GreaterThanOne

I meant to type Well Rounded. It was late but you are correct. Some may be able to shrug off energy damage or even get stronger but I don't want a bunch of CON 30, SPD 8, 3 Multipower Sets with a power for each possible situation.

Hello everyone, I started a campaign with 3 players that are completely new to TTRPG's. I completed my world design partially based on suggestions from here. A world in which an ongoing Cosmic Ray event has resulted in electronics and microchips ceasing to function. Any electronic device that was in operation was ruined, anything not operating or directly connected acquires the Burnout limitation with a Blast Side Effect based on the active cost of the item on a critical failure on the burnout roll. The event also created supers and monsters. I am starting the players individually so they all can enjoy a solo Origin Story experience and learn the rules without too much distraction. I want to capture a setting of normal people with powerful, often uncontrollable super powers. People that might be able to kill with a single thought but that accidentally can do it if startled or angered even when they try not too. Clothing doesn't stretch or go with you when you transform or go invisible. Most characters will have Skilled or Competent level characteristics, at most and perhaps only a few very high levels powers. I do not want characters to be "Well-Wounded" I want their powers to be both a curse and blessing. Now the questions: What GM Rules, Optional Rules, Advantages and Limitations (or implementations of them) would add to or help foster this feeling? I was considering having them create characters based off of a Competent Normal Template; 100 Total Points (30 from Complications) and then provide an additional 200 points (30 from power related complications) solely for powers. Has anyone done something like this? I do not own Dark Champions but would it address some of these ideas and issues? Thanks in advance to everyone.

I want it to be like the psychological and physical addiction of Heroin. You may kick the physical habit but you will always be an addict. It will be Mental and be OMCV vs DMCV. And thanks to everyone I am back to the game and new and though I feel comfortable with the rules to a certain extent, I also want to make sure I am not missing big pieces. The Queen of Hearts goes from being an innocent college volleyball player to becoming one of the Crime Lords that control Post-Apocalypse area called the Las Vegas Combine consisting of Nevada, Arizona and parts of New Mexico run by pimps, bikers, and organized crime. She runs her "court" from the Old Palazzo Hotel. Everything is legal and everything has a price. Freaks, Geeks and Weirdos welcome and don't stare too much. Thanks everyone!

Hello, I'm creating a Pheromone based villain named The Queen of Hearts. Her main abilities are a few henchmen and an AOE Mind Control attack around her and Presence Attacks. I would like to create an effect in which anyone significantly affected becomes or risks becoming addicted to the Pheromone. Something that works along the lines of Addiction with Incompetency for anyone that had an EGO +30 or greater effect from her Pheromones until they "kick the habit". Any ideas on how best to get this effect would be appreciated. Thanks!

I was thinking about this last night (I don't know why) and the more I did, the more I thought that I would just add UBO on the Senses or Sense Groups you want others to use. It will give you the broadest options in regards to "how it works" you can make the targeting Mental (so it's targeting is LOS), Usable Only Through Mind Link (-0 ) or keep the ranged targeting rules for UOO as is (see UOO Table Champions Complete p. 119. See Champions Complete Pg 80. Mind Link- No LOS for a great way to do this without range or LOS. And finally the UOO rules provide a way to make differing Ad/Disads for the Recipient and Grantor for example the Grantor may need to uses Gestures or Incantation (Say if its a Spell) whereas the Recipient may not. Telepathy would get a bit twisty to get adjust correctly IMO. Additionally, Telepathy also includes the ability to "read" minds, on a moral or "Feeling of the Power" sense, allowing someone to access your senses as opposed to transmitting your sensations definitely have a different feeling to them though you can Ad/Disad it any way you want so it ends up working. Either way, good luck and enjoy!

Adding to the above if it can be forced it will have UAA (against 0 DCV or 0 DMCV for a willing recipient or the GM can just allow it to hit of course) but the build procedure is the same.

