rjcurrie

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #6: Defense Powers

you should see what Steve renamed Persistant too...

 

 

 

*runs*

One would hope he changed it to "Persistent"

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #6: Defense Powers

Actually Steve just said "as with Force Field you can define this as Power Defense' date=' Mental Defense, or the like instead of just PD and ED". Doesn't seem very ambiguous to me. It has the same cost structure as Armor, but can be bought for the same type of defenses as Force Field. Though he does note that you can make the Resistant Defense Power cost END if you want by slapping "Costs END" on it, there is nothing to indicate that that is required to make any of the defenses that it can protect against available.[/quote']

 

One other thing that might distinguish Resistant Protection from buying PD and ED as Resistant is if the Protect Carried Items Adder from Force Field is carried over to this new construct.

Re: DAR Hero cover

It took me a second to realize you meant "Day After Ragnarok" and not "Daughters of the American Revolution"

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #2: New Combat Maneuvers; Objects As Weapons

So' date=' I take it this means there will be a little less encouragement by the system to heap on a large number of Complications? [/quote']

 

Steve mentioned in a podcast quite some time ago that it was his plan to reduce the number of Disadvantages (now Complications) needed to balance a character. Had this approach been applied in 5th Edition, a 350 Point superhero might have only needed, say, 100 or even 50 points of Disadvantages.

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #5: Body-Affecting Powers

2 decades for me.

I've occasionally used scaled maps over my 26 years of playing Hero but much more often, I haven't.

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #5: Body-Affecting Powers

The Stretching changes look good.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

Let me slightly correct myself. Traveller had a skill-buy system, or I guess even more accurately a skill-selection system. The "points" were more years of experience than direct-point allotment but the choice was still in the player's control.

 

Or you can blame my flub on a combination of having only a couple hours of sleep and possessing a Swiss-cheese memory.

 

It is true, though, that Traveller was my escape from the D&D mindset. TFT shoved the body into the casket and Champions nailed the lid shut. I never looked back after that.

Once you hit Books 4 and 5, Mercenary and High Guard, respectively, you got some choice in a few areas. But generally, the most choice you had was what table you rolled on to get your skill for that term. However, I know some GMs would just let you choose a skill rather than roll for it, so perhaps you playerd with a house rule like that.

Traveller was my escape from AD&D too. In fact, I had disliked my AD&D experience so much that I may have never role-played again if a roommate hadn't talked me into playing in his Traveller campaign.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

Just a small historical nit-pick. Before Champions came out' date=' Steve Jackson and GDW had already introduced the gaming world to point-buy systems with character flaws (The Fantasy Trip and Traveller, correspondingly).

 

Those were the games that allowed me to escape D&D. Champions came along a year or two later in my gaming life to show me the wonders of comic-book superhero roleplaying.

 

The rest, as they say, is history...

I'll give you The Fantasy Trip but how the heck does any pre-1981 Traveller get to be considered a point-buy system with character flaws?

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

Ok you are right. in 3rd edtion those were called "General Modifiers". Limitations, Advantages and "General Modifiers" were all classed as Power Modifiers. It's been a long time since I opened that rulebook and my memory was faulty

 

Tasha

You're not the only one. This thread has me looking at those old books for the first time in years.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

It wasn't a power modifier. Reduced Endurance, Multipower and Elemental Controls are/were power modifier.

 

The core group of people I played with didn't really cheeze the rules that hard. I also always hated endurance reserves as they were too complicated to want to deal with.

 

Lets just say that 1st edition-3rd edition had huge loopholes that players. 4th edition changed that and closed most all of those loopholes. 5th edition was written to close more loopholes and explain the rules better. 6th edition seems to be streamlining certain rules and making things more consistant.

According to the 2e rulebook, Power Modifiers includes Frameworks (ECs and MPs -- although the Framework name is not used), Advantages, and Limitations. Reduced END Cost appears between the Frameworks and Advantages but is not disussed in the intro.

They may have changed the terminology in the 3e rulebook but I don't remember them doing so.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

Not quite' date=' or at least not the way I remember it. The usual cheese was to have all your main powers on a x1 END reserve (a -1.5 limitation) and take a single small (10 base point, and likely extremely limited since you don't actually need to use it) power on a very large END reserve (I don't recall if there was a max, but I'm sure at least x128 was possible). Then, you link all your END reserves together. If we assume the large powers were 60 active points, each of them contributed 12 END to the reserve (and costed 12 END to use), while the small power (20 active) contributes 512 END to the reserve, so in effect you're getting all your major powers at a -1.5 limitation (and no need to buy reduced END cost) at a cost of needing to buy a rather small secondary power.[/quote']

 

In any event, 4e changed it from a Modifier to a separate Power.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

Well' date=' the individual maneuvers were costed out in 4th, and set up so you could build your own MA.[/quote']

 

I don't think that happened until Ninja Hero and then elaborated on in Ultimate Martial Artist.

