iamlibertarian

If ever there was a reason for a Stop Sign, Precognition is it. Just how DO GMs deal with characters who want to play Active Precogs (as opposed to Passive, where the GM gives info when s/he feels like it)? How do they deal with, "I want to see and hear exactly what happens in the next 5 minutes in this spot?"

I really like the thought of flummoxing an NPC with Delayed Desolidification, with the Trigger 'just about to be hit'. The look I imagine as I POOF out of solidification and instantly POOF back to poke him/her in the nose, LMAO

Or, even just normal senses, such as Sight Group. If you don't see it coming, you can't activate it. But by having it linked to sensing it somehow (Sight, Danger Sense, etc.) you don't have to abort your next Phase. It just pops on to defend you.

Here is one example I can think of for the differences in Trigger and Delayed Effect: Potion of Desolidification. Trigger is quaffing the potion. Simple. Delayed Effect: Ready-to-go Desolidification. Not much mechanical difference to the game, other than 'poof' the Delayed Effect just goes off and doesn't need a focus (therefore the limit on the number of delayed effects ready and waiting). But the real difference between them comes into play when you take into account: Delayed Effect Desolid with a Trigger of 'just about to be hit by an attack (some sense must be able to detect the impending attack) and poof, Desolid, at a greater cost, becomes a defensive casting. Or: Delayed Effect Potion of Desolid. Only useable if there is a Delayed Effect slot available. Say, you have X delayed effect slots all full. You use up one of your Delayed Effect slots on some other endeavor. You now drink the Potion of Desolid Delayed Effect, Trigger Quaffing the Potion, and voila, you now have that Delayed Effect Desolid stored in your head again. Game balance preserved by paying the costs for both the Trigger and the Delayed Effect. These are examples which truly show the differences between the two, imho.

I don't think? I misunderstand. I get the mechanics. As it is, I use Hero Builder software for everything, so I see when I get charged as an Advantage vs Limitation. I don't mind paying for the extra when it turns out to be an Advantage. I want to make it all consistent. I just want to know what most people do. And like I said, I personally like the combo of: 1) Trigger (the Grenade described on 6E1 350 - doesn't even need Time Limit - as long as Continuing Charges is used for Effects lasting longer than 1 Phase - smoke grenade for example). This would mechanically and game balance-wise be the same as throwing an alchemically made potion that, when thrown, explodes to cause some sort of magickal (say, Fire) Blast in an Area. (But, requires the LOS of the *creator* according to Steve Long in a recent Rules question - so if the grenade is thrown out of the LOS of the *creator* would not work, so others cannot use in out of *creators* LOS) And, 2) Time Limit, which eliminates the LOS of *creator* portion, making a more realistic grenade (for example). I don't at all mind paying the price for an Advantaged Trigger, as long as it is consistent grenade (or potion) creation (IMHO)

Yet, throughout the books, examples are given where Trigger is the activator for Potions. If you compare it to a gadget, say, an explosive, said explosive with a Trigger could be either a landmine (the type of trigger you mention), or a character waiting for certain circumstance and then said character 'pushes the button' to set off the explosives on purpose. Between this and the Potion Examples with Trigger, at least the way I read it, both uses are appropriate?

I am not sure why I would also need to buy Persistent? According to 6E1 346: "Time Limit is also an Advantage for Constant Powers that cost 0 END or that only cost END to activate. As discussed below, it prevents the power from turning off during the defined Time Limit even if the character is Stunned, Knocked Out, or loses Line Of Sight to the power." Time Limit already covers what Persistent does, and the next paragraph already makes that comparison.

I figured I would be doing some of this anyway, and will. But all the demons and devils powers are "kill and destroy". But I am looking Also for something more good natured power-wise, that I don't have to totally create from scratch. If for no other reason than, if I am looking for something to Summon, it is usually easier to get them by GMs if they already have the HERO seal of approval, lol. The 'good yet vengeful ones I can throw at the bad guys. But I like to do 'behind the scenes' stuff as well.

