mattingly

Hobby/Sport vehicles -- balloons, hangglinders, skateboards, rollerblades, bicycles, SCUBA gear & flippers, gocarts, dune buggys, nascars/racecars, pogo stick . P.S. For someone to be "more powerful" than a locomotive, it'd be nice to know how powerful a locomotive is.

The UNTIL Superpowers Database. Makes character creation so much quicker. And, depending on your campaign, Millennium City.

If your two new players want to be mentalists, give them different specialties. Make one a telepath and the other a telekinetic -- who can also fill the role of team brick. Go light on the Limitations. Make the Powers as straightforward as you can. In a similar vein, don't use any Frameworks for the new characters. Let them be introduced to the concept by the gadgeteer's VPP. Go ahead and spend 200 points for them, making essentially a 150-point character with unoptimized points. That way, the experienced gadgeteer can spend his "extra" 50 points on team base/vehicle/equipment. Ignoring END and BODY for the first game might work, but I'd add one or two new rules per game session until they got the hang of things. If this is their first time roleplaying, don't go straight into a danger room. Give them an hour or two of roleplaying. Maybe even have them play out their solo origin stories before they come together as a team.

Something I sometimes do, depending on the kind of campaign I'm running, is to charge a 3-point Talent for each additional "spell target." A spell target can be a person (the default category), a potion, a scroll, or a wand/staff. (Weapons, armors, and other "permanent" items are handled differently than one-shot items.) The limiting factor is depends on the type of item. * Wands can only recieve one charge per day, so it would take over a month to fully energize a 50-charge wand. * Potions are limited by containers. The container must be glass or iron, making the potions either fragile or heavy. Sure, you can have a couple of hundred potions in your cabinet, but how many can you take with you on a journey? in a dungeon? * Scrolls are limited by proximity. If more than one magic scroll is kept in the same scrollcase, or on the same desk or shelf, the spells have a chance of malfunctioning, blending together, shorting each other out, etc. So, your typical scroll can be compacted to about the size of six arrows in a quiver, meaning that the average character could carry a maximum of 6 to 10 most of the time.

Images vs Hearing, Autofire . Or how about Mind Control, 2d6, Set Effect: "Duck!" -- it won't hit above a 10 EGO much, but many people (most Normals, anyway) have a Psych Lim that would work in your favor for it. Or, my favorite: Images vs Hearing, +10 COM. If you can buy +1 PER for +3 points, it stands to reason that you could buy +10 COM for 5 points, doncha think?

The aforementioned Thunderbunny... Those are hand greneggs in his basket.

Okay, he might be a bit of a gag character, but I normally have a centaur Mountie somewhere in Canada.

When I was doing freelance work for Citizen Games, we considered putting out a Book of Books, that would list this kind of stuff for fantasy games.

One of my favorite genre-benders is Thunder Bunny (no relation to the comic book character of the same name). He's essentially The Punisher, but he wears a big pink bunny suit. None of my GMs ever let me play him, though...

For your player (and any others interested), I recommend checking out The Christian Gamers Guild, at http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arcade/2964/ I've even got a Christian superhero (Samaritan) written up in their ezine The Way The Truth And The Dice.

Knockout Gas / Chloroform. It's incredibly expensive (under most methods) to build a simple handkerchief that puts the target to sleep after a grab. Team Gadgets. Lots of examples of team communicators, locators, uniforms, etc. Traps and security systems. Base-type equipment. Also, rules and samples of Danger Rooms. Surveillance equipment, including Spidey-tracers. Rope!

A werewolf whose Secret ID was a Professional Wrestler! Imagine the shock when the characters corner the werewolf and force him to transform back to his human self, only to be faced with The Mighty MacGuffin himself!

That's how I just wrote it up last week, for a heroine who has a gadget pool of survival/sports equipment. 2d6 Cosmetic Transform, Partial Effect. Fits nicely in her 15-point VPP.

I've uploaded the map to http://www.dhero.com/RakossMap.jpg (begging your permission, Keneton).

Digital Hero #10 included an article on different types of Areas Of Effect, including AOE: Random, which sounds perfect for the Chain Lightning effect.

I suppose you could put both a Summon and a linked Transform into the same pool, and "buff up" the summoned critter that way. But it sounds like something that's best handled by GM Fiat, anyway.

