Sveta8

Heyo, Spreadsheet Fan here.
 
My main thought aside from "Yay, Growth Tools!" Is that these graphs might best be suited for a Logarithmic scale. Linear scale is more useful to determine the information given how the average person thinks of such things, but Logarithmic Graphing would help show a more normal relation between height and mass.

Okay! I think I understand the basic sorta... fundamental weirdness now.

If I want my SFX to do something reliably, I should expect to pay for it. If Big Monster wants a scaly HIde, some spooky Claws, and a loud as all get out Roar, I should snag Resistant Protection, KHA, and a Flash attack.

If I then want to use those claws to carve a message into the ground for people who pass, well, that should be fine without requiring a Transform. Maybe Power Skill if so chosen. If others want to try to track the character via.... I guess scale shedding, I don't need to purchase a negative for Tracking Checks based on shedding. Both of those things make sense given the character, but aren't something I generally am thinking of when I consider the character.
 
Or in other words, Pay for what I expect, ask if it makes sense.

If I had to guess... Two options.

One: It is a Buff. You cast Lightning Fist, and either the next Attack with a HTH attack inflicts the effect, or for the next Minute or so the effect will activate with HTH attacks.
Two: It's a specific Attack. You cast by attacking with Lightning Fist. You make a HTH attack, and the effect goes off.
In both, techincally all three of these cases, you would pay END for the second attack, and see if the Magic hits, but only if you hit them.

The base effect I would have as a Linked Power. You say he wants magic Light to go off? Then I'd say... Presuming it is a Flash attack.
 
Link up a flash attack to a HTH strike. Something like...
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash attack. Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4),  No Range (-1/2)
That lets you literally Cast Fist with a flash.

If you are looking for it as a Minute long buff...
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash attack, Time Limit: 1 Minuit (+3/4) Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4),  No Range (-1/2)
This cloaks the hand in a lightning or flashy aura, that they can activate for a Zero Phase action when they hit with a HTH attack.
 
If you are looking for a Single Use Buff
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash Attack, Trigger: Punching someone (Half Phase to Reset, Zero Phase Activation +1/4), Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), No Range (-1/2)
That lets them spend a moment prepping themselves before they strike someone, and only lasts through the hit. It requires reupping it.
 
 
Those are the first ways that come to mind.

If I had to guess... Two options.

One: It is a Buff. You cast Lightning Fist, and either the next Attack with a HTH attack inflicts the effect, or for the next Minute or so the effect will activate with HTH attacks.
Two: It's a specific Attack. You cast by attacking with Lightning Fist. You make a HTH attack, and the effect goes off.
In both, techincally all three of these cases, you would pay END for the second attack, and see if the Magic hits, but only if you hit them.

The base effect I would have as a Linked Power. You say he wants magic Light to go off? Then I'd say... Presuming it is a Flash attack.
 
Link up a flash attack to a HTH strike. Something like...
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash attack. Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4),  No Range (-1/2)
That lets you literally Cast Fist with a flash.

If you are looking for it as a Minute long buff...
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash attack, Time Limit: 1 Minuit (+3/4) Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4),  No Range (-1/2)
This cloaks the hand in a lightning or flashy aura, that they can activate for a Zero Phase action when they hit with a HTH attack.
 
If you are looking for a Single Use Buff
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash Attack, Trigger: Punching someone (Half Phase to Reset, Zero Phase Activation +1/4), Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), No Range (-1/2)
That lets them spend a moment prepping themselves before they strike someone, and only lasts through the hit. It requires reupping it.
 
 
Those are the first ways that come to mind.

If I had to guess... Two options.

One: It is a Buff. You cast Lightning Fist, and either the next Attack with a HTH attack inflicts the effect, or for the next Minute or so the effect will activate with HTH attacks.
Two: It's a specific Attack. You cast by attacking with Lightning Fist. You make a HTH attack, and the effect goes off.
In both, techincally all three of these cases, you would pay END for the second attack, and see if the Magic hits, but only if you hit them.

The base effect I would have as a Linked Power. You say he wants magic Light to go off? Then I'd say... Presuming it is a Flash attack.
 
Link up a flash attack to a HTH strike. Something like...
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash attack. Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4),  No Range (-1/2)
That lets you literally Cast Fist with a flash.

If you are looking for it as a Minute long buff...
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash attack, Time Limit: 1 Minuit (+3/4) Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4),  No Range (-1/2)
This cloaks the hand in a lightning or flashy aura, that they can activate for a Zero Phase action when they hit with a HTH attack.
 
If you are looking for a Single Use Buff
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash Attack, Trigger: Punching someone (Half Phase to Reset, Zero Phase Activation +1/4), Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), No Range (-1/2)
That lets them spend a moment prepping themselves before they strike someone, and only lasts through the hit. It requires reupping it.
 
 
Those are the first ways that come to mind.

