mrinku

Well, that works too. It's really just how you want to spend the points. Indirect isn't going to be needed for a lot of targets (i.e. there is a direct line, or in HtH). I'd rather use Bounce and CSLs; when not bouncing you can use them for OCV or DCV, or to increase damage (at 2 per DC). As a thought... you can use CSLs to offset reducing your DC when Spreading. So Cap can even hit two mooks at full power with two CSLs used that way.

I apologise if my reading of the rules on STR based on Range is at odds with 6e proper - I don't actually have that and am using Champions Complete, which does leave out and simplify some things. That's cool. All you need to do in that case is replace HA with Blast of a desired power level, or have a normal HA and use the throwing rules, with Bounce to get it back to his hand. I'd probably go with Blast because he uses it like that so much. eg 8d6 Blast (40) +2 CSL with Strike, Block and Bounce (6); Range Based on STR (-1/4), OIF Indestructible Shield (-1/2); 26 points. You could add 1 recoverable charge, but I tend to go with NOT having the shield being more of a special effect or plot point for Cap - easily handled through OIF, just as I feel OIF works better than OAF. But for some other shield slinging character who loses their toy more often, those would work. Obviously you might want to add in rPD/rED, Deflection, Reflection, Barrier and so forth (even Stretching). Those DO provide effects that are commonly seen, though you can't judge from a comic or movie if it was done through Block, barrier or regular defenses. My aim was to demonstrate that you can get by with a minimalist approach.

Bank robbery is a classic for an introduction to combat scenario. Players on patrol or doing banking in civilian ID. Can be as totally unbalanced as you wish, even down to less than one robber per hero if you like.

No, you're simply NOT ALLOWED to use continuing charges with an Instant power. You have to change the power to Continuous (+1/2) first. But Time Limit is allowed to be used with Instant powers, quite specifically. Ah, I see what you mean by "7 points" now. Yes. That is indeed how it works out. Conversely, that set of modfiers (+3/4, -1 3/4) would allow a 3D6 HKA instead for 29 points. It's all very well to dismiss the difference as a mere 7 points, but that was still a sizable fraction of the total cost (i.e. one quarter prior to rounding). As far as comparing Time Limit to a specified number of charges... which is better for a given characters actually depends on how many times they will be attacking. Obviously Speed matters a great deal, but so does the Multiple Attack maneuver and the Autofire advantage. A +3/4 advantage (Time Limit 1 minute on an Instant power) is equivalent to 125 charges, which is 25 charges per turn over that timeframe. For most practical purposes (except very fast SPD characters with Autofire) that is indeed the same thing as unlimited use - even SPD 12 only gets 60 phases a minute.

Who is to say that St Petersburg wasn't the intended target? Only timely intervention by Edwardian heroes against the dastardly Asteroid Ray of Comrade Chaos enabled them to deflect the perilous projectile into an area where it would do no harm! And you could always shift that sideways so that Comrade Chaos was a time-travelling menace, if you want contemporary heroes on the scene.

HA specifically can't take Ranged, but Range Based on STR is a different advantage and is allowed for HA.

Chris's system protects low speed characters with the ability to opt out and burn a segment after segment 6, if I understand it right. So the dice don't fully dictate the proceedings. My concern with it is a similar to that levelled at my original ideas, in that it sets up a highly likely run of actions early in the turn when the speed difference is wider. I could see it being particularly useful for combats where the speeds were at the higher end of the scale (say 6 to 9) to mix it up amongst the fast set. I don't think it would work so well for a low end range such as you would see in a Heroic campaign. But with SPD 2-4 maybe you could use 1D6 and less segments?

"Accessible" doesn't always mean "hand held" or "unattached" either. There's a basic distinction between inaccessible powers that are built in to a suit and are protected by its defences and accessible ones that are not. So you might have one guy with Radar bought as OIF that would require you to target the suit itself to destroy it, while another character might have bought it as OAF with a big antenna dish that could be targeted and more easily destroyed. Externally mounted missiles as opposed to an internal missile bay is a real world example.