Okay, I understand the logic in the first three bundles, but what's up with the TUMA/TUV bundle -- the John Woo special?

And even though you've done plenty of arcane spells yourself, here is the equivalent list for Wizards. Wizard's Spells 37 Prepared Spells: Multipower, 64-point reserve; Variable Limitation (Requires a Skill Roll or Not when in Melee, -¼), Variable Limitation (-1 from: Charges, Focus, Gestures, or Incantations, -½) [31] 42u 31 Spells [31] 0th: Detect Magic, Flare, Light , Mage Hand, Read Magic; 1st: Cause Fear, Enlarge, Identify, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Ray of Enfeeblement, Shield; 2nd: Hypnotic Pattern, Invisibility, Melf’s Acid Arrow, Mirror Image, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Web; 3rd: Displacement, Fireball, Fly, Hold Person, Lightning Bolt, Protection from Elements; 4th: Dimension Door, Evard’s Black Tentacles, Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Stoneskin; 5th: Cone Of Cold, Feeblemind, Wall of Force Wizard’s Spells 1u Detect Magic (0): Detect (See) Magic, Sense, Discriminatory; Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-¾) [1cc] 1u Flare (0): Suppress OCV 2d6 (Set Effect = -1 OCV), Area Of Effect (One Hex Accurate, +½); Negated by Sight Flash Defense (-½), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge lasting 1 Minute (-1) [1cc] 1u Light (0): Images, +4 PER; Only to Create Light (-1), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼) [1cc] 1u Mage Hand (0): Telekinesis (0 STR), Fine Manipulation 12-, Area Of Effect (One Hex Accurate, +½); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), Concentration (½ DCV throughout, -½), 1 Charge lasting 1 Minute (-¾) [1cc] 1u Read Magic (0): Universal Translator; Only for Reading Magic (-1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼) [1cc] 1u Cause Fear (1): Suppress PRE 6d6, Area Of Effect (One Hex Accurate, +½); Only to Cause Fear (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge lasting 1 Turn (-1¼) [1cc] 1u Enlarge (1): Growth (2 levels), Usable By Other (+¼), Ranged (+½); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-¾) [1cc] 1u Identify (1): Detect Magical Property, Discriminatory, Analyze; Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), Extra Time (6 Hours, -3½), 1 Charge (-2) [1] 1u Mage Armor (1): Force Field (10 PD/ 10 ED), Usable By Other (+¼); Does Not Stack with Worn Armor (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 6 Hours (-0) [1cc] 2u Magic Missile (1): RKA ½d6, No Normal Defense (ED Force Field, +1), Does BODY (+1), No Range Modifier (+½), Autofire (4 shots, +½), Area Of Effect (One Hex Accurate, +½); 4 Charges (-1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-½), Versus Organic Only (-½), Must Fire 4 Charges per Attack (-¼) plus Accurate Skipover Autofire; 1 Charge (-2), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-½), Versus Organic Only (-½) [1] 1u Ray of Enfeeblement (1): Drain STR 2d6, Returns in 5 Minutes (+½), Ranged (+½), Area Of Effect (One Hex Accurate, +½); 1 Charge (-2), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-½) [1] 1u Shield (1): Force Wall (0 PD/8 ED), Invisible to Sight (+½), Transparent to Physical Attacks (+½), Personal Immunity (+¼); No Range (-½), Limited Arc (60o, -½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-½) [1cc] 1u Hypnotic Pattern (2): Mind Control 6d6, Telepathic (+¼), Personal Immunity (+¼), Explosion (+½); Set Effect (Stand and Stare, -½), Gestures (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge (-2) [1] 1u Invisibility (2): Invisibility to Sight Group, Usable By Other (+¼); Only When Not Attacking (-½), 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1) [1cc] 1u Melf’s Acid Arrow (2): RKA ½d6, 2xPenetrating (+1), Continuous (+1), Area Of Effect (One Hex Accurate, +½), No Range Penalty (+½); 1 Charge lasting 1 Turn (-1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1) [1cc] 1u Mirror Image (2): Images to Sight and Hearing, -4 PER, 2†Radius (+¼); Set Effect (only of multiple selves, -1), Ablative (-1), 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-¾), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼) plus +4 DCV; Linked to Images (-½), Ablative (-1), 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-¾), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼) [1cc] 1u Tasha’s Hideous Laughter (2): Mind Control 10d6; Set Effect (Laugh Uncontrollably, -½), Ends after 1 Turn (-½), 1 Charge (-2), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-0), OAF (-1), Not versus Animal Intelligence or Less (-½) [1] 1u Web (2): Entangle 2 BODY 2 DEF, Area Of Effect (4†Radius, +1), Sticky (+½), No Range Penalty (+½); Vulnerability to Fire (-½), Ends after 1 Hour (-¼), 1 Charge (-2), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1) [1] 1u Displacement (3): Succor DCV 7d6 (standard effect = +4 DCV); Negated by Non-Sight Targeting Senses (-½), OAF (-1), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge lasting 2 Turns (-1) [1cc] 2u Fireball (3): RKA 1½d6, Area Of Effect (3†Radius, +1), No Range Penalty (+½); Gestures (-¼), OAF (-1), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge (-1) [1] 2u Fly (3): Flight 15â€, Usable By Other (+¼); 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼) [1cc] 2u Hold Person (3): Entangle 2 BODY 3 DEF, Works Against EGO, not STR (+¼), Takes No Damage from Physical Attacks (+¼), Area Of Effect (One Hex Accurate, +½), No Range Penalty (+½); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge (-1) [1] 2u Lightning Bolt (3): RKA 2d6, Area Of Effect (12†Line, +1); No Range (-½), OAF (-1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge (-1) [1] 1u Protection from Elements (3): Force Field (0 PD/20 ED); versus Single Chosen Element (-1), Ablative (-1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge Lasting 1 Hour (-¾) [1cc] 2u Dimension Door (4): Teleport 25â€, 4x Mass; 1 Charge (-2), Incantations (-¼) [1] 2u Evard’s Black Tentacles (4): Telekinesis (20 STR), Area Of Effect (3†Radius, +1); Activation 11- (against each target, -1), 1 Charges lasting 6 Hours (-0), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1) [1] 2u Minor Globe of Invulnerability (4): Force Wall (0 PD/16 ED), Transparent to Physical (+½); No Range (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 2 Turns (-1) [1cc] 1u Stoneskin (4): Force Field (30 PD), Hardened (+¼), Usable By Other (+¼); Ablative (-1), 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1) [1cc] 2u Cone Of Cold (5): EB 4d6, No Normal Defense (LS: Cold, +1), Area Of Effect (6†Cone, +1); No Range (-½), 1 Charge (-2), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-0), OAF (-1) [1] 2u Feeblemind (5): Suppress INT, EGO, PRE, and All Non-Physical Skills 3d6, Variable Effect (all at once, +2), Ranged (+½), Area Of Effect (One Hex Accurate, +½); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 6 Hours (-0) [1cc] 2u Wall of Force (5): Force Wall (10 PD/ 0 ED), Affects Desolid (ethereal, +¼), Invisible to Sight (+½), Transparent to Energy (+½); 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-¾), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1) [1cc]