This is as much for me to check my understanding as it is to try and boil down concepts into a concise enough whole to be offered to others. In other words, I think this is the basics of the system rules, and tries to address each portion of the system in at least a minor way. Criticism is more than welcome, as is corrections and addendum. Not much mechanically though.

ahem


Hero System Beginnings:
 
Hello! And welcome to a fairly fun and peculiar system. Whether you intend to go out and fight the villain of the week, follow a dynamic continuous story-line to face off an arch rival, explore an unknown planet and mystic ruins, or travel between the stars with the cosmos in your hand, Hero system supports the lot of it. Some better than others, but that is beside the point! If you can think it, the system can nearly always support it. It just may look a little different than you expect!

Now, as per conventions in tabletops and theater of mind style games, the core concept is usually pretty simple. There exists evil out there, or perhaps just shades of grey and gray. You, the player, must interact in this world where evil or very strange shades of grey exist! Be it beating down bad guys, exploring new territories, schmoozing the social elite, sneaking through haunted mansions, or what have you! But in the end, regardless of what you are doing, you must be (somewhat) effective! This doesn't mean powerful, just good at what you are doing! However, Hero faces some very strange limits in regards to what it takes to be (somewhat) effective! Let's explore that, shall we?
 
Campaign Benchmarks
 
Wh-wha? We aren't talking about Character Concept first? Why aren't we-
Nope! Benchmarks my dear potential reader! Concepts for characters are in this portion, yes, but Benchmarks are what help you refine that! Characters in isolation are lovely yes, but they are like snow-globes. Pretty, good for capturing an image of a concept, but not very practical!

And what do I mean by practical now? Why that's quite simple! A Testing Character, which is what a Character is in isolation, is built with a specific sort of world, setting, or power level in mind. This, potential reader, is what is meant by benchmarks! They are broad, overarching rules usually imposed by the GM to determine how they want the characters to feel and play. Most often they are discussing the level of powers, defensive abilities, and how many points you will be building a character to!
 
These are the presiding laws for characters. Hero allows very very nearly anything to be built, but not all games can handle absolutely anything in the world. Or perhaps there is a specific level of power or theme that the GM is more comfortable with. Benchmarks are how they define and refine the experience. But most importantly, they tell you what are the limits to build to.

Build Principle: Stay Close
 
Still aren't talking about Character Concept? Come on! I've got a neat Idea and I want to see if it will work!
Why of course you do! And honestly, that's not my call! That's between you and the GM. Tell them about your concept, and then they can give you a thumbs up or down! The concept is you and the GM's court! I'm here to tell you how to try and follow within relatively normal guidelines in mechanics.

Speaking of, the Build Principle above, Stay Close! I can't seem to find where it was written, but it seems to be apt. Namely, that you want to stay close to what you can expect and what the party has! If the Party is sitting at Speed 6 and 7, you don't want something sitting somewhere at Speed 3. You're going to be out of the loop most of the time! And that's no fun for anyone, least of all you! So you, as much as the rest of the party, need to figure out what you are looking at for Speed more than anything else. Some will be faster, some slower, but everyone should try to stay within 1-2 Speed of each other.
 
Attack Type and Damage Class
 
Okay! My GM just approved my Electric Blaster! He's gonna fly, and shoot lightning, and save the day, and be all cool and awesome!
Most excellent! Now keep in mind that there shall be Villainous forces that oppose you! It's not just a rag-tag team of heroes standing in front of a back-splash! Villainous Evildoers, or Perilous Pitfalls, Ballroom Dancing, and other nefarious ills! But a fair portion of the time, you shall fight the evil! So, how do you do that?

You wanted to shoot Lightning right? Well, that is most likely an Energy Attack of some sort! Attacks and Defense are split between two, er, three forms. Physical, Energy, and Mental! The first two you will... probably be dealing with a fair bit I would say! Whether it is a man with a gun, a laser pistol, or someone coming to rough you up with fisticuffs, most of the threats you will face will probably be a Physical or Energy based Attack! Mental attacks are rarer, at least most of the time! A GM can choose to change this proportionality as they so choose! Remember that.

Damage is done in DC in this game. DC, standing for Damage Class! Simple enough, no? Without Adders, Limitations, or Advantages, nearly every Attacking Power is built to have one Damage Class per 5 Points put into it. Your GM probably has a Benchmark of what the maximum Damage Class they are comfortable running is! You'll want to stay within that limit. If you aren't certain on what Damage Class  you are doing though, there is a handy chart for figuring that out on pg 97 on the 2nd Core Rulebook
 
Health and Defense 
 
Alright then! My GM says to keep DC to 10 or less. And he said that PD/ED Should be under 40?
Well, That would make a fair bit of sense! PD and ED, standing for Physical Defense and Energy Defense respectively, are the two most basic forms of Defense. There is also Technically Mental Defense, to protect against Mental Powers, and Power Defense, that protects against other forms of attack! But, PD and ED are the two most common forms of Defense.
 
Now, before going on, you should know there is two types of health, that then require two types of Defense! STUN, which is the amount of damage you can take till you fall unconscious. And BODY, the amount of damage before you start to die! Both of these are normally bought as regular Characteristics. Unless you buy them for an alternate form or so on, they are usually pretty stable for their cap!

