LoneWolf

Will your fief have any impact on the game?  If you are not getting any in game benefit to having a fief then it does not need to be purchased or even written up.  Even if some parts of the game takes place there you may not need to purchase anything besides the wealth perk.  If your fief is just an ordinary village with ordinary buildings you don’t need to write it up as a base.     If your manor has some sort of magical protections or other special abilities then you may need to write it up.  

A high PRE is the ability to manipulate others and the ability to resist being manipulated by others.  It has absolutely nothing to do with appearance.  If something has the ability to cause fear by appearance that should be bought as striking appearance not PRE.   The character in the original post is trying to do exactly that.  He is also using images not mental illusions, that means he is the one controlling the illusionary creature and how it moves and reacts.  It make sense to use the characters PRE instead of the creatures.   The images are allowing him to get a PRE attack where he normally would not be able to.  He can also use the modifications appropriate to the illusion of the creature.  
 
I don’t know the specifics of the characters power, but look at the minimum needed to pull this off.  For 45 active points I can purchase images the sight and sound groups, with a-7 to the perception and a 4” radius area of effect.    The image is a single creature so that would probably be a complex image giving the thugs a adjusted -3 to their perception roll.   That means they will have a 74% chance of failing it. Most PC probably have higher than a 11< perception roll, but it increasing the penalty is not that expensive.  For 60 point I can have a -11 penalty to the roll which is going to get just about any character.  
 
Now think what could be done with that.  I create an image of some extremely high PRE character and use that to scare my opponents into submission.  I start with a 50 PRE and add situational modifiers.  That means I am rolling somewhere between 15d6 -20d6 for a PRE attack.  I have a 90% or better chance of affecting just about everything in the game.  And unless your character has a sky high PRE I have you cowering in fear.   That seems to be a bit much for a 60 point power.   If you base it off the characters PRE that drops down to 7d6 – 10d6 which is a little more reasonable. 
 
Characters should get what they pay for, but they should also pay for what they get.  I think archer was joking when he said he was going to create a god every time, but there is some sense to it.  Starting up with an image of a high PRE character would make tactical sense if the PRE was based on the PRE of the illusion.  
 

Since this is an image not a mental illusion I don’t think the illusion should get everything the real creature gets.  Shapeshift can also be an illusion would you allow someone shapeshifting into a high PRE creature to automatically gain that creatures PRE?  This makes these types of illusions way to powerful.  I can end any combat by creating an illusion of a high PRE character without investing anything in my own PRE.  
 
A PRE attack may not even be needed.  If the thugs believe the illusion they should react to it as if it were real.  How would the thugs react if the creature actually showed up?  If they would flee when the creature show up, they should do the same for the image.  If they would hold their ground until threatened then maybe a PRE attack is appropriate.  If so simply adjust the PRE based on how they perceive the threat using the adjustments I brought up in my first post.   
 

Since this is an image not a mental illusion I don’t think the illusion should get everything the real creature gets.  Shapeshift can also be an illusion would you allow someone shapeshifting into a high PRE creature to automatically gain that creatures PRE?  This makes these types of illusions way to powerful.  I can end any combat by creating an illusion of a high PRE character without investing anything in my own PRE.  
 
A PRE attack may not even be needed.  If the thugs believe the illusion they should react to it as if it were real.  How would the thugs react if the creature actually showed up?  If they would flee when the creature show up, they should do the same for the image.  If they would hold their ground until threatened then maybe a PRE attack is appropriate.  If so simply adjust the PRE based on how they perceive the threat using the adjustments I brought up in my first post.   
 

Will your fief have any impact on the game?  If you are not getting any in game benefit to having a fief then it does not need to be purchased or even written up.  Even if some parts of the game takes place there you may not need to purchase anything besides the wealth perk.  If your fief is just an ordinary village with ordinary buildings you don’t need to write it up as a base.     If your manor has some sort of magical protections or other special abilities then you may need to write it up.  

The PRE attack charts have some modifier that can be applied.  
 
+1d6 for exhibiting a power
+1d6 - +3d6 for violent action (assuming the illusion appears to be doing something violent)
+1d6 - +2d6 for appropriate setting
+1d6 - +3d6 for soliloquy (could be monster roaring or other appropriate vocalization)
+1d6 for target being surprised 
+1d6 - +2d6 for making an acting roll.
 
So potentially you have a +12d6 to the PRE attack.  If this happens while in combat you will get a -1d6 for being in combat.  If any of the characters have any physiological complications the bonus could go higher.  If this is a well-known monster and the caster can duplicate it well enough you could impose a 0 point psychological complication on the targets for an additional +1d6 - +3d6 bonus.  
 