Almost everything out there I have seen so far is "Evil" or "Animal" intelligence. For purposes of Summoning, anyone know of a good source of "Good" spirits, angels, anything else, which might be summoned? Thanks! DC

What got me thinking about this is a Multiform which includes a Sabertooth Tiger. I figure I might add on a 'belly rake' with double claws if the target is Grabbed from the front, as well.

Example: Tiger and Sabertooth Tiger, Bestiary 440. Neither of them have a Grab maneuver, where they can grab a prey by the neck and not let go with their HKA teeth. Probably easy enough to just add a Grab to the Tigers abilities, but the rules (6E2 62) only mention a Squeeze, Slam, or Throw. What would best represent jaws which lock on and continue doing the bite damage each phase until the Grab (or whatever power) is broken? Thanks! DC

As a disadvantage, Time Limit gives powers brought to 0 END a duration. As an advantage, it eliminates the need for LOS. I make the potion, you take it from me and drink it, even though it is 0 END it only lasts 1 minute, but you run out of my line of sight and it keeps working until the time limit expires.

I can read the mechanical differences. But I am looking for some example of what would make You choose one over the other. Most alchemy schemes, or should I say lengthier discussions in the rule books about alchemy specifically, use Delayed Effect for potions, but many individual potion descriptions use Trigger. Personally, I like Trigger with Time Limit?

So looking through UM, page 50, sample power, Veil of Perfect Surprise There has been this discussion in the last couple of weeks surrounding Charges which Never Recover. And it seems consensus is that said charges are gone. Forever. Can never be used or re-created again (short of paying more CP). And I get that. It finally got through my skull. But with the sample power description of the Veil, it still makes me tilt my head to the side and scratch my head. 8 CP for a one-shot, 1 hour power. 8 CP for something which can NEVER be cast, ever again. EVER. Not in a different circumstance; not on behalf of another character; ever. I can think of so many better ways to spend that 8 CP, but then would be missing out on this cool concept. Is there a better way to build this as something which can be re-created, with the character having to take time and effort, can be Reasonably given out to others, without costing 8 CP each and every time for 1 use, but still retaining the concept of making this a special event like this particular example power? ("Here, I have this cool idea to help you get past this particular event," as opposed to some talisman that boringly just recharges itself daily.) And before anyones says powers shouldn't be given out to others teammates, many, many powers and spells are Intended to do just that (AIDs, Barriers which protect the team, Density Increase on your team's brick, Dispel to remove bad effects on a teammate, Invisibilities for a stealthy teammate, EDMs taking the team elsewhere for adventures, movement powers, and so on, but tack on a focus and charges and now it is taboo. If UOO is part of the price, then the CP *are* being paid.

Goo Good GM! Giving the players what they want *and* challenging them at the same time...even when they don't realize that challenge is what they want most

