eternal_sage

i know that most people here are not going to be Spawn fans, and thats cool. however, since his powers are so... weird, i need a little help modeling them in HERO. oh, and i'm trying to build him back in the day, nothing past issue 75 (or whatever issue he makes the deal with Greenworld in, if thats not it. i can never remember crap like that). for those of you not familar with Spawn and/or his powers, he is filled with Nercroplasm (actually made of it, but whatever) which lets him basically do anything he desires, from blast energy to make himself extremely dense, even teleport and fly. the drawback is he only has a limited amount of Nercoplasmic energy (it started at 9:9:9:9, and it counts down for each useage of power, but its never obvious how much is require for any given act, and what the places actually mean). when it hits 0:0:0:0 he "dies" and goes back to Hell, stripped of his free will and forced to fight alongside Hell's armies. obviously, its a VPP. thats obvious. now, what would the other things be? charges? a linked END reserve with 0 REC? something else i haven't thought of? btw this is for a character who is Spawn like, in that he has a certain power source and a limited amount of it, and nearly unlimited uses, but has nothing to do with Heaven/Hell, and is actually a little more like Green Lantern. anyway. i appriciate any help you guys can give!

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] i was just figuring that Boron's is kinda like augmentation (or at least both augmentation and Boron's change the fundamental biochemistry of a body) just arguing semantics for no real reason.

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] i believe he had MK V in Halo 1, actually. and as for Sgt. Johnson being a Spartan I, there is only one peice of substantial evidence, and it is from the graphic novel (the first one, not the new one) in which the background is something of an except of the conversation between 2 people looking for information on a AJ not having BS but maybe being a 1. There is also information about Dr. Halsey(sp?) and a REALLY high level security clearance. but what they find (records or whatever) indicate that AJ is in fact a 1. of course, they don't say who AJ is, or what BS or a 1 is, but its pretty obvious from the context, in mine and many others opinions. there is a bit about it under Johnson's entry in Halopedia, but don't look if you haven't finished 3, as there are likely to be spoilers, where he is a major character and all. actually, since i'm fairly sure you haven't finished it, its safer this way. this is the relevant data from Sgt. Johnson's page: Johnson, a Spartan-I? Main Article: Halo Graphic Novel Pg122 In the Halo Graphic Novel, on pg 122, reveals that he was involved in Project: ORION, the Spartan-I program.[1] This would make him over 60 years old, possibly even 70. This would mean that either Spartans can live longer without aging, or people generally live longer in the future. Another possibility is that Johnson has accumulated a total of several years spent frozen in cryo-chambers during missions requiring long periods of time traveling through Slipspace, thus keeping him physically younger than he actually is or he could be the child of a Spartan-I with the same name. Any or all of these conditions may be have contributed to Sgt. Johnson physically appearing younger than he actually is. Also, his supposed "Boren's Syndrome" may be part of an ONI Section III black op to cover up the fact that he is possibly a SPARTAN-I. This is made possible on pg 122 in the Graphic Novel, most notably with the hard copy of the query from Dr. Catherine Halsey to the ONI server from the Gettysburg. Johnson also whistled "Oly Oly Oxen Free" to a group of SPARTANs, which also contributes as a lead of him being a SPARTAN. However, only SPARTAN IIs and a select few outsiders know the all clear signal, which Deja told them when they were children. there is also this page, which has a breakdown: http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Halo_Graphic_Novel_Pg122 now, its cannonocity (is that even a word? is now!) is subject to debate, as it is never explicitly stated, although the source makes it somewhat obvious. there is also the factor of it being in the graphic novel, which is supposed to be cannon, at least on the level of the novels. so its placement is arguable. but i'll likely just do that to my home campaign world, as i like that better.

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] personally, i would look at 3 as a series of "best case scenarios" in regards to flood infection. i think the fact that they keep speeding up the timeline for it is a little silly. so i think your current version is fine, really, and i will slow it down for my personal games to take much longer. in reality, there are a lot of biological changes that must occur to create a combat form for something else, and those would take tremendous time (i will be bumping it up to several hours at the least, for my personal games). it really comes down to the fact that Halo and HERO are different types of games. what works for one does not work in another. to actually get it in 7 seconds it would have to transform across 7 segments, not neccessarily just the phases it actually gets, which doesn't really work out that well. i'd say leave it a 7 phases onn which it can act, and leave it be, personally.