But back to Defense, PD and ED both work to protect against STUN damage. They are how you can stay up in a fight, and keep going! Generally speaking, you will want to have between 2 and 4 PD and ED per Damage Class you can inflict. So for example, since your GM is keeping Damage Class at a max of 10, you likely want to have 20 PD and ED, and up to a maximum as they put it, of 40. Each point of PD and ED take away 1 point of STUN damage, barring some special circumstances. So a 20 STUN attack will be ignored by 20 PD/ED.

However, the nefarious forces of evil are fond of Killing Attacks! These attacks ignore your STUN and go straight for your BODY! The Fiends! Your Normal PD and ED are no match for these attacks! To stand up to this type of assault, you need Resistant Defense! Each point of Resistant Defense, of either Energy or Physical type mind, takes off 1 point of BODY damage! 
 
Advantages
 
Resistant Defense? But... I thought you said there were only like... 5 forms of defense? That wasn't one of them!
Correct you are astute little theoretical reader stand in! Resistant Defense is secretly just PD and ED wearing a fancy coat! This coat's name? Advantage!
 
Advantages are, in short, special perks for Powers. Think of them like Power Upgrades! In this case, the Resistant Advantage! It lets whatever sort of Defense you apply it to resist BODY type damage! There are a fair few types of Advantages! Everything from being able to effect an Area, having your powers last longer than they would otherwise, taking no energy to use, and more! They, along with Limitations, let you customize your power set! Unfortunately, they are quite expensive! Each Advantage costs a multiplier of your Powers cost! So Say you have a 30pt power? If you want a +1/2 Advantage, you're gonna have to pay an extra 15 points!
 
Limitations
 
Wait, Limitations? I don't like the sound of that.
Oh come now! Limitations are nothing to be afraid of! They make your character dynamic, movable, and interesting! They give your GM toys and workarounds to provide interesting encounters! They make your character more human! They-
Electric Blaster is are an alien though
-More Alien then! They give you tools in your toolbelt to create interesting and unique powers and people! They-
No.
... They refund you points.
... Continue...
 
Alright, now that fussy is on board, Limitations! They limit your powers yes, but they also grant a refund on some of the power's cost. And this is applied after Advantages. You can have your power cost more endurance, fail to work on certain people, last a shorter amount of time, not do as much BODY damage, and more! You can even link up powers to work in tandem with them! They are tools for you and the GM. Just remember, if  you include it? It will come up.
 
Skills, Everyman and Otherwise
 
 
But, I feel you didn't like that portion. So tell me! What exactly does Electric Blaster do when he's not Heroing?
... Not heroing?
Yes, when he isn't out there, flying and shooting lightning and so on! What's his job, and his hobbies?
He... I... uh... Elect-tri... Electrician? Maybe... Likes Rock music? 
There we go! We can work with that!
 
So Both of those are types of Skills! Skills represent capabilities of your character beyond just their superhuman powers! Everything from Acting to Science to Giving Speeches to Making Gadgets to Climbing mountains to Conversational Skills to-
WAIT. I have to pay points to TALK to people? That's dumb.
Well, of course not! You can pay points to be better at talking with people, but you don't have to! Most campaigns have Everyman Skills! Skills you get at a basic level just for existing! No points needed to pay for them. Conversation is usually one of those! The exact number and type of Everyman Skills varies though.
 
But, there are more skills than just those! There's Profession Skills! Skills that your character has from working their job! Say for example, Mister Electric Man's being an Electrician! That's a Profession Skill! You don't have to worry to heavily about these most of the time though.
 
More than Profession Skills, there are Knowledge Skills! Skills you have about knowing particular things! There is a basic level of understanding that is presumed, that you don't have to pay points for, but sometimes, a Super Human needs to know a little more about the average gang, or the new Super Drug going around!
 
Complications
 
Don't worry there, we are almost done. Tell me more about Electric Blaster! Does he have any problems? 
Well... You aren't going to stop badgering me for these until you get some will you?
Nope!
Fine. He... has problems with... uh... Work? And.... he shorts out in water? That work?
Works enough for me!
 
Both of those would be what the game treats as Complications! They are problems the character has broadly speaking, that allow you to spend some extra points. Your GM likely has an amount they want you to spend on complications, just to give them some good tools. And you get points out of it! Lovely stuff. This can be everything from Villians who are hunting you, to a weakness to an element, to a romantic rival, to just not standing the sight of people being hurt!
 
Summary
In the end, where you spend your points is up to you. Some put it in powers, some put it in skills, others put it in martial arts, and some just put it into characteristics. As long as you are following what the benchmarks your GM provided are, you should be in the clear.
 
 
 

Ah, there is an Introduction page. Useful. Was wondering if there was one!