No, that is still "combat stuff." So, just for example (in my Very tired, ready for bed state) I will (without including advantages, limitations, or other math related things) make a small example of a multipower I would see as 'utility' (though the effect listed in this grouping doesn't at this moment have anything tying them together (as I don't have the brain power for it). 1) Detect Magick 2) Higher Powered Mind Scan for tracking down just about anyone, but with enough limitations to make it non-combat worthy 3) Sure, a few Aids for in combat, Buffing others but not terribly so or making this character a combat ghod 4) Fog Cloud to help the team escape combat 5) Summon food (for when characters are stuck somewhere without 6) Postcognition to gain knowledge about something 7) Combo: Minor Illusion + Disguise Skill (which yes, I *personally* would allow a Skill in a VPP in this kind of case) 8) EMP Burst (Some NND Drain anything electronic in an Area, with the defense being some sort of EMP Shielding (maybe some sort of electronic Flash Defense) 9) Mollify Angry Crowd (some AE Mental Transform that just slightly nudges a crowd into a better mood) 10) Thicker Wallet Transform $1 to $100 (character is already stinking rich - but doesn't carry cash) Nice way to reward good citizens for doing good things 11) 4-Leaf Clover (good luck tokens 1 charge never recovers - again given as a reward to any good person who is not a teammate) 12) Any kind of Naked Advantage that benefits *teammates* not the character 13) Heavy Weapon (Density increase on handheld or smaller items. Sure, great combat helper, but isn't a "Heavy Hitter" power 14) Rooted - Knockback Resistance for teammates 15) Brickmaker - Hardened and Resistant defenses for teammates 16) Pearly Gates - TransD gate to one of the Heavens 17) Speak with the Dead - Mind Scan/Mind Link combo 18) Summon Alarm Spirit - A spirit with Danger Sense whom is allied with the party, and can communicate with them an impending sense of danger 19) Potion of Leaping - just what it says 20) Ring of Water Breathing 21) Shield of Missile Deflection - Cast on a shield who uses a shield of course And so on ad nauseum. These are all utility to me. Even the combat items are Useful for a team, but something other than 20D6 or more in just 3 powers. Now lets look at VPPs instead. If a character has a 100+100 Magic VPP for example. That's 150 points. The key is the max 100 Active Points and only 100 pts RC worth at a time. A very "useful" or utility character, but not a heavy hitter. Compare this to: Arthur Alchemist. Can you imagine 150 points in power which can do for an Alchemist, who can take a Ton of limitations and give the potions triggers and/or time limits, and an alchemy built robe of many pockets (like little bags of holding)? One could make Heaving Hitting potions, and Lots of different types of them. No framework needed to be both heavy hitting And huge on the variety.

Tacoma, WA? Lol, where in Tacoma. Since I live there I want to see it, lmao.

While you may be technically correct, it almost sounds like merely wanting to be a Utility Character, as opposed to being a Heavy Hitter, in and of itself, is a game destroying imbalance. Doesn't matter which game system, which universe, which GM, etc, I like playing utility characters, as do many people. Let someone else play the Brick, and someone else play the Blaster, and another the Alien Master Mind Controller. I am happy to have a lower power level but be able to do many things to support the other characters, and to role play off of in the "community."

I take your point. But one counterbalancing factor is that they are all effectively 'locked-out' from each other, and there is no way to know which one of those evil tricks the GM will throw at the character at any one time. And if there are multiple enemies at the moment, if that MP is the best that the character can do, s/he won't survive the first combat, no matter how powerful each slot is.

I am not sure why more characters Don't take VPPs or MPs, for the 'lesser' abilities which do not affect combat, as long as it fits within the characters' basic concept. It allows for more...utility outside of combat, allowing for more...coolness factor and roleplay. Like the mystic who feeds the homeless at the local shelter by summoning food, or the Fire character who does special tricks at a magic show to raise money for some special cause. Sun Girl uses her VPP to create an "Ever-glowing Candle" as a favor for some citizen hero who saved a baby from a fire, or the like. But then, I am a big believer in games, even superheroic games, that involve role play and background play in addition to the 'Brick only pounds bad guys' or 'blaster only puts holes in things at range.'

Lol. I wasn't trying to suggest you let me in your group. Just trying to get a sense of what experienced GMs would do/allow. Thanks, as always

Which is, I suppose, that other than under certain circumstances (like long range sensors for a base maybe, as suggested on 6E1 215, even advantages (like Variable Advantage I would suppose) aren't recommended. Ok, I am beginning to get it, lol.)

So as a GM you might allow a Multipower with pre-defined set of detects or other typical sensory powers, but not VPP?

Exactly. Only with a mystical boost.

It would. However, it is easier to get something unusual past GMs if they are based on something (like an unusual spell) already laid out by HERO than it is to get something approved containing Any form of ...cognition, lmao.