Apologies for the format, but here's a list of several converted clerical spells I used at GenCon. Cleric’s Spells Spells Charges 50 Prepared Spells: Multipower, 75-point reserve; Variable Limitation (Requires a Skill Roll or Not when in Melee, -¼), Variable Limitation (-½ from: Charges, Focus, Gestures, Incantations, or Costs Endurance -¼) [33] 53u 40 Spells [33] (Spontaneous#, Domain*) 0th: Create Water, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Light, Read Magic, Virtue, Cure Minor Wounds 1st: Bless, Deathwatch, Doom, Protection from Evil, Remove Fear, *Sanctuary, Shield of Faith, #Cure Light Wounds 2nd: Aid, Hold Person, Lesser Restoration, Remove Paralysis, *Shield Other, Silence, #Cure Moderate Wounds 3rd: Bestow Curse, Glyph of Warding, *Protection from Elements, Prayer, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Wind Wall, #Cure Serious Wounds 4th: Divine Power, Freedom Of Movement, Greater Magic Weapon, Repel Vermin, *Spell Immunity, #Cure Critical Wounds 5th: Flame Strike, Insect Plague, Raise Dead, *Spell Resistance, #Healing Circle 1u Create Water (0): Major Transform 4d6 (into Water, up to 12 gallons); Limited Target (only versus Air, -½), No Range (-½), All Or Nothing (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge (-2) [1] 1u Cure Minor Wounds (0): Simplified Healing ½d6; Not versus Undead (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾), Each Charges “Uses Up†a Charge of Another 0-Level Spell (-½) [6] 1u Detect Magic (0): Detect (See) Magic, Sense, Discriminatory; Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-¾) [1cc] 1u Detect Poison (0): Detect (See) Poison, Discriminatory; Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge (-2) [1] 1u Light (0): Images, +4 PER; Only to Create Light (-1), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼) [1cc] 1u Read Magic (0): Universal Translator; Only for Reading Magic (-1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼) [1cc] 1u Virtue (0): Aid STUN and BODY ½d6, Delayed Fade Rate (1 Minute, +¼); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1) [1] 1u Bless (1): Succor DEX and PRE 3d6 (Standard Effect = +3 DEX and +10 PRE), Variable Effect (two characteristics, +½), Area Of Effect (6†Selective Radius, +1½); Only for OCV/DCV and PRE Defense (-½), 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1) [1cc] 1u #Cure Light Wounds (1): Simplified Healing 1d6; Not versus Undead (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾), Each Charges “Uses Up†a Charge of Another 1-Level Spell (-½) [6] 1u Deathwatch (1): Detect (See) Health (STUN and BODY Levels), Sense, Discriminatory, 360o Perception; Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼) [1cc] 1u Doom (1): Suppress DEX and PRE 3d6 (Standard Effect = -3 DEX and -10 PRE), Variable Effect (two characteristics, +½), Ranged (+½), Area Of Effect (Accurate, +½); Only for OCV/DCV and PRE Defense (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-¾) [1cc] 1u Protection from Evil (1): Force Field (10 PD/10 ED/10 Mental), Usable By Other (+¼); Not Cumulative with Magic Circle Against Evil (-¼), Only from “Evil†(-1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-¾) [1cc] 1u Remove Fear (1): Succor PRE 6d6 (Set Effect = +18 PRE), Area Of Effect (3†Selective Radius, +1¼); Only to Counter Effects of Previous PRE Attack (-1½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge (-2) [1] 1u *Sanctuary (1): Desolid (not versus attackers who beat the target at EGO versus EGO Roll), Usable By Other (+¼); Only to Protect Against Attacks (-1), Spell Ends if Attacking (- 1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 1 Turn (-1) [1cc] 1u Shield of Faith (1): Force Field (10 PD/10 ED), Usable By Other (+¼); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-½) [1cc] 1u Aid (2): Succor DEX, PRE, BODY, and STUN 3d6 (Standard Effect = +3 DEX and +10 PRE), Variable Effect (four characteristics, +1); DEX and PRE are Only for OCV/DCV and PRE Defense (-0), 1 Charge lasting 5 Minutes (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1) [1] 1u #Cure Moderate Wounds (2): Simplified Healing 2d6; Not versus Undead (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 5 Charges (-¾), Each Charges “Uses Up†a Charge of Another 2-Level Spell (-½) [5] 2u Hold Person (2): Entangle 2 BODY 3 DEF, Works Against EGO, not STR (+¼), Takes No Damage from Physical Attacks (+¼), Area Of Effect (One Hex Accurate, +½), No Range Penalty (+½); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge (-1) [1] 1u Lesser Restoration (2): Healing 3d6+1 (Standard Effect = 10 points), Any One Characteristic (+½); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), Extra Time (full phase plus extra segment, -¾), 1 Charge (-2) [1] 1u Remove