Greetings! I've been playing Tabletops since, oh, right around 2004. Puts me as a newcomer to most compared here! Experiences have been mixed between systems, but I've played D&D 3.5, 4, and 5. Shadowrun 4e and 6e. Old World of Darkness, mundane, and New World of Darkness Mundane and Demon. 

Hero was a system I looked into not because I was interested at first, but because I heard of it's granularity, where it breaks everything down very well. If nothing else, it would give me an understanding of some of the the other systems out there! And lo, it does. Very well. Enough so that I, someone who has never picked up a comic in my life, nor have I camped out or waited with baited breath for the latest blockbuster hero movie, nor with an experience in the camp of the past, wanted to figure out how to play, and find people to share that with. 

It should be known, I am new to this genera! Both the concepts, and tropes, and systems, and so on. Until about two weeks ago, I didn't know this system existed. I am... excited for it though. It feels like I'm sifting through the dregs and sands at the end of an hourglass, but that does not mean there are not people there. Heck, despite my comparative youth, I am more than familiar with this from the old telnet clients for communications that hold a near and dear place to me.
 
In short, hello! I may ask stupid questions. I am more likely than not, not being sarcastic. Apologies! May the day find you well.

This is as much for me to check my understanding as it is to try and boil down concepts into a concise enough whole to be offered to others. In other words, I think this is the basics of the system rules, and tries to address each portion of the system in at least a minor way. Criticism is more than welcome, as is corrections and addendum. Not much mechanically though.

ahem


Hero System Beginnings:
 
Hello! And welcome to a fairly fun and peculiar system. Whether you intend to go out and fight the villain of the week, follow a dynamic continuous story-line to face off an arch rival, explore an unknown planet and mystic ruins, or travel between the stars with the cosmos in your hand, Hero system supports the lot of it. Some better than others, but that is beside the point! If you can think it, the system can nearly always support it. It just may look a little different than you expect!

Now, as per conventions in tabletops and theater of mind style games, the core concept is usually pretty simple. There exists evil out there, or perhaps just shades of grey and gray. You, the player, must interact in this world where evil or very strange shades of grey exist! Be it beating down bad guys, exploring new territories, schmoozing the social elite, sneaking through haunted mansions, or what have you! But in the end, regardless of what you are doing, you must be (somewhat) effective! This doesn't mean powerful, just good at what you are doing! However, Hero faces some very strange limits in regards to what it takes to be (somewhat) effective! Let's explore that, shall we?
 
Campaign Benchmarks
 
Wh-wha? We aren't talking about Character Concept first? Why aren't we-
Nope! Benchmarks my dear potential reader! Concepts for characters are in this portion, yes, but Benchmarks are what help you refine that! Characters in isolation are lovely yes, but they are like snow-globes. Pretty, good for capturing an image of a concept, but not very practical!

And what do I mean by practical now? Why that's quite simple! A Testing Character, which is what a Character is in isolation, is built with a specific sort of world, setting, or power level in mind. This, potential reader, is what is meant by benchmarks! They are broad, overarching rules usually imposed by the GM to determine how they want the characters to feel and play. Most often they are discussing the level of powers, defensive abilities, and how many points you will be building a character to!
 
These are the presiding laws for characters. Hero allows very very nearly anything to be built, but not all games can handle absolutely anything in the world. Or perhaps there is a specific level of power or theme that the GM is more comfortable with. Benchmarks are how they define and refine the experience. But most importantly, they tell you what are the limits to build to.

Build Principle: Stay Close
 
Still aren't talking about Character Concept? Come on! I've got a neat Idea and I want to see if it will work!
Why of course you do! And honestly, that's not my call! That's between you and the GM. Tell them about your concept, and then they can give you a thumbs up or down! The concept is you and the GM's court! I'm here to tell you how to try and follow within relatively normal guidelines in mechanics.

Speaking of, the Build Principle above, Stay Close! I can't seem to find where it was written, but it seems to be apt. Namely, that you want to stay close to what you can expect and what the party has! If the Party is sitting at Speed 6 and 7, you don't want something sitting somewhere at Speed 3. You're going to be out of the loop most of the time! And that's no fun for anyone, least of all you! So you, as much as the rest of the party, need to figure out what you are looking at for Speed more than anything else. Some will be faster, some slower, but everyone should try to stay within 1-2 Speed of each other.
 
Attack Type and Damage Class
 
Okay! My GM just approved my Electric Blaster! He's gonna fly, and shoot lightning, and save the day, and be all cool and awesome!
Most excellent! Now keep in mind that there shall be Villainous forces that oppose you! It's not just a rag-tag team of heroes standing in front of a back-splash! Villainous Evildoers, or Perilous Pitfalls, Ballroom Dancing, and other nefarious ills! But a fair portion of the time, you shall fight the evil! So, how do you do that?

You wanted to shoot Lightning right? Well, that is most likely an Energy Attack of some sort! Attacks and Defense are split between two, er, three forms. Physical, Energy, and Mental! The first two you will... probably be dealing with a fair bit I would say! Whether it is a man with a gun, a laser pistol, or someone coming to rough you up with fisticuffs, most of the threats you will face will probably be a Physical or Energy based Attack! Mental attacks are rarer, at least most of the time! A GM can choose to change this proportionality as they so choose! Remember that.

