SladeThirteen

Re: Luck as a Characteristic forgive me, the semi-newb (i'm learning stuff... slowly but surely)... anyhoo, i don't think this would be the case, barkley would have a great dex, but would have a disadd vs golfing is all (same with jordan and baseball...) skill in basket ball is knowing when and where to move/place shots/block. you also have to account for the agility of the player and the endurance too. so barkey would have high dex (for agility and speed) and a high endurance. where the skill with golf is all in how you move and angle your body, most importantly you wrist, hips, arms, and head. a completely different skill set for basket ball... so much so, that even the 'dex' that he would have from basketball wouldn't translate right... i mean, golf: one target, unlimited time (sorta), no opponents (not directly at least). basketball: timed, many targets (i know what your thinking right now 'but there is only one basket per team' and my answer is there are what? four other teammembers that you can pass to? that makes five targets.), and of course the opponents... at least one of which always breathing down your throat as it were. at least in baseball you can run around a bit more... (still didn't help jordan none as i hear it...) but the thing i think most of you missed here was that this is a game... dex accounts for agility and grace in game when in real life this is not the case, but they do that for the game to stream line it so we don't have a hundred and one base stats. luck in real life (whether 'real' itself or not) can be quiet the fickle thing... but the player characters are the 'heros' of the game. even when they are supposed to be 'normal' people, they are still exeptional human beings (or whatever else you play). even if you buy down a stat to below 'normal' levels, where do those points go? into making something else better. as such, if taking luck into account, shouldn't a hero also have greater then average luck to start? so why is it always a add on only for extra points? every table top game i have ever played, luck is always a 'merit' or an 'advantage' or something... most video game rpgs i play have luck as a primary attribute. yes, there is a certain level of luck with the dice, but this is fiction and our characters are the 'heros' of the 'story'... as such, would it not be natural to grant them just that extra 'umph' when they need it?

Re: Luck as a Characteristic woot! something new for the newb to play with... i'm going to do two versions of my character for the scifi game coming up... one in the default, and another in this set up... fun. thanks frenchy.

Re: Henshin!!! actually, that multipower deal was something i thought of too on the way home form work... again we think a like, frenchy... anyhoo... as for the armor: overall, there would be a slight boost in stats... i guess you could think of it in terms of a power armor. the 'cast off' would be a mode switch; 'armor on' would be more protection, while the 'armor off' would be the higher manuverability and access to some of the more... um, exotic powers. the 'cast off' itself would probibly be included on the multi like you suggested for the very reason you mentioned. it's more the 'just a special effect'. in the videos that i'm basing all this off of, there have been several accounts of chuds (i think that's the word you and the other guys keep using, right frenchy?) being wiped out by this action alone. of course the 'monster of the week' is not so easy, but that is another matter entirely. the clock up would only be in 'armor off' mode. the 'how'... well i'm working on that. the 'rider kick' would be a killing attack... that is if making it a killing attack would be comparible to a lazer or a sword. in every kamen rider video i've seen (granted, there is no way i would sit through the entire 35 years worth, but i've been watching '555', 'kabuto', and 'blade'... along with some music vids that include a great many of the other series and their various 'money shots' as it were), there is a significant charge up before the manuver is released. it would be completely tied to the armor... as it, it's not something the character can do on his own. i figure that almost all of the 'rider' powers would be built into the armor. the next thing i'm trying to figure out is whether to build the 'henshin' belt seprate from the armor and make the armor some how dependent on it or to built it all as the armor and somehow through the build account for the 'belt form'... and thanks again you two, this has really gotten the creative juices flowing... and i'm starting to get the hang of a couple more aspects of the game. oh, and frenchy? you think you have nightmares of french power rangers? try kamen rider blade. you'd think by the title it'd be some sort of, well, more sword based series... well, it's not. think power rangers plus magic the gathering (or any other ccg you can think of). seriously.

