mrinku

This might be a 6e rule, but you can't voluntarily lower your speed below 2. (CC p 137) There's also a rule that all noncombat stuff is assumed to be done at SPD 2 by default (which might be 5e, but I didn't encounter until CC), though you can act at higher SPD if needed. SPD is mainly part of the tactical combat side of the game; once you shift to noncombat it does make sense not to bother with it. Lowering speed to reduce END expenditure is valid. In effect it's for the same reason you can lower your SPD to help survive while drowning. There's also the concept of "cruising speed" which is typically the most efficient combination of fuel expenditure and distance travelled for a vehicle. In HERO terms, the SPD where your REC covers your END expenditure can be considered a character's "cruising speed".

Personally I'd probably just buy 2pt CSLs with Cover. The Idea of a Lock On doesn't preclude aborting the process once lock on is achieved.

One potential Social Complication might be some variation on Public Identity. That's not required - if his existence as the Two Dimensional Man is not widely known, it's not appropriate. Essentially, if his condition hampers him socially he should take it.

If it's really just visual, I'd go with Striking Appearance/Distinctive Features. The 2D effect could be a done as DCV with a limitation that varies the value based on the viewing angle (maybe +4 DCV from the side, +0 DCV from front or back and +2 DCV from other angles?) Reputation and Social Complication might also be of use, depending on how people react.

So adjust the cost of the CSLs to ones you CAN put limitations on.

The other problem with AoE is that the target can abort to dive for cover to completely evade the area of effect, while against a direct attack they would actually need to get behind cover for it to matter. You can work around that by targeting the character directly, but then it's normal OCV vs DCV to hit them (and usually a much higher chance of inconvenient scatter). So it usually doesn't simulate a super accurate attack as well as the same points spent increasing OCV.

AoE Radius 2m is the 6e equivalent. Instead of buying a cheaper advantage, you spend less points on the AoE size. And while not autohit, it will scatter if you miss, which may not be what was desired. It will also hit anyone very close to the target (i.e. a hostage) and can't usually be used to make placed shots. Dunno of anyone's mentioned it, but Brace goes well with Cover, too. If you have lead time, Brace and Set work well from ambush.

Cover can be evaded if the target gets a distraction *and* then succeeds in a DEX vs DEX roll with the attacker. CC p 153, but it's been always been a part of the Cover rule. What counts as a distraction is situational, of course. (Butch Covers Luke and makes his attack roll) "Freeze ya varmit! I got yer covered!" "Damn! Don't shoot, Marshal!" (Suddenly, Miss Lucy runs out of the saloon, screaming. Luke attempts to break Butch's Cover) (DEX vs DEX rolls, Luke wins and Butch loses his Cover) "Wha...hey!!!"

No Range should be enough. The special effect of it being a bite rather than a punch or kick isn't really worth anything IMHO.

Both still need a to hit roll and can scatter. As others have pointed out, the Covered mechanic is actually what the OP is describing anyway, regardless of buying stuff to enhance it or not. Covered can be evaded with a distraction and a DEX roll off, so try this idea for a lock on power that helps avoid distractions: Lock On: +5 to DEX rolls (10 pts) only for Cover Maneuver (-1), 5pts You could add in some CSLs to increase accuracy too if you like, as Lucius has said.

If you're actually looking at a major ability makeover that you need to be back at base to perform, Multiform with most stuff staying the same might really be what you're after anyway, and can be more flexible than just a skill pool would allow. Kung Fu mode, Scientist Mode, Acrobat Mode, Ace Pilot/Driver mode etc.

There's plenty of examples in fiction of this sort of thing, it's mainly a matter of working out what it is you're really wanting and selling it to the GM. In the case of Neo - I don't recall him ever forgetting Kung Fu, so he's more likely a case of spending XP on the fly. In fact, if you were to actually run The Matrix, you could tell the players they were playing a low power, modern day campaign and to design regular guys that might need to get involved in "something" later on. Then, once the big reveal happens, start handing out XP like candy until they get to the actual point values you had in mind all along. Changing skills back at base is definitely something that you see sometimes and it's likely to be okay.

Thing is with Deadly Blow is that a 90 pound weakling would get the same deal as Hercules, so it's not really what was asked for. Deadly Blow represents really good shot placement, not sheer force. Edit: just realised you added STR limit on it. So I guess... seems simpler just to work with the base powers that Deadly Blow is actually built from, though.

One of the usual reasons is the previously mentioned actors' fees. They need to employ them again to promote the films. And flying them and their people around the world to do so gets real expensive real quick, even if the promotional work is counted in their original salary. In the specific case of Justice League, it's probably more important for them to have a hit than to make a profit.

Yeah, Mega Range is a separate purchase to Mega Area... what's less clear is the scale of an AoE scatter (normally 2m per point missed by). Should that scale up with the range or the area? Either? Neither? I tend to go with it using the same scale as the area, otherwise Mega Area is a little *too* accurate. at close range it doesn't much matter because of the cap on scatter being half the distance. Whether a 1km radius AoE scatters 2m or 2km per point missed by, if you're 100m away from the target the maximum scatter distance is still going to be 50m and everyone is going to be within the area of effect.