If all the factors line up the PRE attack could go as high as 17d6 with a 10 PRE caster.  Chances are it is going to be a lot less, but it will still be enough to get the job done.  
 

Will your fief have any impact on the game?  If you are not getting any in game benefit to having a fief then it does not need to be purchased or even written up.  Even if some parts of the game takes place there you may not need to purchase anything besides the wealth perk.  If your fief is just an ordinary village with ordinary buildings you don’t need to write it up as a base.     If your manor has some sort of magical protections or other special abilities then you may need to write it up.  

Will your fief have any impact on the game?  If you are not getting any in game benefit to having a fief then it does not need to be purchased or even written up.  Even if some parts of the game takes place there you may not need to purchase anything besides the wealth perk.  If your fief is just an ordinary village with ordinary buildings you don’t need to write it up as a base.     If your manor has some sort of magical protections or other special abilities then you may need to write it up.  

The PRE attack charts have some modifier that can be applied.  
 
+1d6 for exhibiting a power
+1d6 - +3d6 for violent action (assuming the illusion appears to be doing something violent)
+1d6 - +2d6 for appropriate setting
+1d6 - +3d6 for soliloquy (could be monster roaring or other appropriate vocalization)
+1d6 for target being surprised 
+1d6 - +2d6 for making an acting roll.
 
So potentially you have a +12d6 to the PRE attack.  If this happens while in combat you will get a -1d6 for being in combat.  If any of the characters have any physiological complications the bonus could go higher.  If this is a well-known monster and the caster can duplicate it well enough you could impose a 0 point psychological complication on the targets for an additional +1d6 - +3d6 bonus.  
 
If all the factors line up the PRE attack could go as high as 17d6 with a 10 PRE caster.  Chances are it is going to be a lot less, but it will still be enough to get the job done.  
 

At page 58 6E1 it says that combat condition is for skills not normally used in combat, for me magic (skill power) is a skill used in combat, so I don't apply the negative modifier

For the most part I see no reason not to use all the maneuvers.   About the only one I can see not allowing would be suppression fire.  Since normally there are no autofire weapons in a fantasy setting it makes it hard to perform this maneuver.  The magic rules we normally use do require attacks spells be cast each time they are used so hosing down an area with an autofire spell is not possible.  
 
The rules are pretty clear that you can perform a haymaker with any attack.  I see no reason to change this.  Penalizing a player for choosing a different combat style does not really seem fair.  I would encourage the players to reflavor haymaker and other maneuvers.  An archer might say they are taking careful aim.  A wizard might say they are spending extra time to gather their power.  As long as the character is taking the extra time and the penalty to DCV they are good.  
 

For the most part I see no reason not to use all the maneuvers.   About the only one I can see not allowing would be suppression fire.  Since normally there are no autofire weapons in a fantasy setting it makes it hard to perform this maneuver.  The magic rules we normally use do require attacks spells be cast each time they are used so hosing down an area with an autofire spell is not possible.  
 
The rules are pretty clear that you can perform a haymaker with any attack.  I see no reason to change this.  Penalizing a player for choosing a different combat style does not really seem fair.  I would encourage the players to reflavor haymaker and other maneuvers.  An archer might say they are taking careful aim.  A wizard might say they are spending extra time to gather their power.  As long as the character is taking the extra time and the penalty to DCV they are good.  
 

The biggest reason there are different ways to end the effectiveness   of an opposing power is that the power are different.   With the right advantage or limitation you can alter the method of ending a power.  Having everything ended by the same method would severely limit creating the exact power you want, and kind of goes against the spirt of the hero system ideals.  
 
If every power was stopped in the same way that would mean that all a player had to do was to focus on that and they instantly win.  For example if all power ended when you cannot spend END , END drains would become the supreme power.  Likewise if all powers were able to be ended by making a STR roll bricks would rule supreme.  By having different methods of ending powers it makes it harder to create a invulnerable character.  
 

By locking in the special effect of magic can cause it to be affected by some advantages and limitations.  If a character has defenses that only work vs magic he gets those on anything in the pool.  In some cases a power will have multiple special effects.  For example a fire spell will count as both fire and magic.  It also should exclude certain special effects.  I for one would not allow lasers or other scientific special effects in a VPP with the limitation magic only.  You could do a light spell but that would not count as a laser.  

By locking in the special effect of magic can cause it to be affected by some advantages and limitations.  If a character has defenses that only work vs magic he gets those on anything in the pool.  In some cases a power will have multiple special effects.  For example a fire spell will count as both fire and magic.  It also should exclude certain special effects.  I for one would not allow lasers or other scientific special effects in a VPP with the limitation magic only.  You could do a light spell but that would not count as a laser.  