Re: Henshin!!! mib... mmm, could work. thanks

Re: Henshin!!! i think that the 'belt' would be the foci... i mean, i may or may not 'rip it off' completely for the character (after all, it's fun to play a homage more the a copy... though the line on that is a fine one indeed), but i'm going to keep the belt part as a nod to the character/characters that inspired it. but i see where your going with this... so all that's left is the armor and it's forms themselves. well, that and the way it forms/is transfered... which is kinda tricky. it's not teleported, but rather formed... sorta. one of the ideas i had was based a little off the idea of 'folding'. i mean, you look at the henshin and you see all those hexes (hehe... no relation of course...), it's kinda like armor plates sliding out, but a little more like... i don't know, like they were formed from light or something... not sure... another idea i had was inspired by one of the previous kamen rider series; '555'. when they henshin, lines from around them, and the armor forms from particals, or maybe the peices are brought out from something like 'hyperspace'... (this music video should help illustrate what i mean well, the first part at least...) mmm... sadly, i watch only some sci fi, but a lot more fantasy... oh well.

Re: Henshin!!! ... yep. i though the henshin would be a duh... *slaps forehead* wow, this stuff looks actually pretty simple... cool. for some reason i though that it'd be harder... of course there still is the possible stat boosts of the henshin (armor on and 'cast off'). i mean, the instant change is not quite what i'm going for... unless the armor can be handled separately... which i have no clue how to make armor, but i'm sure there is a thread, or a page in the book somewhere, that can help me... yeah, i guess they aren't much for the higher levels... but then i'm still watching the series and it's still about the same (currently viewing eps 12 part 2 as i write this)... though there is this one neat scene in eps 4... well, you have to see if for yourself. anyhoo... any thoughts on 'sci fi' explainations... i had a few i was comming up with, but i'm not that great at faking 'realistic' explainations... just bs-ing them... oh well... thanks qm! p.s. question man? dude, that 'anime characters' link... thanks a bunch, there is stats on a character there that could very well help me retool my character in the fantasy game... bolt crank... i just love that character and was inspired by him in the past... and the past is doomed (?) to repeat itself... hahaha {edit}after looking at that wikipidia on 'kabuto' i realized that you did provide me with some sci fi explanations... well, for the finisher at least... now if i had a way to explain the henshin itself. oh... and by the way, for those not in the know, i forgot to explain before. 'henshin' is japanese for 'transform'... hence the slapping of the forehead...

the noob returns with yet another question! (boy i can be a pest when i want... and many times when i don't mean to...) okay, here's the deal. one of the other guys in our gaming group is setting up a scifi game after we finish our hi-fantasy ish one we're doing right now (yeah, the one that i'm playing the sword 'eater'... long story, something for later). anyhoo, so i was watching 'kamen rider kabuto' the other morning and i got to thinking... 'why not play a character that over the course of the game creates such a power set up?' so i'm at a dilemma... you see... i am a newb. it's that simple. if i understood the system and all it's ins and outs better, i'd figure it out myself... but the damn book reads like a text book from high school... i mean, i'm fine once i have a direction and all, but right now it's all greek to me. so basically the help i need is this... a) possible builds (reguardless of point totals, it's non issue at this point because it's where i'm aiming, not where i'm starting) for powers similar to these that i picked up from the show: 'henshin': basically the calling of the armor. (i'm sure this would be the easiest part. i'm probibly blind and the answer is right in front of me...) 'cast off': shedding of the 'armor' attribute in favor of better speed as well as access to certain powers. 'clock up': i'm guessing an 'aid' to speed, but the basic idea is that for a limited amount of time, the character will be able to act on a much high speed... like i said, i'm guessing a form of aid. however, if there are other possible ways, i'd love to know. 'rider kick': this for me is the easiest, as it's pretty much a straight forward hand to hand killing attack... but any thoughts on it would be a very big help. and of course any thoughts on how the armor itself should be built would be great too. the other thing... or 'b)' if you will, is possible scifi ways of explaining it... the closer to reality, or at least realisistic sounding, the better. ... ... ... now of course, many of you are like 'kamen rider wha?' (wtf mate and all that)... so for your viewing pleasure, i'm providing a link so you can see kabuto in action. kamen (masked) rider kabuto eps 2 part 2 sorry, it's in japanese, but it's subbed... the part that's important is in the last 3 minutes of the clip. {edit} also, this is a battle full of the 'clock up' (a power i'm probably going to go for at some point) and ends with the 'rider kick... again, sorry for the japanese of it all... kamen rider kabuto eps 2 part 3 while i admit to the disire to rip this directly for the game, these powers and the way they 'look' are n'tnessasarilly what they will look like in the final product. i'm just looking for possible builds and ways of explaining how it could work. it'll help me learn more tricks of the system (much easier to learn if it's something you can picture/understand/relate to). (if i do take it straigh, i've got a plausible excuse. as far as we've been told thus far, it's a future earth that we're starting from... or at least next to... "i fell in love with this 21st century media program, and it's always been an insperation to me...") yes, i do realize that this probibly would be more appropriate for the champions thread, but i'm looking for a specifically sci fi angle, so i thought i'd stick this here where those of that kinda thought process would see it that much faster well, thanks for any help...