As I understand it, it is definitely Clairsentience. You will have to decide if the person "seeing through her eyes" is using her perceptive senses and limits or their own or what senses and sense groups are projected. Can it be forced? etc. Using Champions Complete UOO "Differing Modifiers" on Pg. 120 you should build it as the user will use it with all Advantages and Limitations then the Real Cost of that power becomes the Base Cost of the player character's cost and then you apply Advantages and Limitations from there. Hope that made sense.

There were no known Supers. The few remaining Monsters and Capes that are effectively immortal learned how dangerous, fickle and easily frightened Normals are and are in hiding. You do bring up a very good point that I want to think about more and that is what happens to the world military balance? Some countries like the US lose out big time because of our modernization (we would still very likely be the top or near the top) but some countries with outdated military become much more powerful.

Actually it was one of my main thoughts. I saw a short Youtube documentary about Russian Pilots in Africa and their old ass planes. Thank you for so much compact and clear information. It has definitely solidified some of my ideas.

This is a quick peek. The Excel is embedded and you can change the numbers. I just got home this entire thing is about 15 minutes but only because I had never used Sway before yesterday. I will work up a Generic Excel sheet (though I'm sure someone already has one) to embed but honesty anyone can get Sway for free and just past any functional Excel or other format into it. It is the most ridiculously easy application to use I have seen. Once I have ironed out the kinks I will make a template to share here so everyone can make their own and not have to log on to edit my character sheet. I will also 3D6 dice rolling window to test then if it is functional an XD6 window. Assuming this is all decent, I'll work up a GM's "Screen" with some of the charts & tables, etc. NOTE: I did not make the art I literally googled and copied the first thing that came up. I do not own or claim any rights to the art it is simply a filler for this test. Maya Sanders AKA La Santa Go to this Sway

Has anyone played with a Microsoft Sway Character Sheet Template? I just started one and it seems very intuitive and nice looking. I'll work on it more tomorrow but if anyone has done anything with it, let me know if there are any pitfalls or problems if you don't mind. Cheers and good night!

From an old player that recently came back... Last time I played Champions was 3rd edition around 1989 or 1990. Champions was the only Superhero system I would really consider playing back then. I won't speak ill of others but there was a lot of really bad superhero games and Champions felt "right" in that it captured the feel for a variety of reasons. I don't know if that generalization remains true. I never used HERO for anything else however except a failed attempt at a Middle-Earth "conversion" from my huge collection of ICE modules with some of the best maps and plots I had seen. That being said, I really like 6th Edition. I was able to pick it up and basically understand it quickly without any confusion, no doubt in part because of my familiarity with 3rd edition. I feel it is a lot more balanced in many ways (though we can always find ways to cheese the system) and feels much more logical and consistent across the board. What struck me as I was reading was that it is much, much better now for non-super games or the creation of really anything from the get-go. Some of this is just from the community's maturity. There are a lot of resources and a lot of people have already invented the wheel for us but the rules cover a phenomenal amount of information much of which player's actually don't even need to know and may even be detrimental in the short term. The complexity can be on the "Back End" so to say. Now I missed the 4th Edition and 5th Editions completely in my 30 year hiatus so there is a lot I don't know but it's pretty amazing how similar the games really are. I was honestly expecting it to be much different but I am very glad it is not. A few details of the modern books are that the digital format should include in text links and a back button. With the enormous amount of necessary cross-referencing sometimes it can be a real bitch to get an entire concept in. I'm not a big fan of Power's Section that you have to jump back and forth between; it feels clunky. The other is that I think the "Rules" should be Free Like Beer or Free With The Purchase Of and the character creation replacing the rules section in the genre books but that is 100% as a consumer not a publisher. I am sure they had very long and complete discussions on that and made decisions based on that. The coolest thing is that I can look at the oldest character sheet or a brand new one and get an excellent idea of what the creator was aiming for and a general sense of overall "Power". Few games can do that. I can use almost any material from 3rd edition with little change and most of them for clarity and balance. As an example someone posted the characters from the Global Guardians PBEM on the FB HERO System Fan Page and we can recreate them in any of the editions fairly easily how many systems can say that? Well I have to go to sleep. Enjoy your campaign and Flux is my favorite so far.

Ron Edwards? I'm sure it will be fun whatever he does.