Damage is done in DC in this game. DC, standing for Damage Class! Simple enough, no? Without Adders, Limitations, or Advantages, nearly every Attacking Power is built to have one Damage Class per 5 Points put into it. Your GM probably has a Benchmark of what the maximum Damage Class they are comfortable running is! You'll want to stay within that limit. If you aren't certain on what Damage Class  you are doing though, there is a handy chart for figuring that out on pg 97 on the 2nd Core Rulebook
 
Health and Defense 
 
Alright then! My GM says to keep DC to 10 or less. And he said that PD/ED Should be under 40?
Well, That would make a fair bit of sense! PD and ED, standing for Physical Defense and Energy Defense respectively, are the two most basic forms of Defense. There is also Technically Mental Defense, to protect against Mental Powers, and Power Defense, that protects against other forms of attack! But, PD and ED are the two most common forms of Defense.
 
Now, before going on, you should know there is two types of health, that then require two types of Defense! STUN, which is the amount of damage you can take till you fall unconscious. And BODY, the amount of damage before you start to die! Both of these are normally bought as regular Characteristics. Unless you buy them for an alternate form or so on, they are usually pretty stable for their cap!

But back to Defense, PD and ED both work to protect against STUN damage. They are how you can stay up in a fight, and keep going! Generally speaking, you will want to have between 2 and 4 PD and ED per Damage Class you can inflict. So for example, since your GM is keeping Damage Class at a max of 10, you likely want to have 20 PD and ED, and up to a maximum as they put it, of 40. Each point of PD and ED take away 1 point of STUN damage, barring some special circumstances. So a 20 STUN attack will be ignored by 20 PD/ED.

However, the nefarious forces of evil are fond of Killing Attacks! These attacks ignore your STUN and go straight for your BODY! The Fiends! Your Normal PD and ED are no match for these attacks! To stand up to this type of assault, you need Resistant Defense! Each point of Resistant Defense, of either Energy or Physical type mind, takes off 1 point of BODY damage! 
 
Advantages
 
Resistant Defense? But... I thought you said there were only like... 5 forms of defense? That wasn't one of them!
Correct you are astute little theoretical reader stand in! Resistant Defense is secretly just PD and ED wearing a fancy coat! This coat's name? Advantage!
 
Advantages are, in short, special perks for Powers. Think of them like Power Upgrades! In this case, the Resistant Advantage! It lets whatever sort of Defense you apply it to resist BODY type damage! There are a fair few types of Advantages! Everything from being able to effect an Area, having your powers last longer than they would otherwise, taking no energy to use, and more! They, along with Limitations, let you customize your power set! Unfortunately, they are quite expensive! Each Advantage costs a multiplier of your Powers cost! So Say you have a 30pt power? If you want a +1/2 Advantage, you're gonna have to pay an extra 15 points!
 
Limitations
 
Wait, Limitations? I don't like the sound of that.
Oh come now! Limitations are nothing to be afraid of! They make your character dynamic, movable, and interesting! They give your GM toys and workarounds to provide interesting encounters! They make your character more human! They-
Electric Blaster is are an alien though
-More Alien then! They give you tools in your toolbelt to create interesting and unique powers and people! They-
No.
... They refund you points.
... Continue...
 
Alright, now that fussy is on board, Limitations! They limit your powers yes, but they also grant a refund on some of the power's cost. And this is applied after Advantages. You can have your power cost more endurance, fail to work on certain people, last a shorter amount of time, not do as much BODY damage, and more! You can even link up powers to work in tandem with them! They are tools for you and the GM. Just remember, if  you include it? It will come up.
 
Skills, Everyman and Otherwise
 
 
But, I feel you didn't like that portion. So tell me! What exactly does Electric Blaster do when he's not Heroing?
... Not heroing?
Yes, when he isn't out there, flying and shooting lightning and so on! What's his job, and his hobbies?
He... I... uh... Elect-tri... Electrician? Maybe... Likes Rock music? 
There we go! We can work with that!
 
So Both of those are types of Skills! Skills represent capabilities of your character beyond just their superhuman powers! Everything from Acting to Science to Giving Speeches to Making Gadgets to Climbing mountains to Conversational Skills to-
WAIT. I have to pay points to TALK to people? That's dumb.
Well, of course not! You can pay points to be better at talking with people, but you don't have to! Most campaigns have Everyman Skills! Skills you get at a basic level just for existing! No points needed to pay for them. Conversation is usually one of those! The exact number and type of Everyman Skills varies though.
 
But, there are more skills than just those! There's Profession Skills! Skills that your character has from working their job! Say for example, Mister Electric Man's being an Electrician! That's a Profession Skill! You don't have to worry to heavily about these most of the time though.
 