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat that one was practically from the begining, but i just have to go with that one... after this i'll get up to date and put something for the current 'scene'...maybe... anyhoo: "hi officer, how's the wife and my kids?"

Re: time, phases, segments, and 'ticks'... (forgive the double post, but this was something that felt better seprate from my last) gojira, thanks for the link... i'm going through it right now. neat stuff. comics... funny, being an aspiring mangaka, you'd think that i would think of that before fft... oh well. oh and, 'oi' back... it's so nice to be welcomed!

Re: time, phases, segments, and 'ticks'... oh i do, that's were it gets even weirder... a grand daiklave, a weapon so heavy that you have to be on the better end of strength (3... it's not much unless physical isn't your prime) has a rate of 3, while a great sword (which is more like a really long short sword in the hands of the same character) has a rate of 2. without charms, you can only swing a great sword twice, and the gdk 3 times...

Re: [Mahou Sensei Negima] Pacto- Transform or Multipower? i think the way it works in the anime is that it's one at a time... but i'm not that far in it yet (bro dl the whole seaon...), but i have read the manga to the point where asuna and nodoka have made pactos with negi (and they just got back from kyoto, i believe... i think that puts me at about book eight). i think what your looking at is two powers here, because pacto is the making of the contract... while the contract itself is what gives the girls their powers. sadly i'm not too good with the system yet... but from what little i know, i'd say the pacto itself would be some form of 'summon' (with the sfx of 'summons power into the girl', or something like that)... but i think i would agree with the 'transform' the contract itself. though i don't agree about the skill roll. it the pacto that can fail, not the contract, but if the pacto is not done right you still get a 'card' and a contract, it just has a lot less power then a full contract (the partial pacto has this cute chibi pic of the girl in question, while the full pacto you get a shot of just how awesome the girl could be). so yeah, skill roll with the pacto. as for the contract; perhaps if there where some kind of variable charge, after all, negi could decide the length of time the girl's powers where active. where the cost of point would be concerned, you buy pacto once (it's a power your using on them), and buy each contract under a multipower (i don't think multiform would be appropriate, but then i'm still the n00b.) i just asked my brother if negi used more then one contract at a time, and he thinks he remembers that he did... so either way the multipower works... so i guess you better buy up a decent pool to start with. aside from that, i'm too noob at the moment to help much more... but i'll look some of this stuff up some more i post anything else i come up with...