You guys are awesome! I haven't been able to talk about things like this with anyone not looking at me like I'm a crazy person in years. So to add to my original post and blend in some of the things mentioned: A very few of the demi-gods and monsters (really metas) from the past are still alive, mostly in hiding. Most of the Geeks and Ferals of past events (the names Normals call physically changed metas eg. claws, fur, glowing eyes) were hunted by mobs of Normals and metas working as "Heroes". Some of these were warranted but others were just genocidal. I want Normals to be able to fight most supers in groups if they are organized and well equipped. Human ingenuity will eventually lead to weapons designed specifically for this purpose but at first Metas will often vastly over power normals. The idea is to create the sense of New Gods but now we know they aren't divine, mostly. There is no "magic" outside of the rubber science used to explain The Event and Powers but many people attribute their abilites to "Magic". Ex: One of the NPC's can shrink anything she touches (within mass/size limits) into miniature versions using dimensional controls. She believes it is "Magic" and has charm bracelets, belts and necklaces with little miniaturized things she can make larger by pulling them out of their pocket dimensions. She has no idea how her ability works. The main villain has lived through several of these cycles. The metas always kill the monsters then the humans eventually kill off the metas or they die of old age. She wants to en the cycle and create a world in which metas of all types are respected even the ugly ones. I want to reduce the effect of good vs bad. I want to focus on the enmity that difference seems to create in us as humans. We are scared, angry monkeys and all of us understand what we are capable of when (believe) we are defending our loved ones. The main theme, regardless of which side the player's take in the story is: What Happens When The Monsters Unite And Fight Back? Capes are generally feared and disdained but tolerated. Geeks are not tolerated and even if they are totally peaceful are usually hunted or killed on sight. The world will quickly Balkanize around City States or regions that may in the future coalesce into Nation-States many led directly or indirectly by metas. Some of the Metas themselves will create religions and/or create myths about themselves. As the scientist begin to re-discover the rules, new, frightful weapons will be designed. Most of the supers will not be "well-rounded" I am using a point pool and general powers which I then create with many limitations like Concentration, Always On, Uncontrollable etc. Then as they progress they can buy off limitations or TRY to use their powers in new ways. When they do this I determine if it will work then create a new power from their point pool. They are all new but regardless I will not allow someone to just decide to "pick up some power defense" unless there is a good reason for it. Ex. Many of the metas will have normal defenses and normal stats. They will NEED bullet proof vests if they don't have defenses if they plan on getting shot at just like anyone else except they might be able to shoot lasers out of their eyes or lift big things with their minds. A pregnant Affected alligator escaped from the zoo. Did you know they can lay up to 50 eggs? My player's don't. Also they are very protective of their young. For now, in the aftermath of The Event communications will be down so I am going to start the campaign in that tone and think some things through. I will update you all when I have a more complete story line. I'm pretty F'n excited and really appreciate everyone's comments, recommendations and observations. Please continue on if you have any other ideas or recommendations. Im going to read The Postman for ideas and just to get in the mood. Cheers!

I think CyberPunk really allows HERO to shine and vice versa. The genre has such a wide range of technologies including The Net, Bionic Implants, Pharmaceuticals, Biological Enhancements, etc. and a myriad ways to express them. Good combo.