 

IIRC, neither DI nor JI had the "extra DC for +4 points" option, either.

 

You're right on that one.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

Martial Arts rules were a major change from Champs 3rd Ed.' date=' and even from Danger International and Justice Inc.[/quote']

 

Okay, I see DI and JI as basically having similar Martial Arts as 4th ed. What do do you see as so different to constitute a major change?

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

And that's a factor to consider when comparing the transitions. A number of those changes listed for the 4th Edition already existed, but on the specific genre books.

 

4th Edition simply combined the genre-specific rules into one homogeneous self-consistent set and made the jump to a "universal" system, for better or worse.

 

 

 

Well, I know in my case I was already doing mash-ups of rules between the books for my own games, so having the system properly merge the various mechanics overrode any concern about character changes.

I tried to account for things that were borrowed from various "heroic" games when I created the list of changes. I would appreciate if you could point out where I listed somehting as new that in fact came from one of the other games (and I didn't acknowledge it

). I'm not saying you're wrong, I'd just like a clear list.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

You have a point. It may be a matter of perspective, and of course we haven't seen the finished product yet.

 

But when I consider that we're dropping a Framework, dropping and adding Characteristics, redefining some Characteristics pretty fundamentally....I still think this has to count as a bigger change than the change to 4th edition.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Riding a palindromedary up and down a cliff.

4th editon did the following:

• Redefined how END and Reduced END worked.
  
• Redefined and repriced the Skill list
  
• Introduced Perks and Talents -- Find Weakness and Danger Sense were moved to Talents and redefined slightly. Luck was also moved to Talents.
  
• Changed how Mental Powers worked
  
• Introduced the concept of Sense Groups and expanded sense-affecting Powers accordingly.
  
• Expanded adjustment Powers to work against Special Effects
  
• Changed the list of disadvantages available, recosted them, and removed the halving of points received after the first two disads in a character (and quartering after first four).
  
• Removed Healing, Mental Paralysis, Piercing, Power Destruction, Presence Defense, and Reflection as Powers
  
• Incorporated and redefined Aid, Clairsentience, Summon, and Suppress from Fantasy Hero.
  
• Added New Powers: Change Environment, END Reserve, Extra-Dimensional Movement, Hand-to-Hand Attack, and Mind Link.
  
• Redefined and/or repriced many Powers: Absorption (formerly Energy Absorption), Armor, Damage Resistance, Density Increase, Duplication, Enhanced Senses, Extra Limbs, Flash, Flash Defense, Growth, Images (formerly Light Illusions), Life Support, Missile Deflection & Reflection (formerly Missile Deflection), Multiform, Regeneration, Shape Shift, Telekinesis, and Transform (formerly Transformation Attack)
  
• Renamed many Powers
  
• plus many other changes
  

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

We're looking at the greatest

change in Hero ever, not counting Fuzion (which WAS a step off a cliff)

but I think it is still recognizably Hero.

I'm still undecided about whether 6e is the greatest change in Hero ever. 4e from 3e was a pretty big change and it's hard to decide which is a bigger change.

Re: 6Ed Character Sheet?

Okay, I'll start this then. Here is my first cut at a play sheet for 6Ed.

 

Note well that it is not a character design sheet -- it does not display costs or formulas, just values. Also, it is in a PocketMod format, so that it folds up and easily fits in a pocket. The folding instructions are here. Yeah, I know. It is what I had handy to modify.

 

If you think you can do better (and I imagine you can), let's see it.

 

p.s. this is just a preview image, not print quality.

Certainly nowhere near enough space for Powers, Skills, and other abilities.

Re: Coming Soon From Hero and Atomic Overmind: Day After Ragnarok, The Hero Edition

You know' date=' I'm looking forward to this almost as much as I'm looking forward to 6e. [/quote']

 

I'm looking forward to it too.

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #3: Area Of Effect And Damage Shield

Well' date=' yeah, but he was specifically responding to a suggestion that these also be put up at other RPG sites.[/quote']

 

I suspect he's referring to 5e players who do not visit the Hero Boards regularly (if at all) but may visit other RPG sites.

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #3: Area Of Effect And Damage Shield

So, AoE 1 Meter, Surface (Self)?

 

Or

 

AoE 1 Meter (Surface), Self Only?

Probably something like that.