Paralysis (2): Dispel 10d6, Any One Paralysis Power (+¼), Area Of Effect (3†Selective Radius, +1¼); Only Paralysis-based Entangles (-1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge (-2) [1] 2u *Shield Other (2): Force Field (15 PD/ 15 ED), Usable by Other (+¼), Ranged (+½), Area Of Effect (Accurate, +½); Side Effect (Caster takes the damage that the force field prevented, -1¼), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 6 Hours (-0) [1cc] 3u Silence (2): Darkness to Hearing Group, 2†Radius, Usable As Attack (+1), Area Of Effect (Accurate, +½), No Range Penalty (+½), Invisible to Sight (+½); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge lasting 1 Minutes (-½) [1cc] 3u Bestow Curse (3): Suppress 3d6 (Standard Effect = -10 points), Any Two Characteristics (+½), Area Of Effect (One Hex, +½), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½), Persistent (+½), 1 Charge lasting 1 Century (+2); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), No Range (-½) [1cc] 1u #Cure Serious Wounds (3): Simplified Healing 4d6; Not versus Undead (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 4 Charges (-1), Each Charges “Uses Up†a Charge of Another 3-Level Spell (-½) [4] 1u Glyph of Warding (3): RKA 2d6, Variable Special Effects (+¼), Trigger (+¼), Area Of Effect (One Hex, +½), Penetrating (+½); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge (-2), Extra Time (5 minutes, -2) [1] 1u *Protection from Elements (3): Force Field (0 PD/20 ED); versus Single Chosen Element (-1), Ablative (-1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge Lasting 1 Hour (-¾) [1cc] 2u Prayer (3): Succor Combat Powers 3d6 (Standard Effect = +1 OCV, +1 DCV, +5 BODY, +10 PRE, +20 END, +10 STUN, +2 Damage Classes), Variable Effect (all powers of a special effect, +2), Area Of Effect (8†Selective Radius, +1¾); 1 Charge lasting 2 Turns (-¾), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1) [1cc] 2u Remove Blindness/Deafness (3): Healing 7d6 (7 Flash Segments) for Blindness and Deafness, Can Heal Eyes/Ears; Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 1 Charge (-2) [1] 1u Wind Wall (3): Missile Deflection (up to arrows), Ranged (+1), Uncontrolled (+½), Area Of Effect (12 Hexes, +1½), Affects Gaseous (+¼); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 2 Turns (-½) [1cc] 2u #Cure Critical Wounds (4): Simplified Healing 7d6; Not versus Undead (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 4 Charges (-1), Each Charges “Uses Up†a Charge of Another 4-Level Spell (-½) [4] 1u Divine Power (4): Succor 3d6 STR and DEX 9d6 (Set Effect = +10 STR +9 DEX); Self Only (-½), DEX Only for OCV/DCV (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 2 Turns (-¾) [1cc] 1u Freedom Of Movement (4): Succor STR, DEX, EGO, SPD, and All Movement 5d6, Variable Effect (all powers of a related group, +2); Only to Negate Movement Penalties (-2), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼) [1cc] 3u Greater Magic Weapon (4): Succor Damage 5d6 and OCV 8d6 (Set Effect = +15 Active Points of Damage and +5 OCV); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 6 Hours (-0) [1cc] 1u Repel Vermin (4): Force Wall (12 PD/ 0 ED), Transparent to Physical (+½), Backlash (+½), Does Knockback (+¼), Usable by Other (+¼); Only Against Bugs and Rodents (-1), Only to Center a Sphere on Target (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼) [1cc] 1u *Spell Immunity (4): Force Field (20 PD/20 ED/10 Mental/10 Power), Usable by Other (+¼); Only Against Magic Spells (-1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼) [1cc] 2u #Healing Circle (5): Simplified Healing 3d6, Area Of Effect (3†Selective Radius, +1¼); Not versus Undead (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), 3 Charges (-1¼), Each Charges “Uses Up†a Charge of Another 5-Level Spell (-½) [3] 2u Flame Strike (5): EB 3d6, AVLD (versus Power Defense, +1½), Does BODY (+1), Area Of Effect (8†Tall, 2†Radius, +1), Indirect (from above, +½), No Range Penalty (+½); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge (-2) [1] 1u Insect Plague (5): RKA 1 Pip, Autofire (3 Shots, +¼), Continuous (+1), Uncontrolled (+½), Area Of Effect (16†Radius, +1¾), Personal Immunity (+¼), NND (PD Force Field, +1), Does BODY (+1), 250 Charges (+1), Indirect (+½); Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), Lasts 5 Minutes (-0) [1cc] 1u Raise Dead (5): Simplified Healing 5d6, Resurrection; Not versus Undead (-½), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge (-2), Extra Time (1 Minute, -1½) [1] 1u *Spell Resistance (5): Damage Reduction 50%, Physical and Energy, Resistant, Usable By Other (+¼); Only versus Magic Spells (-1), Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼), OAF (-1), 1 Charge (-2) [1]