Invaders From Below (1990) may hold a clue or two... And let's not forget Krakatoa 1883!

Hugh, a distinction here is that a continuing charge version will only affect one target per charge. Once it's taken out that target, any further attacks it can do are wasted. Also, if you happen to miss, that's it for that charge. The Time Limit version allows you to attack multiple targets over the period of a minute (5 whole turns) and any misses don't affect trying again next phase. However, a big point you've missed is that Continuing Charges can ONLY be applied to Constant and Persistant powers, as per the Charges Table, so you have to make the power Constant first, a +1/2 advantage. Time Limit can be applied to Constant powers, but that's not the effect that was wanted. You need to compare the cost of a regular 3 charge HKA with that of Time Limit applied to an Instant power version. At that point the higher point cost of the latter becomes obvious. I'm a little unsure about what you mean about "For 7 points, you could have a 2d6 HKA available all the time." Is that taking 1 charge per day and a Time Limit of One day or something? Because I get Time Limit One Day (+2) and Once a Day (-2) balancing out on that. Costs END makes the final cost 26 points for a direct comparison to the 2D6 HKA, but if it gets Dispelled you totally lose it until tomorrow, which seems fair for saving 4 points over a regular version.

Hugh, a card deck appproach is a solid idea, though random chance being what it is you'll end up with streaks, and it will run radically different. Christopher, I can also see issues because of the bell curve with that one. EDIT: Actually a non-shuffled deck of cards might not be a bad solution. A basic version would have a card for each speed's phases, placed in the order that they occur in the Turn. At the start of combat you exclude the cards for speeds not present (and this does usually stay pretty constant with a particular group). A fancy version would have one for each character or mook group so that you can also place them in DEX order. Turn them over one at a time and resolve the phase, making sure you keep them in order, then do the same thing next turn. Hmm. Actually the simplest version would only need 12 cards, with each segments' phasing speeds written on it. Surely someone's thought of that before?

He doesn't. The GM has no obligation to telegraph that to a player. eg. Grenadier throws a bomb in front of Captain Shield, who aborts to block it by crouching behind his shield. If it happens to be HE or bright light Flash he should be okay. But if it's nerve gas, he may be in trouble, and if it's smoke he's just wasted a phase. @Hyper-Man, if you want another trick to add, I've seen Cap clamp the shield over an explosive to protect everyone. But honestly, everyone is meant to be able to do clever things with their powers with GM permission. That one in particular could be Dive for Cover to protect someone else (RAW). Any character with sufficient defences can get away with the throwing themselves on a grenade thing, after all.

You could try using Summon, with appropriate limitations, such that the object is summoned for a fixed time period and can only be called so many times a day. That feels right for a magic sword, but possibly not for other powers. EDIT: Time Limit appears to be the modifier the OP needs. It specifically states that when applied to an instant power you only pay the END when the power is used during the time period specified. A 1 minute Time Limit on an Instant Power is a +3/4 advantage; applying that and 3 Charges (-1 1/4) gives: 2D6 HKA (30) 1 minute Time Limit (+3/4) = 52, 3 charges to activate (-1 1/4) = 23 points ... which DOES feel about right. Because the charges are to activate the power and END must paid normally, it all seems to click. For the "Electronux" effect where you *don't* want to spend END, buy it to 0END (+1/2) for 30 points EDIT: On reflection I think buying it with normal charges probably does make it 0 END all the way through the Time Limit, aside from STR END. So if you want to do it with a power that DOES cost end to use, apply the "Costs Endurance" modifier (-1/2 for normal END).

Always a good origin hook for Russian characters. Could also be THE event that was responsible for the emergence of super powers, or a secret early nuclear device.