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #3: Area Of Effect And Damage Shield

I'm reasonably sure he is talking about Continuous and using the value for it pre-6E' date=' which has been consistent since it was introduced I believe, so really not an unreasonable assumption. Still, nothing is safe from being changed in 6E, so it certainly could be a lower Advantage.[/quote']

 

Or a higher one.

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #3: Area Of Effect And Damage Shield

I like layout. It looks sharp, professional.

 

As for the AoE changes. I like it. I also like the way Damage Shield plays into it. It leaves me with one point of clarification, though. Is a damage shield now AoE 1 Hex, Surface (self)?

Well probably not 1 Hex, since Hexes are no longer used as a unit of measurement in 6e.

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #3: Area Of Effect And Damage Shield

I was planning to post this tomorrow, but since it’s Rod Currie’s birthday and all Canada is rejoicing, I figured I’d go ahead and post today.

I feel so honoured. It brings a tear to my eye.

Re: Millennium City Sports Teams?

What do you want' date=' there were no NHL teams in Southern California until Disney bought one for a movie tie in.[/quote']

 

Umm. The Los Angeles Kings have been there for 42 years.

Re: Comic Book (genre) Conventions that don't work in Champions

1. Cosmic crossovers featuring dozens of superheroes.

Not dozens of superheroes. But we've done a few crossovers between the characters of two different campaigns. I can also remember major fights that inolved 5 or 6 NPC heroes fighting alongside a PC team of about 7 members.

[qoute]2. A superhero is more powerful in his own comicbook.

Well, the question is whether or not we ever see the characters in their own comic -- if they even happen. But what's to stop the GM from letting a character have two sheets -- one for solo play - one for group play. Just because it isn't commonly done, doesn't mean it can't be.

3. Fights are often 'equalised' to make them more dramatic ie the more powerful side becomes weaker, the less powerful becomes stronger.

Isn't this just a matter of the GM using appropriate opponents or adjusting the environment in order to "equalize" a fight?

4. Superhero reveals a new superpower to get the writer out of a hole, then forgets about it for the next 100 issues. Or forever.

Well, I'd argue that this is more a an example of poor comic book writing than a convention. BUt perhaps it's just a clever use of Power Skill that the player has needed again.

5. Characters with no decent defences, such as Cyclops, don't just die. Instead the bad guys shoot Colossus.

Well, the GM can play the villains as dumb as they are written in the books. No reason they can't all shoot the team brick. But I will concede this is a slight weakness -- then again, it's exactly for characters like this that Combat Luck was created.

6. No one really minds that a character used to be a criminal, or a Russian spy, or went mad and tried to destroy the universe. Everyone can join the team.

I've certainly never seen players have a problem with a charcter who has things like that in his background joining the team. Heck, I've played superhero characters with supervillainy in their past.

7. Batman can always figure out the Riddler's riddle.

Another one that's a little difficult to pull off. You need a combination of gettle riddles and a bright player playing Batman. One alternative is to be ready as a GM to run any Riddler crime based on just how Batman solves the riddle. A Deduction Roll is another way to go but probably less satisfying.

8. Arkham Asylum's revolving door. I think it can annoy players if villains escape as frequently as they do in comics.

Perhaps. I've never had an issue with it.

9. Blue on blue. Superhero versus superhero violence.

It's difficult but I think there are ways to pull it off.

10. Anything Silver Age. It's really hard for players to get Silver Age imx, Iron Age seems a lot more natural.

May be particular to your group of players. I've certainly used silver age -type elements (theme villain groups, talking ape villians, etc.), but I use other elements as well. I think the problem is that GMs sometimes play Silver Age elements for laughs, rather than simply playing them straight.

11. Cliffhanger endings. Much harder to achieve in a rpg than a comic. Pacing in general is much more fluid in rpgs.

Slightly harder but not impossible. Often, it's a matter of the GM realizing that the session's time is winding down and that he should start looking for potential cliff-hangers.

12. Villain gets away. Any kind of inconclusive fight, very common in comics (particularly blue on blue fights) is a lot harder to do in rpgs.

You're probably right on this one. The best I can think of is that the GM keeps the players busy with other plots so they don't have the time to deal with everything. I've certianly seen campaigns where plot threads have been dropped for months because the players are so busy dealing with other things.

As for the inconclusive fights thing, I have no thoughts on it.

13. Retrofits.

Do you perhaps mean Retcons? Or are you thinking of something else.

14. Highly mobile fights.

This is probably something a lot of GMs could be better with.

15. Variety in fights. Combatants don't just use their best attack over and over and over again.

This one is highly dependent on the players. Character design can also enter into it. If a character doesn't have multiple reasonable attacks, it's hard to expect players to use much variety.