Style)

And Enforcer84 has still to show us the stats he'll give his Thor.

Re: Drown

I concur with the NND suggestion, essentially treating it as a choke hold.

 

The problem with using the drowning rules (which I don't have in front of me, so correct me if I'm wrong) is they take too long to be truly useful in combat. Forcing your target to burn an extra END or two is going to take a long time to put them down, and in the meantime they're going to be blasting away at you with everything they've got, relatively unpenalized. IMO the drowning rules work well for situations where holding one's breath is the only thing you've got to worry about, but not so well for situations where you have to hold your breath in combat.

 

 

bigdamnhero

"Why do we have technology in the first place? So we can sit on our butts and drive. Those guys with the rucksacks on their backs? They're setting us back 50 years with every step."

Unless I missed something, this appears that as GM, I'm going to have make a houserule effect, saying that in effect the NND attack will be treated as a ranged Choke Hold? Is this a valid ruling or simply playing fast & loose with the rules.. not that I'm against that.

I have power concepts for a villain that I'd like suggestions for:

a) The villain can create a bubble of water around a hero and unless they can breathe, take drowning damage.

Alternatively:

The villain can create an invisible bubble of water around a hero that even the hero cannot feel but still, they'll take drowning damage unless they can breathe water. (The villain has such control over the water that they can even control if the hero sees it. Hey, it works for me.)

Sure, I can create a 1d6 NND EB + 1d6 End Drain at range linked but I'm looking for advanced ideas/concepts. Any takers?

Re: (Spam) I am Selling many classic 4th ediition Hero Books

Based on cutsleeve's reaction, I feel really lucky then since I have the majority of all of these already. Still, I might try to nab some I don't.

Re: Entanglements

I like the TK grab idea - many thanks (I think it needs uncontrolled not continuous as TK is already constant):

 

30 STR TK (45 active points) 0 END (+1/2) uncontrolled (+1/2) One hex AE (+1/2) 112 active points

 

Only to grab and hold target in place (-1/2)

Doesn't work against appropriate environmental movement (-1/4)

 

Real cost 64 points

 

That's not bad: 30 STR would be enough to hold virtually anyone who did not have superstrength - you increase gravity for (say) a turn in that hex.

 

Like it.

I guess I kinda like this. The problem is that you spent 112 active points (64 real) whereas my 40 str Hero (30 real pts spent on Str) can break out with no real problem. This concept seems to spend too much to achieve the result looked for but then again, the beauty of the Hero Games system is that you can achieve the same results using many different and varied ways. Just in case it's asked, no, at this point I don't have an alternate idea but will think on it.

FYI, my older brother who wants his hero to temporarily timefreeze people in their place used a GM-allowed TK effect, calling it Entangle. It's a special one-hero house rule in effect and everyone's ok with it.

Re: your campaigns "Superman".

In our campaign, our 'superman' would be Angel, a woman. Normally, she's about on par with Gigaton but dealing with Energy Blasts (she'd pretty much beat Gigaton without much problem). However, in her full-power form, she can easily fight just about anyone.. did a one-shot solo episode where she defeated Ymir from the old Champions Universe book and if you don't have it, well, he's.. wow-fully powerful.

Re: EOCV vs DCV

There is a different aspect to this that may have been overlooked. Assuming it's something like an Energy Blast and nothing changes except that ECV is used instead of Dex to attack, I see it as a +0 advantage. If the power changes it's effects to that of something BOECV, then I'd apply an advantage.

Re: For all those with multiple characters

Hi All

 

Having been following the WWYCD threads recently I've noticed that some people are presenting the actions of a fistful of heroes; as many as five or more. I'm just wondering how you come to have so many to think about. Are they all characters from the same campaign? Are they from different campaigns? Are some of them old characters no longer played? Are you describing characters from a campaign you GM?

 

Nothing more than idle curiosity really but it would be nice to have it satisfied.

I have multiple characters in the same campaign, as do all my friends and brothers. Each character is in a different hero group. I even have a couple characters within a hero team or two. It's fun to have many different characters: it allows the player to choose different heroes in different cities with different foes to face, whether a villain team or the L.A. Mob. Some of them are old characters that have retired, some old characters are still around, many are new. It shows that life moves on. Also, it's just fun to create characters.