There are limits to the motif. I'm afraid only a third of all gimmicks will work out that way That's Cap's miniature in my profile picture, by the way. Orange spandex top with three ringed gold cuffs and a yellow "3" on the chest, edged in black to make it pop. Orange pants tucked into black buccaneer boots and black belt with square gold buckle. Yellow cape with the trailing edge cut in a zigzag so there are three parts (this is something you could actually do in City o Heroes!). Black domino mask, bronze red hair cut in a flat-top. But you've engaged me now, so I must continue with the rant... Thurston Thirgoood the Third, third richest man in Jefferson City was an Olympic bronze medalist in Triple Jump and Triathlon (and former US Army Captain, 3rd Infantry Division, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Battallion, Company C. Captain is of course pay grade O3...) but disaster struck when his mutant powers to control Newton's 3rd Law manifested and he was barred from competition. Following depression and a major breakdown he decided to rebuild his life fighting crime, his third career after the Army and Sport. The trauma has left him a little unhinged and he habitually speaks in the third person. Operating from his secret HQ, the Third Estate, located on 3rd Avenue and 33rd Street, and leading a loose collection of like minded allies (the Third Party), Cap has reduced Jefferson City crime by at least a third. His crime computer is built from third party components, and naturally runs Linux. Quote: "Third time's the charm!" The powers revolve around Newton's Third Law, the one about actions having an equal an opposite reaction. But not for Captain Third, Master of Action! Basically he ends up as a Force energy projector who gets around by leaping. I still haven't gotten around to doing his Champions build (his original version was City of Heroes, though there is a quite nice DCUO version of him and Captain Thirde in Pirates of the Burning Sea) but I'm thinking some absorption would work well.

An auxiliary problem for Power Suits with secret IDs is getting from civilian mode to hero mode. Movie Iron Man has no problem here since he's Public ID and it's set up so his suit comes to him, but that plot point was often used back in the Silver Age. Mind you, they can make things easier, too. Even in the 80's, no one knew Tony Stark was Iron Man, even other Avengers. Rhodey stepped in to fill Tony's boots when he fell into the bottle and no-one really caught on.

How potentially abusive it can get vs the standard chart is pretty sensitive to the relative speeds in question. Within a speed range of two it's not too bad. I'm starting to think the idea may have it's best use in Heroic campaigns where the speed range is typically 2-4, though a hero fight with everyone in the 5-7 range doesn't go too bad, and 3-6 works when you're just phoning it in against a bunch of mooks. If the low speed enemies are numerous, it will also mitigate the effect a little. As well, if the particular fight involves everyone beating up on similar speed opposite numbers I can see it working okay. When Robin yells "Titans, switch targets!" you can go back to the regular speed chart Thanks for the feedback, guys!

It doesn't. THAT's the point. The special effect of the Flash in question (bright light, tear gas, hypnotic suggestion, poke in the eye etc) always needs to be taken into account, just like it has to be for any power. That's been a core concept in HERO right back to 1st edition Champions. Also, both those types of flash should bypass normal Flash Defense. Tear gas is usually NND (vs Life support, +1 advantage) and mental paralyisis would be AVAD (Mental Defense), though as Flash and Mental are the same level of rarity, that one is cost neutral. If the Special Effect provides too good a benefit, it needs points spent. Likewise if a drawback is too common, it's worth a limitation. And keep in mind ANY block of a ranged attack is at the GM's discretion. Sometimes using the shield or turning to look away from an incoming Flash is usually going to require some warning of it. An OAF flash grenade would be no real surprise, but a sudden beam of light from a character that had never done that before would be. I'd let Cap abort to block the former (either hiding behind the shield or by deflecting it) but not the latter. In any case, the flash defense one is a side issue to my main point, which was that the existing rules for Spreading, Blocking and Bouncing backed up by Martial Arts and CSLs can cover Cap's shield use without the use of messy multipowers.

3e also had sci-fi (Star Hero), though that came back in 5e. I think Mythic Greece, Vikings and Robin Hood are unique to 3e as well. The spy genre also seemed to peter out after 3e. Espionage! was the only 2e genre book, with Danger International in 3e (man, that was a GOOD book). Dark Champions appears to have filled in that role, but surely there is room for a spyfi genre book of its own?