this is more of an observation and less a question... when i first got into exalted (bear with me, this goes somewhere), it was a very easy system to get the hang of; but once second edition came out, i got a little confused... for battle time, they use 'ticks' that rely on your weapon speed (amongst other things) and can fluctuate your placement in the battle depending on what you do... a friend told me that white wolf lifted the idea off of hero... and i see that, to an extent, that's true. having been in battles in both types of games, i can say that ww was a least inspired by the idea (the execution is a bit different though... but that is not the point here)... what helped me figure out the 'tick' system of exalted2e, helps for hero's 12 seg system as well: final fantasy tactics. i'm not kidding. that game (and the many others after it, such as desgia) really helped me figure out the 'timing'. in both hero and exalted, a tick/segment is about a second... but when i was looking at how the action stacked up (i swing my grand daiklave at you, then i have to wait about 3 seconds to swing again... would make sense if i were a puny mortal, but the unconquered sun has made me a demi-god of sorts... i should be able to move a bit faster then that. or so was my thinking.) it felt sluggish to my mind... but then i remembered playing fft, and i realized that the system of turns was quite similar. i would try to elaborate on fft system... but i haven't played the darn thing in ages. i just remember the way the battles when. i guess the point is, rather then thinking of the segments as 'seconds' in any sense of the word (unless it's extremely, plot wise important), think of it as 12 rounds, and the phases on which you 'act' are you 'turn'. any segment that doesn't include an action on anyone's part just doesn't exist. thinking this way, at least to my mind, helps a lot. i'm still learning the system, but at least the 'timing' of it was pretty easy to get down once i saw how close the two (exalted and hero) were in this respect. ... i know i'm rambling... i know... i will ask a question: what kind of 'mind tricks' have you guys pulled on yourselves to help you learn the system? i would really love to know, as it might just help me. thanks for your time.

Re: Noob Combo Question: Absorb Weapons i was going to post that we did sorta figured out the absorb thing yesterday, but i had to jam out the door for work (missed the damn bus and somehow ended up an hour late... *sigh*) anyhoo, what we figured on is a bit of a tweaked out dispel... lets see here... "dispel hand killing attacks 15d6, reduced endurance (1/2 end; +1/4), trigger (activating the trigger is an action that takes no time, trigger resets automatically, immediately after it activates, character does not control activation of personal trigger; when hit with a bladed weapon; +3/4)(90 active points); no range (-1/2), only works against bladed weapons (-1/4), attack must do body through armor (-1/4)" after the discounts, it's half price at 45... but the gm ruled that since he's done it before for more hasher (directly violent) and that he really like the idea (and i guess since i'm new... *shrugs* i'm only guessing on this one) he put a cost multiplier on it (0.333 cost) so in the end it's 15... i was willing to lose some of my other abilities instead, but he was okay with it... *shrugs again*. i mean, granted, i would have had to shave of 30 points on my character else where, but i guess if gm says, it goes. shrike, i did try to put together that 'combat luck' deal... came out five point more expensive then the dispel without the generosity of the gm (45 vs 50)... but thanks for rasing my awareness about that, i snaged a bit of it just for added protection (my character only has 10 body and little armor after that, though she is dex heavy. actually the funny thing is i had most of my character stat-ed out before they ran with the power deal, it was a kick to see them worry about whether or not i'd have anything but the powers i got... hehe, frenchy and the gm were like 'well we got the powers figured out now, but you won't be any good at anything else like using your swords'... that's when i pointed out that the first 100 points of my character was already spent. i just got rid of one low cost thing, something i could by back within the next couple of sessions, and got the combat luck.) the thing that really suprised me was the other powers they cooked up: first they set up a multipower- 37 point reserve, all slots 12 recoverable charges (recovers by absorbing weapons; +1/4) then under that is the ability to augment : killing attack -hth 1 1/2d6, variable special effects (the claws and spurs thing... though i think they also set this up to be the 'unsheathing part of my power deal... if i'm reading it and remembering the conversation right... if not, i'm sure i can finagle the points needed to put it together... after all it's a part of a multipower, so buying the power itself costs less, right?)(+1/4) str min 10 (-1/2) then there was the 'aid', which will be use for the stat booster... also a healing power. i guess they saw the basic healing i had already got, moved it to the multipower list, pumped up from a 1d6 to a 3. but the thing i got a kick out of the most was the last power they figured out. a killing attack with a damage shield plus force field... a skin of blades... i was thinking about this power, but i never mentioned it. thought it would be a bit too much... but then i didn't know about the coolness of multipower... anyhoo, while most of what was mentioned we didn't use, i did help me get a better feel for the game and really helped to solidify the difference between a mechanic and an effect. this of course was the greater point of this thread... thanks a lot. (though i must say, thanks a lot shrike for the post(retro)cog. frenchy and the gm mentioned it, but we had run out of time and had to go to work before they could put it in... but i wasn't sure just what they were saying, but when i got home and read your post i was like 'ahhh, i get it'. thanks again) now i just have to finish writing up the backstory. quick side question, any of you guys know of http://entervoid.com? i had one character already on there (aria voidcraft, sadly dead.), but i can finally add this character (slightly moded of course) to the list. hey, um, how do you go about posting your character sheets here? anyhoo, again, thanks guys.