So I am getting back into TTRPG's after a long hiatus and I wanted to do something different. I wanted to create something different for the players who are all RPG virgins. I decided to create my own unique universe based off an idea I had years ago but I am missing a few elements and wanted to get some feedback and opinions. So without further ado, this is the general outline of the world. At various times in past the Earth was bombarded with Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays which resulted in a bunch of meta humans who were taken for Gods or demi-gods. Gilgamesh, Cadmus, Hercules and even some of the ancient gods like Innana and Athena were in fact super humans. I am still mapping heroes to dates but strong waves occur about every 1000 years with others at about the 100 - 500 years. There has not been an event in nearly 500 years. Of the humans affected some look normal and some are monstrous. Stories of creatures like vampires, werewolves, giant squids, etc. are effects of the cyclical rays on Humans. The rays also affect animals and create regressions (giant crocodiles) and mutations. Some are unique and others can breed. Dragons, griffons and much stranger things are the result of the mutations historically. The particle storm also affects electronics and communications. No wireless communications are possible after the event nor do electronic devices work (reliably). Combustion, firearms, and the majority of modern technology that does not rely on communications or electronics function as normal. At some point in the future a compact energy source called Cherenkov Cells (C-Cells for short) are invented as a way to replicate an almost gaslight world if wired transmissions are completely restricted. see below. I am torn between where exactly to draw the line with technology in regards to wired signal transmission. A part of me wants to create a world where communication is via letter and technology can advance via a Steam Punk-ish world where modern firepower meets super human abilities. I want to capture the feelings of isolation and feudalism of a post-apocalypse world but keep a lot of the trappings of modern life. The Walking Dead but instead of zombies there are real monsters, creatures and groups that can kill you. Do you think the world would be more enjoyable for players with wired electronics such as electricity and maybe phone or being forced to go back to snail mail and smoke signals? I find myself in a circle thinking about older combustion vehicles and I like the idea of headlights etc. but I am a bit worried about the being corralled into logically being forced to allow too much modern tech. Note: As the world currently stands, a generator would work due to proximity but a long extension cord would not. If anyone is in the mood, throw out some ideas for where you would put the limits and why if you are so inclined.

I am rusty on this but what I would recommend is a VPP with the limitations Only Magic (-1/4) andCan Only Change with Magic Book (-1/2). Set the Control Cost based on Scottish Fox's numbers (since I haven't the foggiest) with the pool linked to an Endurance Reserve (Mana) with the limitation Double Endurance Cost (-1/2) on the Powers in the pool (see HS V.1 pg. 206). By controlling the pool's Control Cost carefully you can simulate both Constant & Instant Powers that "level up". You could also make a Familiar, potions, etc. with the correct Powers, Power Limitations, Advantages and Skill rolls. For example you can require a skill roll for Magic or Alchemy for inexperienced Mages, Gestures, Concentration, Incantation, etc. You can reduce the End cost or remove the book requirements on the pool for experienced or talented mages. etc. and as the pool itself becomes larger more active constant spells, a larger repertoire of spells, etc.

You can use an in-game mechanism like Contact: -9 Black Market Weapons Dealer and a lil RP, "Nah, man YOU is doing me a favor! I get caught with that thing and I'll be in for a long time! Nine hundred and she's yours!".

I have been out of TTRPG's since around 1998 except for a single Call of Cthulhu campaign I ran for a few roommates that had never played an RPG before in 2001 or so. And I can happily say I am so glad I came back to one of my old stand by's since there was a lot of haze from the explosion of systems and books in the 90's which incidentally was one of the reasons I stopped playing. I felt like things were getting too "gimmicky" or in other cases too serious about an activity that was ostensibly about "having fun". I felt that games were trying to sell us on their "Twist" or Color instead of focusing on giving us the tools to explore "The Beyond" that is what I think attracts the majority of us, regardless of personal agenda, to RPG's in the first place. I felt that a lot of shitty products were eating up my money and then ending up in an enormous, " X system to Y system Conversion Notes" or "Setting Materials" piles which also incidentally was (is?) generally not conducive to getting laid of which was also a hobby of mine at that age. So things conspired as they do and I began travelling for work for extended periods and lost contact with my fellow players. I used video games in an attempt to fill the RPG hole but honestly is simply isn't the same. I enjoyed getting together, sharing snacks, arguing, laughing, arguing about something in no way, shape or form related to the game, going through weird pre-roll rituals, completely getting the GM's well planned questline derailed, etc. Basically, I pretty much enjoyed the entire enterprise. So I always missed playing and having recently bought the Champions Complete PDF and the Unchained adventure module I can say I am truly impressed with the way HERO has stuck it out. I think there is still some work to be done on the "ease of access" for new players that might be interested in a TTRPG, but I feel like the system is General enough to be what a "Universal" system can be. Kudos for the direction the system is taking and thank you for making coming back enjoyable. You guys make good games.🥇👍