More than Profession Skills, there are Knowledge Skills! Skills you have about knowing particular things! There is a basic level of understanding that is presumed, that you don't have to pay points for, but sometimes, a Super Human needs to know a little more about the average gang, or the new Super Drug going around!
 
Complications
 
Don't worry there, we are almost done. Tell me more about Electric Blaster! Does he have any problems? 
Well... You aren't going to stop badgering me for these until you get some will you?
Nope!
Fine. He... has problems with... uh... Work? And.... he shorts out in water? That work?
Works enough for me!
 
Both of those would be what the game treats as Complications! They are problems the character has broadly speaking, that allow you to spend some extra points. Your GM likely has an amount they want you to spend on complications, just to give them some good tools. And you get points out of it! Lovely stuff. This can be everything from Villians who are hunting you, to a weakness to an element, to a romantic rival, to just not standing the sight of people being hurt!
 
Summary
In the end, where you spend your points is up to you. Some put it in powers, some put it in skills, others put it in martial arts, and some just put it into characteristics. As long as you are following what the benchmarks your GM provided are, you should be in the clear.
 
 
 

Earlier I replied to one of your posts and I said “you are unlikely to ask stupid questions,” and here is proof I was right — this is a perfectly reasonable question, particularly for a newcomer to a system that “has so many ways to do things.” [insert thematically heavy sigh]. So let me dispel {HA!} that idea first; yes, there are lots of ways to achieve a specific effect, but usually, if you reason from effect, there’s a single, clear best option. When I do a build, and this is a hard earned lesson, much of which I attribute to @Chris Goodwin and @ghost-angel for beating that concept into my skull. It’s why if you read my posts, particularly my later posts after I’d done six or seven full game designs and overhauls, you’ll see that theme repeated: What exactly do you want it to do, and how exactly do you envision them doing it? Once I have those two pieces of information, I can usually cobble something together. Let’s get to it then. Oh, pet peeve; avoid negatives in your writing. Rather than ask “what of these don’t you want,” it’s much easier to ask “Which of these do you prefer?” This also makes it easier for people to respond as their thinking is normalized.

Where’s my hat? Ah, yes.
 
You have a GLB who’s throwing a “banshee like wail” into a crowd that strips STUN (and possibly blinds/deafens) the target/group. Here’s the critical point I want to address; your first concept is the one with the most concrete rules, I just don’t think you have the familiarity to get to it. It is a Flash Attack, which has a defined number of dice; you can also do it as Darkness if you want it to really wreck someone. Then you add your Area of Effect and sprinkle in some limitations et voila! Champagne.
 
Next up, PRE attack. A Presence attack sort of by its nature is an AOE, it doesn’t need to be purchased separately, but you certainly can do that. You can also link a power to the limitation “requires a stat roll,” — for me, I’ve used this aggressively to tie off an ability to a power, such as PRE, so those points do more work for the character. I think PRE attacks tend to be unreliable; one of my signature HERO characters, Aiden, was a young dragon. And by “young” I mean he was only 600 points or so, so doing a massive PRE attack was one of his big things, and it was always fun to roll 12d6, but more often than not, the result didn’t eclipse the target by enough points to make it worth while.
 
Your third choice, Entangle. I agree with you; what you are describing is not an Entangle.
 
So I think none of those represent what you described; I believe that this is an Energy Blast, No Body (-1/2?), Compound Power, Flash (Hearing). Power Link; one set of dice is rolled and it represents the effect for both powers — that’s a home brew rule, by the way, and one I absolutely swear by. So you have a 12d6 EB plus 12d6 Flash, you roll the dice once, and done. Makes things clean and consistent. The object of the power is to overwhelm the targets CON so they get stun-locked into place, and if they happen to also get their STUN dropped, great.
 
The other way to do this is an AOE Change Environment, where the scream is so powerful that it makes the terrain quiver and grinds movement to a halt; imagine a series of waves going so hard that you can see concrete warp beneath it. This should have AOE, Lingering Effect, and you can also add in +Perception modifiers making it nearly impossible to hear anything other than the scream. 
 
Let me know if either of those are closer to your original vision.

This is, in effect, the core concept of the attack. You have hit the nail on the head, so to speak. And as you have addressed above, I will attempt to once more clarify intent. A shriek or wail or howl of some sort, made over an area, to stun or stagger those there, and prevent hearing successfully. Disorientation is a plus. 

I have all but decided to treat it as something with a Linked Flash Attack. Darkness too could work, but as that is bought per radius and as a Constant power at that, it makes less sense, as the Attack so to speak is intended as an instantaneous action. The stunning effect is simply where I get a little lost, as, as you put it, there seem to be a multitude of different ways to do it.

Apologies for referring to a condition in the negative however. I tend to wind up looking at a situation and finding myself trying to compare which of the options feels least appropriate, and working up from there. In this very situation, I have been offered the options of Mind Control, Energy Blast, Change Environments, Presence Attack, and Drain, as each has a method for handling a "Stunning" effect in different manners. Lacking experience, I can't tell which would be most appropriate, so I have to go with what feels least appropriate. Ala, working in reverse.