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] ah, very true. i forgot about the doors, and that was just infection forms (as the combat forms only came later, and through the door you used to enter to begin with). scratch the STR argument, then. that sounds good at 0. everything else looks good, too, then, as far as i'm concerned. (and yea, i try and forget a lot about 2, because its by far the weakest in the series thus far, so i pretty much look to 1 and 3 as the guiding lights, and 2 is just for certain bits that don't show up in the others. i don't think it did ANYTHING better than either of the other 2, except move the story along, which, i may add, it does have a good one of those)

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] makes me happy! how will that do against a spartan's shields... or have you built that yet? on average across the games (on normal difficulty), i'd say a popping infection form and a plasma pistol (uncharged) are about the same. but thats completely from memory.

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] all the following are from Halopedia Infection Forms are extremely fragile, and easy to defeat by themselves, even exploding when near loud noises. Unfortunately, they are rarely encountered alone. The easiest weapons to use to destroy them are Assault Rifles, Shotguns, SMGs, and Grenades, as they usually move in swarms and one burst from these weapons can eliminate most of the swarm. If the victim does not have a shield engaged, the forms will latch on to them and attempt infection. In Halo 1, Infection forms appear in greater numbers, but chain react when destroyed, popping others nearby. This factor was removed in Halo 2 and their numbers were lowered to compensate. In Halo 3, they once more chain react and appear in large numbers.

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] yea, i used to (in 1) carry a shotgun and a pistol. fire off a pistol shot or 2, and BAM a whole swarm would be annihilated. also used to do this thing (in 1 and 2) where i would time it just right and melee a flying infection form, blowing up some of his buddies in the process. and to see it in action in 3, there is a really good place near the end, right before the big finale, when HORDES of the buggers are moving through the hallway towards you. a few shots into it, and they all go pop. and that was on heroic difficulty (working on legendary now, but only on the 2nd mission). i'll see if i can find some screencaps online. and i'm talking infection forms vs infection forms, not other flood types, just for the records. i imagine it does do some damage to other types (as it does do some to your shields, etc) but it should be neglegible at best for those types. again, Halo 1 is the best place to see it though, especially in the first Flood level (343 Guilty Spark) when they start pounding down the doors (after the cutscene flashback). fire off a shot or 2 as they swarm out the doors, and your see exactly what i mean.

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] the main point of my post though, was that they EXPLODE when they die, taking nearby friends with them. like you fire a single shot into a large mass of them, and they all die, because the explosions create a chain reaction. and i don't see that (iconic, imho) image represented in this build. thus the tiny explosion, which would kill them (if they had very little BODY, like 1) but still not be much against a shield (like in 1 and 2, they are a little stronger in 3, but luckily not as hell bent on infecting Chief)

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] more nitpicky than anything else. what about the theory that Johnson doesn't have Boron's disease, and that he's actually a SPARTAN I (which i find far more believable). also, it seems that 117 is immune to flood, so maybe it should be augmented creatures as the immunity. and what about the fact that energy shields pop them? and the fact that they exlplode their buddies when they pop (if they are close), which is also what lowers your shields when they jump on you (since running into grunts does not, trust me). i'd give them some sort of weird suceptibility to energy shield radiation, and a small explosion 1d6 killing attack, triggered, only upon death. oh, and i think 2 BODY is still to high. they explode with very little damage, and a 1d6 bullet still may not be enough to get them to the -2 BODY they need to actually die. 1 BODY would solve that, by cutting the threshold from 4 damage to 2, so that even a 1/2d6 attack had a chance of popping it. oh, and i'd sell the STR down to -20 or so, as i can't imagine them ever being able to lift a dagger, for instance (and i think a dagger is a -25 STR to lift so it may be able to go lower)

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] 14d6, average damage roll, maxed out knockback roll, would still leave you with 2 hexes of knock back. 7-8 on average. with double knockback, well, it gets to be quite crazy. killed a hunter with one and sent HIM FLYING through the air!! it was awesome. but i think its a knockback thing, not a TK thing.

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] HtH attack (for the base damage) with a linked EB Explosion (for the AWESOME knock people around effect). i killed a hunter with one of those, and it even sent IT flying through the air. it then landed on top of a blown up vehicle. which made a great pic, might i add.