I think the GM is also mistaken about the characters overlapping. You're going to actually buy Dexterity and Speed, while Metamorph Guy is using Aid to boost those? He's vulnerable to Dispel, and has to burn phases to build those up and keep those powered up - you don't. If you both end up with Clinging, it's not exactly going to cramp your style any more than if you both had Flight, or were both brawlers. Probably you'll both have different Complications. Chameleon Boy is another character who fits his concept, possibly closer than the others: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reep_Daggle

Darkness stops you sensing through it, and this is affecting the target's surface, so while it will block Telepathy, they can still think. Which may not actually be a good thing, frankly. Not sure if it should affect taste while the mouth is shut, but that's a pretty minor issue. Also not sure you can purchase a blanket Darkness vs Detect, since various Detects may belong to other sense groups or even be their own group, depending on special effect. Penetrative senses might also be able to defeat it, depending on special effects and what that Darkness is made of, and Indirect senses may give another out. So yep. A sensory deprivation tank effect. They DO exist in real life, mate. The crude and cheap version is solitary confinement with the lights out.

Justice League still hasn't reached its break even point, taking into account promotional costs (it's estimated as needing to make $600-750 million). It's great that the movie isn't an outright dog, but it's still struggling at the box office, and Star Wars is about to cut into that. On a brighter note, NOT being a dog will likely mean they get over the line on post-theatre takings.

Stick to your guns. The guy has two basic options - lots of powers, justified by the "total body control" special effect, which are going to eat up points like crazy if they're all in play at once OR being able to choose what he's good at right now through a variable Power Framework (Multipower/VPP). Some characters from the comics that operate in the latter mode are Ultra Boy, Metamorpho, Beast Boy and Plastic Man. Ultra Boy has all of Superboy's powers - but only one at a time. Beast Boy can turn into any animal - but has to accept everything that goes with the chosen form (Mind you, being able to change into a bird to get height and then turning into an elephant to drop on someone is pretty good...)

..but apparently not in the usual sense. As far as the character goes, I'd think about various skills/powers to determine a threat's weaknesses, even up to Armour Piercing/Penetrating as independent advantages. Maybe even something that Affects Desolid (for ghosts and the like).

For thrown weapons, Range Based on STR is also an option. As a general comment, I'd avoid this for bows. It really does not make sense - the draw of a bow is pretty much fixed to the arrow length and largely baked into the design. You can underdraw it for less damage (which the "STR Min cannot add damage" covers nicely). In the event a player wants to try using a bow with a longer arrow and overdrawing it, I'd allow it as a makeshift solution, but definitely impose a higher chance of breaking the bow and apply an OCV penalty. For a designed bow just take the appropriate DC RKA+STR Min in the first place. It's certainly realistic to construct a powerful bow that only Heroic Strength can draw. One caveat - magical effects could allow it, and I'm fine with that. It's also possible that you could have the effect through technology... for example a "bow" that uses some other way to store muscle energy than deforming a spring (maybe electromagnetism) and/or which then propels a missile indirectly. HKA+Ranged works well for a long range thrown weapon (javelin, boomerang, magic hammer etc), though.

You normally can't place Skills in a Power Framework because they're considered Special Powers. But if the GM decides this is they way they want to run such an effect, it's up to them. However, it is possible to get the effect of switchable skills using Lockout on the skills in question. A lot is going to depend on the setting. In some cases what you're looking at is just purchasable equipment. But for the most part, if you add a skill, you pay the points. Being in the Matrix, or having a computer brain might be the excuse to be able to instantly learn a new skill (by spending the CP) without having to train or study, though. (How do you know Neo didn't have 10CP handy to learn Kung Fu with? )

The key difference between breaking the focus with an attack and disabling it with a Dispel is that you can expect to have the Dispelled focus back up and running in short order, possibly even in that combat, assuming the right skills and circumstances. It's also not a REQUIREMENT that a Dispel breaks anything. By defining it that way you're making it more effective against Breakable Foci, but ineffective against Unbreakable ones and non-focus powers. Most likely a "breaks small objects" Dispel is going to need a scope limitation (i.e only vs Breakable Foci). A more general Dispel special effect (i.e. magically switching off powers) is more generally useful.

Pick your Western. Quite a lot of them don't have any Native Americans, and Hispanics are often done okay. I'd definitely suggest High Noon (1952), Shane (1953), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Magnificent Seven (1960) and pretty much any of the spaghetti westerns (all through the 1960s, but the Eastwood ones start from 1964). Paint Your Wagon (1969) is okay - a little bit of mild Mormon baiting and the morbid fascination of hearing Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood sing. Films about the various gangs and gunfighters (i.e. the various Gunfights at the OK Corral) also tend to be white-on-white and avoid the issue. Also, if the Native Americans in question are there as scenery extras, like townsfolk, it doesn't much bother me so much. Even if there's a fight... a bunch of warriors taking a swipe at a wagon train isn't racist, it's historical. Never much took to John Wayne. He's good as the arrogant bigot in The Searchers (and as has been pointed out above, this was the role. It's not casual racism, but actively making the point about how evil it can be. If you think he's the hero of the film, you're missing the point), as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit and as an old gunfighter dying of cancer in The Shootist, filmed when he was actually dying of cancer. I grew up on old westerns, but by the time I'd actually grown up, Clint Eastwood was the man, not Wayne.

He had hair? Ever? He took his hat off, is all.