Surprised no one has yet mentioned the rule for Bouncing attacks. That's how I used to do it for a character with shield flinging back in the day - give them a bunch of combat skill levels with the EB and let them bounce it off a wall, off the target and back to their hand (for an OAF version). An AE to simulate talking out multiple mooks with one throw (as per the Questonite Shield in CC) just seems overkill IMHO. Spreading the Blast works fine for that. The special effect that allows spreading of a ranged attack in this case is quite clear. Likewise, the "cover your eyes" part of that multipower is just plain silly. Doesn't everyone have that "power" against regular sight flash attacks they're alerted to? Definitely a case of special effects are all you need to deal with the situation. Or should we now be buying our flash grenades with the limitation "not if the target is looking in the other direction or is blind -1/2"? And now that Blocking covers missile deflection, I'm not even convinced you need armour for it at all. Try this simple approach: +4d6 HA, Range Based on STR (+1/4) Hand to Hand Attack (-1/4), OIF Unbreakable (-1/2). 14 points. The special effect of it being a perfectly balanced indestructable disk covers Bouncing, Spreading to hit multiple targets and Blocking any attack, ranged or otherwise. Likewise, you can't normally block an AE unless the GM agrees the special effects allow it. In this case it would make sense to allow Cap to Block a directional Flash as well as a hail of flechettes moving towards him by crouching behind the shield, but a gas attack, telekinetic grab or such would be unblockable. Combat Skill Levels and Martial Arts with the shield as a weapons element pretty much cover what I see Cap doing in combat. Martial Block and Dodge are a given, but an Offensive Strike coming in at STR+8d6 is pretty hefty. EDIT: You could buy some CSLs as part of the shield itself, too, to represent just how perfect a throwing weapon it is. Mostly it's Cap, though. Winter Soldier won't be as good with it if he catches it (Held Grab, allowed for because of his metal arm. The special effect of it being a thrown shield doesn't ALWAYS work in Cap's favour...)

Well played, sir!

Since he's primarily aquatic, I'd buy the Active Sonar from an underwater perspective and pitch for reduced effectiveness in air. Telescopic (only underwater, probably -1/2 since he'll be using it there a lot) feels about right. Using the rule of thumb that sonar is about four times faster under water than in air, +4 Telescopic works for me (offseting two range doublings). If you feel it should be eight times better, buy it to +6. Don't be concerned about "that makes sonar better than sight!". It doesn't. Sonar will allow targetting and let you know how far away, how large and what it sounds like, but not much else. Sight often doesn't even need to make a detect roll... you can *see* that airliner plunging towards the ground 5,000 metres away, even if it's out of range of your powers and the range mod is too large for you to make a targeting roll. Underwater, sonar should be better than sight. At combat ranges the speed difference between sound and light will not matter in air OR water, even for a SPD12 character, let alone one that takes 2-3 seconds to act.

Hmm... if the situation only comes up now and then (i.e. a land based superhero with a Bat motif that uses active sonar finds himself underwater) it falls under "environmental conditions" IMHO. His sonar gets a boost while his sight gets a penalty. And that assumes his special effect allows it to be used at all. If underwater is a common situation, points would need to be spent. Aquaman, who is based underwater, would definitely need to shell out for telescopic sonar only while underwater, or alternatively if he has regular active sonar while swimming, he should suffer a penalty when sucking air. Something like a submarine just buys the sense normally.

I'd disagree somewhat with you about there just being three situations, Durzan, though I fully agree that it's a binary thing and of course there no points if they never lose the toy. Megavillians are a bad example though as they are really already in the zone of "whatever the GM requires for the plot" for the most part. You can build them however you need to and ignore the build accounting altogether if you wish. And although DD's armour hasn't been a focus since 3rd edition, his gadget pool does supply him with toys that are. There is however, the midddle ground between Mook and Master Villain in the enemy meant to go one-on-one with a PC in a technically fair fight. It's common for those to be built a bit hard for a PC to handle at first but with a major weakness for them to work out, and Foci are often used for that. Or they may have a focus that is handy, but not essential (Deathstroke is a good example there. He can be occasionally disarmed, but hardly needs his sword or staff to keep fighting and can easily replace them).

Per 6 hours according to CC, but still a great deal!