Re: Urban Fantasy Recommendations C.E. Murphey - Urban Shaman (1st book in the series, the others are good too). a little historical glossing, police work is a bit fuzzy, but the character interaction is awesome, and her powers (and there origin) are sort of neat, as is her method of employing them. she is currently my wife's fave author at the moment. she also enjoys Patricia Briggs (Moon Called or Blood Bound), for a Laurel K Hamilton feel, without all the wanton....fornication. the Tanya Huff vampire books are also pretty good (Blood Pact would be a good start), but these are a little dated, as they along with Anne Rice sort of started the whole genre as it stands. as for movies, you can't forget: American Werewolf in London (or Paris), Underworld (1 and 2), and the Covenant. i (for my wife) would also strongly suggest looking at the new World of Darkness books (especially the Mage book) for an interesting game related spin. pretty neat stuff, and it has a list of source materials. most of the other stuff she's into has already been said.

Re: Star Hero:? yea, thats what i was thinking of! thanks for the assist!

Re: Star Hero:? my point, though, is that its science was actually (somewhat) sound. even the alien reproductive cycle is based upon real biology (somewhat) of...a type of insect (can't remember the name) that lays eggs inside beetle, which then hatch and eat their way out. of course, it takes longer than a few days, but time is such a minor issue . i'm just saying, basically, that even comparing it to Star Wars as an example of "Sci-Fi But Not" really doesn't fly, imho, because nothing (that i can think of, at any rate) has any basis in reality (except maybe blasters, but that is really a retcon, to my understanding). still, i agree to an extent, because the movie is remembered not as a great sci-fi movie, but because it was a great horror movie, when really, it was both. OH!, and add Blade Runner to that list of good movies a few posts up.

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] i finished it today between classes, and i have to say that, after the first "warthog moment" i was hooked. having finished it now, i have to say it may be my favorite of the 3, mostly because of the excellent blend of elements from 1 and 2 (after getting used to all the little tweaks). still don't like the support items (deployable shields and the like) although i can't deny their usefulness...sometimes. also loved the new flood types...at least until the mission near the end. the rescue mission. you know, the one i'm not going to spoil. yea that one. the flood were SUPER annoying on that one. otherwise, i really enjoyed it, and thought the story really came together well. be sure to watch through the credits, as there is (like always) and important cutscene at the end. i thought that the story was fantastic (for a fps), and really tied up loose ends. still wanted to know more about Johnson, especially his possible SPARTAN I connections, but it did not. and i was sad about that one thing, which also will not be spoiled, although i did think it was somewhat anticlimatic (this was the "near the end" thing, not the "end thing" btw). also really liked all the references back to the other games. that was nice. especially the repeated lines. maybe my favorite thing, though, was driving a warthog and having an elite as my gunner. that was neat. but yea, totally changed my mind on the quality, and place it firmly before 2 on the list. oh, and yes, the brutes are still the primary badies, and i remember being somewhat surprised by the lack of "flood levels", as there were really only 3 (i think)

Re: New to Fantasy Hero AMEN, MY BROTHERS!! *stands with hands in the air*

Re: Star Hero:? ok, but it first requires a definition of "serious sci-fi". do you mean hard sci-fi, or shows that deal with serious issues in a serious manner. the former, then Alien Nation is a pretty good choice. X-Files (early on) maybe, but not really (again, more horror). Earth 2 was pretty tight (although its been some time since i've seen it, and it may not be as hard as i remember). seaQuest had its moments, but i think suffered more from a "Star Trek: Underwater" problem, than anything else. for the former, add Space - Above and Beyond, Babylon 5, Star Trek TNG/Voyager, Battlestar Galactica (new), and 4400. however, you can also look at that 1st list and note that all but X-Files never made it to a second season, most didn't even finish a single season. these are all also late 80's to present (both sets), so i feel you also have a bit of a point in that, if there was a TV Golden Age of Sci-Fi, then it was much later than the Literary/Motion Picture Golden Age (which is true on just about every other front too, i might add, very little decent TV ever, but especially before the 80s). and actually, i would say that Alien was always sci-fi, just mixed with horror (unlike Predator, which was really neither, but instead an action flick). the attention to time-dilation, the "real" laws of Relativity (no hyper space, only sub-light speed), the atmospheric worries (is there oxygen? do we risk contamination? etc), and the volitility of machine intelligence (the Ashe going nuts scene), etc, i think really place it up there in terms of realism (of course, acid blooded alien reduce that somewhat).

