LoneWolf

It depends on what you want your shapeshifting to do.  One thing that will reduces the cost is that you can buy extra forms for fairly cheap.  Each +5 doubles the number of forms.  So, and extra 5 points gets you two forms, an extra 10 gets your 4 forms, 15 will get you 8 forms and so on.  

The thing to remember is that each form only has what the form pays for.  That includes skills, including knowledge skills.   Assuming your mental stats are the same you will have the general memories of your main form but may not have everything.  If one form had knowledge of magic and you don’t buy that in all forms you cannot make checks to recognize or identify magic effects.   

If you want to be able to shift into various humanoid forms you can probably just use the power shapeshift.  If could also link some powers to shapeshift to allow you to shift into forms to gain those powers when you shift.  For example, you could buy some enhanced senses linked to shapeshift to gain those senses when you shift into an appropriate form.  

You could also combine the two and purchase shapeshift in the multiform to allow you to alter the specific form.   Create a form for each broad type of animal you want to change into, like canine, feline avian, reptile etc.  have each form buy shapeshift for sight, touch, hearing and smell to a limited group.  Now when you change into the feline form you can be a lion, a tiger a panther or any other similarly sized feline.  
 

Another way to do a homing attack would be to buy it with the advantage 1M accurate.  As long as you hit DCV 3 the target takes damage.  Basically it keeps attacking until it eventually hits.  The attack could be avoided by diving for cover or deflecting it, but other than that it keeps attacking till it hits.  

Personally, I think that instead of using custom adders or advantages using limitations is a better way to build unusual powers.   The game already includes those.  The only argument you are likely to see is how much the custom limitation is worth.   
 

There is usually more than one way to write up any power or concept.  You could just as easily use extra damage to simulate Karnak from the Inhumans.  Find Weakness may be cheaper or more efficient, but it is not the only way to do it. The exact game mechanics of how something takes more damage does not matter, what is important is the end result.  You could even use a multipower with a slot for each type of extra damage.  In 6th edition it could be done just using skill levels.  It would be expensive at 10 points per skill level, but it would work.  For a more focused character it would be a little cheaper.  
 

In all honesty I don’t want combat to be simplified.  If that is what I am looking for I will play a different game.  The reason I play the Hero System is I like the tactical flexibility of the system.  I don’t want the game reduced to roll to hit, and damage.  I want to be able to dodge and block and perform risky high damaging strikes and all the other things that Hero System allows. That being said speeding up combat is a completely different issue.   To me that is what people should be focusing on.   Since the math seems to be the main thing that slows down combat speeding that up is where we should be focusing.     

Rolling dice and figuring the results seems to be one of the biggest time traps in the game.  Working with larger numbers usually slows down people's calculations.  For most people it is easier to figure out 7-5 than it is 37-12.   When you add in multiple steps it gets even worse.   Rearranging some of the formulas can speed things up.  The formula to figure out the odds of hitting is OCV +11 – DCV, but if we change it to OCV- DCV +11 it will speed thing up for most people.  For example, if I have an OCV of 15 and my opponent has a DCV of 12.  Using the traditional formula, you get 11+15 =26, 26-12=14.  Using the one I suggest you have 15-12=3, 3+11=14.   The end result is the same, but you are using smaller numbers.  If your players have had a few drinks or are tired helps even more.

How you count dice can also speed things up.  Figuring out the BODY does not need to be complicated.  Just roll the dice and ignore everything but 1 and 6.  Count the entire die that have 1 or 6 and find the difference.  If there are more 1 subtract that amount from the number of dice you rolled, if there are more 6 add it.  After that start sorting the dice in groups that equal 10.  For example, pair a 6 with a 4 and set those slightly apart.  Continue doing so until you have nothing left that can be added together to equal 10, and then count the rest. Now you simply count the number of groups and add the last result.

When dealing with the targets DEF a way to speed it up is to count out the targets DEF and then count what goes over.   This can be combined with the method above.  Doing this you would still sort the die in groups of 10 until you get to near the targets DEF and then use individual die to equal the DEF.  After this count the remaining and that is what the target takes.   For example, if the target has 12 DEF and took a 10d6 attack, pull off 12 (probably a group of 10 and a die with 2), then start grouping the remainder of the die by groups of 10.  Count the groups by 10 and add the remaining die.

Many of you are already doing these things, but someone new to the system might not be.  This sounds complicated but in reality, it is very simple.  This works best if all the stats are known to both player and GM.  If you GM likes to keep the stats of your opponents a mystery or is using some other method for combat it does not work as well, or the GM needs to do all the work.    
 

I have to agree with only allowing prewritten powers for any VPP.  That is the only way I will allow a character to VPP that can be changed during combat.