Re: a noob with a question. a dangerous combo... lets try that agian thanks guys. as far as the game goes, i was told to make a character with 75-75-50 (base points-disadds-exp)... basically i'm joining a game inprog. the good news is that i brought the idea past the gm, and he loved the idea. we had to scale back a bit on a lot of it though, but i was expecting that. it was actually kinda scary... yeasterday, when i brought up the idea, the guy that introduced me to hero (i wonder if he goes by the nick 'frenchman' here or by 'master of yoda'? i forgot to ask him.) and the gm flew with it... i mean, they went more indeepth then i was expecting (as in the discution between the two... i kinda sat on the side lines while rp jargon flew about like wind in a storm). the good news is that not only did we get the character built (for the most part), but that they even added an extra power: 'skin of blades'... basically a killing attack/force field where i form blades over my skin as a sort of 'offencive defence'... the kicker is that i had an idea for this but never mentioned it to anyone... i didn't think it would work without a lot of points... but they were able to put most of the powers as a multipower setup. the trouble still is the absorb thing... but moore on that later. i gotta get to work... damn! be back later.

first i'd like to say 'oi'. i'm a noob (to show how truly noobish i am, this was originally posted in the questions section... i'm still very noob at forums... yes, i'm a sad individual.), and need much learning; though i'm no stranger to the arts of rpg, i am very new to hero... please be gentle. anyhoo, i've got a bit of a quandry here. now mind you, this may not be for my first character or nothing... though i do hope. this is more of a bit of stretching out with in the confines of a new system. well, it's more like i got a really neat idea from a character i'm making for entervoid, and just wanted to see how it would work. basically there are about three versions for this idea, one i've mostly sketched out but have found to be a bit (make that really) too powerful. i guess a good idea would be to give you a basic out line of the special effect first: the idea i had was a character that would be a sort of master of melee... but not the usual sort. first off, she would be able to actually speak with weapons of any sort. also, she would possess the power to absorb weapons into her body, after which she could do a few tweeky things. 1) bring the weapon back out of her body and use it. 2) use the weapon to directly mod her body (if a sword was absorbed, she could use the materials to form claws and elbow spurs). 3) at the expence of the weapon, agument her form (raise stats temporally). well... more or less. we (me and the guy that introduced me to the game) figured out pretty much everything for it (i won't go to much into it cause it's the third version i want some help on). one pro was that she could be attacked with any give melee weapon and instantly take it into her body (we figured out a tricked out dispel linked with a force wall as she would take no damage...), though the con was that this ability would only work for melee (any ranged, bare handed, or magical attack would still work), but that power over all was a bit much. (yeah, i know someone out there is calling munchkin on me. i won't argue... cause it is. or at least it's a power for much later in the game.) the second idea was basically, but the absorbtion ability would be limited to bladed weapons. the third idea i had was again the same for the most part... but with a limit on how many weapons could be stored (though whether it should be by weight, quantity, or both i'm not sure.) oh, a note on the weapon speach. i still want to stick with the original idea of being able to talk to any thing that is classified as a weapon (even butterknives or anyother thing that was every use as a weapon. or at least that was one idea that i had). coupling with the third idea, the character would have a greater affinity for bladed weapons (if you think of it in terms of languages, then 'blades' would be her first language, while all others would be secondary. or at least thats one way that helped me paint a clearer picture for my friend.) oh great gurus of the heroic page, enlighten me with your wonderous wisedom and guide me on the path of character creation oneness. draw me out of the shadows off noobdom and into the light of the d6 of coolness... ... ... or something like that.