Yes, but even though the artwork would be in color, and you have a color printer, you don't have to print it in color. Just about every color printer has the ability to print in B/W on a doc-by-doc basis.

A lot of good comments here. I appreciate hearing everyone's feedback, both positive and negative. The idea of giving out a free DH credit with purchase of an ebook is excellent, especially since it would be instantly redeemable (just download one while you're downloading the other). As for why sales are low so far, my guesses are: 1) only website visitors know it's here, not game shop visitors; 2) no ability to preview the contents; 3) dislike of electronic books; 4) it's only been a week or so. For #1, will ebooks be shipped on CD to distributors, the way that some of the previous Hero books were? (I bought my Kazei 5 on a floppy at a store, even though I knew it was avilable for download.) Also, although it would be an additional cost, have you considered making up some posters or flyers for the distributors to send out with their weekly bundlers? For #2, a few sample pages showing off a map, one of the official reports, and maybe a brief outline, would help to show just how cool the product is. And I love the fact that almost every map has a separate drawing for the "GM's Map" and the "Players' Map." For #3, you can to point people to RPGNow's print-on-demand feature, where customers can order a printed, bound copy of an ebook for a few dollars extra. I believe that in the near future (say, the next 5 years), ebooks will become much more accepted. And in the further future (say, 10-15 years), that ebooks will actually surpass printed books as the medium of choice. Compare to the CD versus LP paradigm shift. 10 years from now, when we're all reading books electronically, we'll be glad that we've got our Hero goodies already converted, instead of wishing that they'd finally reprint them digitally. For #4, a lot of hardcopy sales come from presales. Hardcopy books sell most of their print run in the first couple of weeks, but not so for most ebooks. As I understand it, DOJ doesn't want to get into a lot of taking money beforehand, due to liability issues, but have you considered any kind of preorders for ebooks? -- As for good things about the ebook, none of my gaming group even read the playtest, since we were all hoping to eventually play in it (we rotate GMing duties). But now that I see the actual copy of SOB, it's extremely cool. Since there's no actual limit on page count, you got to do things you wouldn't ordinarily do. The combat chart (detailing DEXes, SPDs, etc. is already filled in for the ebooks NPCs, with blank lines there for the PCs. The one thing I'd like to see (and this may seem hypocritical coming from me, since I include almost entirely B/W art in Digital Hero) is all-color art. Since it doesn't cost Hero anything extra for printing, which is the big expense with color, it should be economical. And you could probably find a fan/playtester or two that would be willing to color in the B+W art in exchange for a comp copy of the final product. Once that's all there, the individual customer can choose to print in color or B+W, or not to print at all. Since this isn't DOJ's first ebook (only the first in-house ebook), how do sales here compare to The Kandris Seal?