However, you put forth an Energy Blast, which I had not yet considered. Looking back over it, I'm not exactly certain why. It is not applying a specific condition, but is working to stagger the foe by taking away STUN. It's simple, but succinct. 

The Change Environment version is an amusing concept I must admit, but If anything that feels as much a portion of after effects than anything else. Should it seem appropriate later, including it as a Linked power may work, but I find it unlikely for more Point based reasons than anything else. 

The resulting end would be something along the lines of...
Sonic Screech: Xd6 Blast, Area of Effect: Radius/Cone (+1), Incantations (-1/4), No Range (-1/2), STUN Only (-0), Unified Power (-1/4), Jointly Linked: Greater (-1/4), Power Link (-0?)
Deafening Roar: Xd6 Hearing Flash, Area of Effect: Radius/Cone (+1), Incantations (-1/4), No Range (-1/2), Unified Power (-1/4), Jointly Linked: Lesser (-1/2), Power Link (-0?)

That... is workable I believe.

Ah, there is an Introduction page. Useful. Was wondering if there was one!

Greetings! I've been playing Tabletops since, oh, right around 2004. Puts me as a newcomer to most compared here! Experiences have been mixed between systems, but I've played D&D 3.5, 4, and 5. Shadowrun 4e and 6e. Old World of Darkness, mundane, and New World of Darkness Mundane and Demon. 

Hero was a system I looked into not because I was interested at first, but because I heard of it's granularity, where it breaks everything down very well. If nothing else, it would give me an understanding of some of the the other systems out there! And lo, it does. Very well. Enough so that I, someone who has never picked up a comic in my life, nor have I camped out or waited with baited breath for the latest blockbuster hero movie, nor with an experience in the camp of the past, wanted to figure out how to play, and find people to share that with. 

It should be known, I am new to this genera! Both the concepts, and tropes, and systems, and so on. Until about two weeks ago, I didn't know this system existed. I am... excited for it though. It feels like I'm sifting through the dregs and sands at the end of an hourglass, but that does not mean there are not people there. Heck, despite my comparative youth, I am more than familiar with this from the old telnet clients for communications that hold a near and dear place to me.
 
In short, hello! I may ask stupid questions. I am more likely than not, not being sarcastic. Apologies! May the day find you well.

I have never really known a world that didn't have 9/11. I was only five at the time. But... It has shaped the cultural mindset in a lot of curious ways. As a people, were are taught and shown, and indoctrinated really to fight Terror. Not a foe you can hit with a sword or a gun or beat up as superheros can. But... The intangible ineffable concept of there being those out there who wish you harm. Real or imagined.

Some of my friends latched onto that hard, and now will staunchly defend every militant action and every dubious prospect in the name of stomping out Terror. Some have fallen away from it, falling into disuse and disrepair as they know their every effort is going to fight a foe made of dust and words, ideas and ideals. Many more have wound up dispassionate and disinterested, because they see this futility and just shrug and go what even is the point? It's left marks. As much as 9/11 impacted the world, so too did the response. 

Pardon for belated replys, had life things to do.

As for if they have to be screaming the whole time, I had originally considered it as a lingering effect, fading away as time progresses. Just like how a single point source of sound can cause a ringing in your ears after it ends, but it fades away. And, while the concept of them continuing to scream or cause that sort of stunning effect sounds amusing, it is also a bit more than I intend.

From the glance over Stunning in AGP I feel it is both very close to what I am looking for but too... broad so to speak? Trying to find the correct way to state it. Ah. It feels too encompassing and all or Nothing. It results in Opponents either fumbling to move and hardly able to defend themselves and eating up their next Segment, or they continue on their merry way. 
 

Looking at it in a mechanical lens, I am trying to in essence, do 3 things in this action. Yes that will likely make it expensive, or a layered effect. I am aware.
 Cause the Opponent into failing to act effectively. This is the most mechanically important portion. A Penalty to their Action Economy of sorts. Trying to deprive a Half Phase Action, Ala Presence Attack +10, is the aim for that. Stunning Change Environment also does this well.  Causing the Opponent to be disconnected or Isolated. This is the Sense effecting portion. Hearing specifically, due to thematics. Maximum I'm looking for here is just a turn or two of effect, likely Flash or Darkness or similar. Prevent the Opponent from gathering their bearings. Whether it is forgetting where they are going, slowing down their movement, or . The end goal is easy to understand in theory. Big Monster moves around the corner, and screams. Opponent, one of the people whom is being screamed at, should in effect feel hapless to some degree. Here is a Great Big Monster and you find yourself hardly able to shoot back at it. Running feels and may very well be useless, as your mind scrambles to try and figure out what to do, where to go, and in doing so... misses out on where may be best to go, and just goes with the first instinct, if they even run. And worse yet, you can't hear. The instructions you were getting are cut off. You can watch people's lips move, see them pointing and directing, but you just... can't hear it. Can't make sense of it. You can't fight it. You can't run from it. You feel lost and alone.