By locking in the special effect of magic can cause it to be affected by some advantages and limitations.  If a character has defenses that only work vs magic he gets those on anything in the pool.  In some cases a power will have multiple special effects.  For example a fire spell will count as both fire and magic.  It also should exclude certain special effects.  I for one would not allow lasers or other scientific special effects in a VPP with the limitation magic only.  You could do a light spell but that would not count as a laser.  

I would not allow that for several reasons.   First and most importantly it would be unbalancing.  Second is the fact that when you coordinate you are basically hitting the person at the exact same time among other things.  When you are using a multiple attack maneuver you still make one attack after the other.  
 
As to tracking endurance in a fantasy setting that is something that I always do.  For one thing it prevents spell casters from becoming too powerful.  And it helps to create a sense of realism that seems appropriate for a fantasy setting.  
 

Desolidifcation  works well for a ghost but is expensive because all your powers have to be  bought with the affects physical world.  
 
One alternative would be to give your character the ability  to possess people.  This could be done as a multiform.  The first form would be the ghost form.  This form is always desolid, and probably is normally invisible. It has no offensive powers, but has movement and enhanced senses.  The second form is when you take possess someone.  This is written up as a standard character.  Give it some good defenses that don’t work vs certain types of attacks (Typically magic) and whatever powers you want your ghost to have.  The powers could be tied to your original origin.  For example if you were a medieval knight you could have a magic sword and armor, a gunslinger from the old west may have a pistol.  These are not actual items but a manifestation of your spirit.  
 

Lffe Support: Immune to pregnancy
 
 
Lucius Alexander
 
The palindromedary wants Life Support: Immune to typos

I make the players track END because the GM already has too much to do. 
 
That said, during character creation I make the players figure out how much END they use each Turn on average (typically half move, attack, and possibly an active defense power).  Initially we did that to gauge how many Turns they could last before exhausting themselves so that they would be sure to have enough END to last through the average combat.  But now they often track END by Turn instead of by Phase, adjusting up if they used a high END ability one Phase or down if they just Dodged or something.  I am not sure that is always easier, but some find it simpler to deal with.

The easiest way to figure out the damage from a normal penetrating attack is to count the body rolled.  That is the minimum amount of stun the target takes no matter how high his defenses are.  If the regular damage is higher than the minimum the target takes the regular damage.   
 
For a killing attack it is slightly different.  In that case you count the amount of body you would have done (before defense) if the attack was a normal attack.  That is the minimum amount of body the target takes.  Again if the regular damage is higher than the minimum damage the target takes the regular damage.  The stun multiplier is handled as normal, but the target like normal you take at least 1 stun per body taken.  
 
So as Grailknight said you take 7 stun 0 body.  But you take a minimum of 5 stun no matter how high your defenses are.  If the attack had been a killing attack and the defense were resistant you would have taken 7 body.  If you had 15 points or higher of resistant def you would take 5 body.  
 

The easiest way to figure out the damage from a normal penetrating attack is to count the body rolled.  That is the minimum amount of stun the target takes no matter how high his defenses are.  If the regular damage is higher than the minimum the target takes the regular damage.   
 
For a killing attack it is slightly different.  In that case you count the amount of body you would have done (before defense) if the attack was a normal attack.  That is the minimum amount of body the target takes.  Again if the regular damage is higher than the minimum damage the target takes the regular damage.  The stun multiplier is handled as normal, but the target like normal you take at least 1 stun per body taken.  
 
So as Grailknight said you take 7 stun 0 body.  But you take a minimum of 5 stun no matter how high your defenses are.  If the attack had been a killing attack and the defense were resistant you would have taken 7 body.  If you had 15 points or higher of resistant def you would take 5 body.  
 

Aid is not the only way to boost stats.  You could simply purchase the stats with appropriate limitations.  

In some cases the cost of an item in currency is based on how many points it cost.  In those cases putting a limitation on the power makes it cost less in credits or whatever you are using for cash.  

Personally I would not give the players a bonus and the guards a penalty for the same thing.   The penalty to perception for darkness is only for sight.  Perception includes all the senses not just sight.  Did you also include modifiers for other senses besides sight?  If the area is quite the guard’s get a +3 bonus to hear the character, if they are downwind they get a +1 bonus to smell the character.  Make the area noisy and the guards now have another penalty, if they are upwind that is still another penalty.
 
What I would probably is to give the bonus to the character instead of imposing a penalty on the guards.  With an opposed roll how much the character makes the roll by is the penalty to the other person roll.  You could also say that if the guards miss by 2 they are aware there is something out there, but don’t actually see him.  Maybe they heard something moving around, but because of the darkness they did not see him.  
 
I disagree with Archer about the infrared vision.  Stealth covers all senses, but I would not give them the bonus for darkness since if they are have something to counter it.