Instead of running my games like a comic book, I run mine like a television series (with episodes and seasons, casting calls, soundtracks, bloopers that run during the credits, etc.). For my games, I don't like having to roll off for DEX/SPD ties for initiative, so... COM is the tie-breaker. When two characters are evenly matched, the camera points first to the more attractive one.

Another way to do it, but that will require a sharp GM's eye, is: MegaScale Knockback Distance on X STR (1" = 10m, +1/4). With MegaScale, you can determine what the multiplier is, and set it to just 10m (or whatever works for you, up to (I think) 100m at the +1/4 level). If you want to get a bit more refined, you can add another +1/4 so that it's scalable; that is, the player can determine whether a hex of KB equals 10m, 100m, or somewhere in between. If you want to do a KB-only attack, I normally do that as: Dispel Knockback Resistance, Does Knockback (+1/4), Double Knockback (+3/4). That comes out to 2d6 of KB per 3 points.

This is my only must-play game each year. The Whup Ass game is tons of fun. Even if you can't play in it, stop by for a few minutes and watch the bloody goofiness. Look for two giant tables stuck together with 15 to 20 players, 4 GMs, a video camera, a wrestling ring, and a big box of prizes. As for what I'm running this year, I'll be running: * Thieves' Crown Thursday at 8AM, in which the lieutenants of the thieves' guild (i.e. the PCs) compete against each other to retrieve a legendary item. * Demon Hunter FBI, the Television Series, Friday at 8AM, in which special crack agents investigate paranormal crimes, in the manner of a TV show, complete with actors and commercials. * Big Brawls: Game Wars, in which archetypes from superhero, fantasy, and horror games duke it out. This one is being run twice, once Thursday at 7PM, and once Saturday at 8AM.

How about an INT Drain that... DOES BODY (+1)? Bwa ha ha ha!