The best way to speed up combat is for the GM to be organized.   Having the needed information on the combatants so you don’t have to go digging around for it when something takes a hit is a good start.  Using tools to do much of the work can also speed things up.   Spreadsheets and small programs to handle the details can be a valuable resource.  
 

Characters like that are designed to fight large teams of experienced heroes.  These types of villains are not supposed to be used against starting characters.  You don’t put DR. Destroyer against a group of 4 standard characters; you put him against a group of 6+ very high powered characters. The guidelines for in 6 edition books for very high powered characters suggest   stats in the 20-80 range, DC of 12-20 and defenses in the 35-50 with 25-40 being resistant. The 30d6 blast is not likely to one shot a character with a 50+ Con and 50 DEF.

All characters have some leaping unless they sell it back.  The standard character has a 4m running leap.  My question was not can they clear a 1m gap, they can do twice that with a standing leap.  My question was can a character with 40m of running clear a 40m gap without buying up their leap?  

@Grailknight  That is more reasonable, but I would also limit the velocity to a single  turn.   So the character running at 12m would continue forward for 12 before it gravity took over and his forward velocity is canceled.  I don’t have a problem with a character getting small bonus, but anything substantial should be paid for.   

@Christopher R Taylor are you also factoring in the gravity?  Leaping upward is halved so the velocity from the swimming should also be halved for this.  If that is the case the ¼ rule would work out to about 5M not 10.   While swimming is not subject to gravity Jumping and flight are, and you only travel ½ the distance upward.  That also seems reasonable.

I would still encourage a water-based character to add usable as a second move to their swimming. It is dirt cheap and is something that will help the character getting to target out of the water.          
 

1 hour ago, dougmacd said:

That's from the 6th edition rules: "With the exception of Mind Scan, characters must apply Indirect to Mental Powers before buying Transdimensional." (6e1 p153).

 

 

Doug

Thanks

@Christopher R Taylor my suggestion was to use those same rules for swimming.  So the character with 40m of swimming would be able to use their full upward leap to clear the water.  Anything more should be paid for somehow.   Either the character can purchase extra leaping or buy swimming with the advantage usable as a second move.   UASM is much cheaper so gives the character a substantial discount.

@Grailknight So, you would allow the average man to leap 12m without buying any extra leaping? That goes considerably more than cinematics.  The world record for a running broad jump is 8.95m.  

This type of things also means there is no reason to buy leaping.  Simply by up your other movement and get it for free.    
 

The way this works is the character can carry on a conversation with someone who is dead.  The dead character can lie to him if they want to.  The character will need to use skills like conversation and persuasion to get any information.  

Why would indirect be needed in addition to transdimensional?   

Maybe I was not clear enough.  Does the velocity of running on the ground allow you to make a longer horizontal jump?  Let’s say I am on a building and there is another building 20m away.  The character has 40m of running and no bought up leaping.   The character accelerates to his full 40m running and attempts to jump to the next building. Is he able to jump 20m when his running long jump is only 4M?   All movement in this case is horizontal so the fact that running does not allow you to mover vertically is not a factor.  The characters velocity when he leaves the first roof is 40M from running.

This is not some Ninja Warrior wall running or other strange power this is straight running.   The way I have always understood the rules the character would be able to leap 4M maybe more if he pushes and fall to the ground.   
 

I am looking to build a necromancer and want to create the ability to speak with dead.  My first though was to use clairvoyance but that does not really work that well.  The other way I am considering building it is to use transdimensional telepathy.  I only want to be able to talk with the dead person so I probably only need to get surface thoughts.  The communication only limitation looks like it would also fit this. I have bought a detect soul ability that has the perceive in a single dimension adder to allow me to see dead souls.   

What do you think of using telepathy to speak with the dead.   
 

My question on running was about horizontal leaps.  The example I gave was jumping the gap between two buildings.   The character trying to jump to the next building is not changing directions.  If you give the full movement that means the normal person can perform a 12m long running long jump.  The current world record for running long jump is 8.95m.   

The rules already kind of give a character running a boost for leaping from running.  The distance is not halved for a running jump.  
 

If I was writing up a water-based character, I would not have a problem paying 4 points to get a 20m dolphin jump.  That is actually a pretty cool power and would be fairly useful.  

Are you doing the same for running? 

If I run off a cliff, I have momentum does that mean I get to use my running to leap across a gap between buildings without paying for extra leap?  How far can a character with 40m running without any increased leaping jump?  The way I have always done it is that they can leap 4m long and 2m up.  If that is the case, why is swimming any different.  Normally a character's leaping is cut in half unless they have some velocity.  The velocity of the swimming allows the character to use his full upward leap instead of having it halved.  If the character wants anything more, they should pay for it.   