Re: HERO: Combat Evolved [Equipment Posts & Comments] i am currently less than thrilled with Halo 3, at the moment (only on 2nd level) but it just doesn't "feel" right to me. i'm going to slog through it, and see if i feel differently about it then, but right now its my least favorite of the 3, and i'd go so far as to say i don't like it. i think its just the complete difference between 3 and those before it, especially the look and even the gameplay. even the weapons don't feel right. i dunno, but i kept away from the hype, and maybe now i'm just feeling the game for what it really is instead of the super hype going into 1 and 2.

Re: Star Hero:? true. of course there were some good bits here and there after the "golden age" but it wasn't a boom like it was earlier. and thanks for the clarification on Dr. Who. always thought it was cool, but never got the chance to watch much. on a side note, has anyone seen the new Dr. Who on BBC America? i think its pretty good, but again, never got to see much of the original, so hard to tell quality wise, how it is.

Re: Star Hero:? i agree. not much has been done for it since the space race came to a close and the decade following. the seventies gave us Star Wars and Alien (although i contend that it owes much more to horror than sci-fi), and nothing else strike me off the top of my head (granted, i wasn't alive then, so i don't know many of the little things that haven't kept popularity to this day). the sixties saw many of Asimov and Clarke's best works, as well as Star Trek, Lost in Space, Dr. Who (altough may have been 70s, now that i think about it) 2001, and many others. both the literature and the motion picture examples are NUMEROUS throughout the 50s and 60s, not even counting the 100s of b-movie rubber-suit movies from the 40's and 50's. sure they were pulpy, and they were lacking in reality, but they still count for the majority of people. there was a slight upswing in the late 80s and early 90s, and again a little recently, but for long stretches it has been barren, or mostly sequals to old franchises.

Re: Star Hero:? i am going to go on record to say that i WILL NOT discuss ID vs Creationism vs Evolution on this thread (nor likely this board, unless it is NGD) as it is only going to end in a flame war (it mostly does in real life, as well, unfortunately). i likely should not have brought it up, but its done, and over. again, anyone may feel free to believe as they choose. if anyone wishes to discuss this topic further, please PM me, as i do not wish to derail this thread with that weighty and controversial issue but would be more than happy to have a civilized discussion on the topic with anyone who wishes. back to the "realism" question. i don't think it can be laid squarely at the system's feet, but i feel it does tend to push a certain level of realism (i.e. Cinematic), which ensures a point of internal consistancy, which other systems may or may not ensure (although "generic" systems seem to do it better, in my personal opinion). sci-fi is a genre many people are not comfortable with in a interactive environment (one in which they must provide input), because many people have little knowledge in the field (this is from an American standpoint generally, and a south east US standpoint particularly) because of the crappy job our high schools do of keeping us on par with other countries (we are around 20th in the world in math and science, if i remember correctly, which is unacceptable for a world leader). politcs asside, however, the genre is one which seems to demand a certain competancy to enjoy. my wife likes it, but only in the rubbery, space opera way (and she has a good basis in biology, just not physics), because she feels she never knows her options. she loves stories that involve hackers and the like, but she tried to play one in SR, and hated it, because she didn't understand the subject enough even to make a guess at what the game mechanics for it allowed her to do. being somewhat techno savvy and a bit of a math/physics buff, its great to me, but she just plays the girl with the large gun or light sword when we pull out sci-fi settings. and i think that can be generally said to be true for most people who game. magic is not real, so we feel no need to understand the fireball to cast it. similarlly with heat vision. but space travel exists, and so it creates a feeling of "i don't know anything about this" which turns people off, even if they enjoy movies, books, etc, that are sci-fi genre (your definition or mine).

Re: New to Fantasy Hero oh, so you did, jaws. my bad *damn my low PER roll!*

Re: Star Hero:? good points... and ones which i have no rebuttal to....

Re: Star Hero:? agreed! hence the statement about the right play group! many would not enjoy it, many would. but i do think that more would not like it than those who would, personally. even my group, which is very for social encounters and the like feel a little disappointed with no combat after a few sessions. its the nature of the beast, for many people. thus my statement that sci-fi is a hard genre to RP in general, with only a small sub section being really universally good material for RP, and some of that is less than optimal for some tastes in sci-fi. i think this is a big reason for the sci-fi slump.