The goal is to make the opponent feel Hopeless.


Taking a look mechanically... It looks like I am aiming for buying some extra Presence with the Voice Range Area modifier, potentially Costs END to use, and For Presence Attacks Only Limitation. Linked to this would be a Flash with the same Area Modifier, Linked Power Limitation and probably have it on an Explosion Limitation, so that it fades out the further away they are.
 
The third effect... I can see that being done by a Mind Control, but having an Area based Mind control with the intent to just make them lose track of where they are and where to go feels like using a God-Slaying sword to cut cake. I might be able to use a Mental Change Environment effect to cause the effect, but I'm not certain how that would work. Using Transform, Person into Person who doesn't know where they are, also runs into the Mind Control Problem.
 

They seem to be out for themselves, so frame it in that way. If they want to leave the city, and don't have some Nope-Out power like a massively improved Teleportation or similar, they need to make it so the Army isn't dealing with a Shoot-on-Sight approach because of the barbarians.

Their power will go out. Their water will dry up. Someone may come in and try to raid them. Make it personal for why they want to fix that issue. And if they start to fix that, then some unfortunate survivors may want to get in on that. Offering what help they can. 

Perhaps Cults are recruiting in the area. Or are trying to establish where they have set up in the mortuary as part of their area of control. Contention can build there. If that is noticed by other cults, they may come in to try and Hire the Party to push in or take out their rival cult for them. Payment in whatever you feel appropriate. 

They aren't dogooders, and they are out for themselves. That means you have to bring the problem to them, and make it why they should want to do it. That's my first impression at least.

I have never really known a world that didn't have 9/11. I was only five at the time. But... It has shaped the cultural mindset in a lot of curious ways. As a people, were are taught and shown, and indoctrinated really to fight Terror. Not a foe you can hit with a sword or a gun or beat up as superheros can. But... The intangible ineffable concept of there being those out there who wish you harm. Real or imagined.

Some of my friends latched onto that hard, and now will staunchly defend every militant action and every dubious prospect in the name of stomping out Terror. Some have fallen away from it, falling into disuse and disrepair as they know their every effort is going to fight a foe made of dust and words, ideas and ideals. Many more have wound up dispassionate and disinterested, because they see this futility and just shrug and go what even is the point? It's left marks. As much as 9/11 impacted the world, so too did the response. 

The mechanical answer is that I managed to get the crucial bits in place, and find I had 5 points left over, and not enough health to feel truly comfortable. So, popping that in DCV may prevent one or two attacks from hitting, which more than makes up for it.

The thematic answer is that they are a bit more focused on not trying to hit hit than they are trying to grab and throw you around. 

Checking what I could of the Errata, there doesn't seem to be a statement in regard to cost of Unbreakable. Granted, given that it was stated above that Hero Designer includes a +1/4 for Unbreakable, I have to presume it was patched in somewhere, and simply forgotten. Source Below.

As for the Logic in trying to take out someone Physical Armor? The short answer is because it felt thematically appropriate.

The long answer is because of the feeling evoked and as a support ability. Some behemoth of a monster is bearing down on you, but you are protected, and you know that. You can fire away your (Blast, Telekinetic force, Laser Pistol, Gun) and stand your ground. And instead of knocking you away with their meaty hands, they instead... are trying to pry that armored shell free. They aren't trying to hit you, they are trying to get you. Suddenly you are left with only the protection of your flesh (and suitable powers) left as they wrench away that armored protection. Just you and the nightmare now.

Mechanically? It's a reverse Aid. As a Metamorph Brick, it doesn't make sense to provide a bonus to others Blasts and such. That's not in the wheelhouse. But, a support sort of ability to make them deal more damage would still be appreciated. So, using overwhelming force to break apart an opponents armor means there isn't as much PD/ED in the way anymore and thus, regardless of the form of attack, more damage will be inflicted.  Sure it might be more effective to simply hammer away with another attack, but I'm not talking what is effective. There are really easy ways to build effective but not interesting sorts of fights and designs. Not only that, but people are going to have... questions... when the monsterous hero instead of going for a knockout is trying to tear the Villian free of their suit of armor. Hero's don't do that. It provides some fun plot potential if taken with Bad/Questionable Reputation or similar.

Lacking Hero Designer myself, I will have to accept your word on that front. As listed on the Focus Table (Vol 1 6E, pg 380) all I am able to see is that Fragile offers an additional -1/4, and Durable imposes no change. Unbreakable, while mentioned in the text, does not appear, and does not indicate a cost in the text above. Given that is what I can see, I have based my assumptions upon such.

And Ultimately, you are correct. Even if there is found a mechanically viable method for harming armor or disabling Foci, it is all set under the GM's discretion. I may feel that preventing such is limiting in choices for the players, but if it is to better focus their efforts towards the story and game design that the GM is more comfortable writing and offering, then so be it. The goal is to enjoy the game and tell a fun story. Creating, designing, and utilizing tools that do not help in that end... well... by definition, it's not fun.