If the special effect of the characters swimming is a jet pack, I can easily see it working on land.  If the special effect does support it working on land, then it does not.  Buying usable as a second move is a lot cheaper than buying extra leaping.  +36m swimming normally cost 18 points, adding the advantage usable as a second move (and including that on the base swimming) cost 22 points.  The cost difference is only 4 points.  As a GM I would have no problem allowing a character to purchase this instead of extra leaping to jump out of the water.   

If the character does not want to spend the 4 points, then they should simply get their running leap upward.  If they spend the 4 points, they get a 40m long 20m high leap out of the water.   Is charging 4 points for a 20m upward jump that outrageous?   
 

When you exit the water you are using leaping not swimming.  So the character would use that to see how far they go out of the water.  It would be considered a running leap, but that is about all.  If the character wants to be able to leap higher than that they should buy it as leap or put usable as a second move on the swimming.   UASM is considerably cheaper than purchasing extra leap by itself.  

Unless they bought usable as a second mode of movement (leap) they would not go up any distance. Usable as a second mode of movement is only a +1/4 advantage and swimming is dirt cheap.  It would only cost an extra 5 points to add that to 40m of swimming. If you want to do a dolphin leap you need to purchase that ability.               

I have to agree with Ninja-Bear on this just figure out how much STR it would take to break a tree and use that.  If this is a beast using brute STR you don’t have to worry about trying to replant or otherwise keep the tree alive.  More than likely the tree is going to break near the roots when someone tries to pull it up.  There will be some root structure with the tree, but the majority will still be in the ground.  

What exactly is uprooting trees and what is it doing with them?  Depending on what you want to do you might not even need to worry about the STR needed to uproot the tree.   If this is some mythical creature that can use trees as weapons you could use trees as a inaccessible focus for the attack power.

This is also the Hero System discussion forum.  Assuming the question is for a Champions game is not a given unless specified.  This could just as easily be a Fantasy Hero game and be about a giant instead of a superhero.     

Most trees will probably break instead of being uprooted and knocked over.   The root system of most trees usually goes fairly deep and spread out.   Unless the tree is planted in some sort of soft soil or is soaked through so it is mostly mud the trunk will break long before the tree fall.  Most of the time when a tree is knocked over is during a long storm or where the roots are fairly shallow. 

Young trees are easier to knock over because the root system has not had a chance to develop.  Look to see how much damage it would take to break the tree.     

Does a character that is dead take BODY from attacks?  The rules state that a character is dead when he reaches negative BODY equal to his starting BODY score.  But does the character still take BODY after they reach this point.   The reason I am asking is because of the resurrection add on for regeneration.  

Let say a character has 15 BODY and has 1 BODY regeneration per day with resurrection.   The way the regeneration works is that the character gains 1 BODY per day.  If the charter was hit with an attack that did 35 BODY or takes enough damage in attack to reduce him to -20 BODY.  The Character dies at -15 BODY, but for regeneration purpose is he at -15 or -20?  

As the GM I have defined the resurrection as having the same rate as his normal regeneration.  So the character heals 1 BODY per day.  How long would it take for the character to come back from the dead?  Also does further damage delay his return?  
 

I could see using Deadly Blow for this.  I would consider objects only a very limited circumstance.  While objects are fairly common the need to attack them is not that great.  At 12 points per die, it is somewhat expensive, but then again you probably only need one die.  The character can still use martial arts maneuvers, skill levels and even deadly blow with this.   

This would probably not be something seen on a beginning character.  They have enough stuff to purchase that affording this is hard to justify. 
 

 Is the power through some sort of focus or is it an innate ability of the character?  If it is through a focus it sounds like a communication device which was why I recommended the systems operation roll.  Mainly this was a way to save a decent number of points.   If it is an innate power than requires skill roll may not fit. 

I am not sure tracking is needed or appropriate.  Tracking is more for following something that moves after it is no longer there.  I don’t see how this would work with a cell phone.  They do not leave a trail of energy behind.  Tracking would allow you to see where a cell phone had traveled.  For example, if the target moved away from his location and then came back you would be able to see where he had been.  Targeting should be enough to see it while it moves. 

I would avoid mind scan because all you will be able to do with it would be to find the cell phone.  Mind Scan does not give the ability to understand the transmission.  Telepathy is not a perfect fit but could be used to detect the “current thought”.  You are right about it not being a good fit, but it is probably the closest thing if you go the mind scan route.  The only other thing I could think of would be clairsentience for the radio group, but that means you still need a way to pick up the transmissions. Doing it with mind scan seems like really bad way to do it.    

What does the power actually allow you to do?  Mind Scan would allow you to find the cell phone but will not allow you to do anything else.  You would not be able to listen in on the conversation, or even tell if it was sending or receiving information.  To do that you would require other mental power like telepathy vs machine minds.  

HRRH will allow you to do a lot of those things but requires some extra modifiers.  You seem to have most of what is needed already listed in this post.  I would probably take the requires a system operation roll on this power to reduce the cost.