Pattern Ghost

12 hours ago, tkdguy said:

What happened to the old DC Heroes rpg? I didn't have the game itself, but I have the Batman rpg, which is a variation of the system.

 

It went out of print, then got bought by Pulsar games, who turned it into Blood of Heroes and replaced the DC stuff with house setting stuff. It changed hands a while back, and I think has remained out of print. Someone should probably buy the rights to the MEGS system, then build a better game around it. Here's a Wikipedia article:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_of_Heroes_(role-playing_game)

I tend to go with Teamwork, Tactics, Oratory and Persuasion for Leader type characters to start. Sometimes Streetwise and/or High Society, depending on background. 

On 9/2/2022 at 6:11 AM, Hugh Neilson said:

Once we merge BOD and CON, being bulky

 

Being bulky is only one possible special effect for a high Body or CON. IMO, Characteristics should be treated the same way as Powers with regards to SFX.

 

To the larger point of combining traits just causing bookkeeping for the exceptions, I  wholeheartedly agree. BESM/Tri-Stat was especially bad about this, if you cared about getting granular with your character building, since the stats were so broad.

13 minutes ago, Lawnmower Boy said:

Hey! Take it to the Political Discussion Thread! This is the Forever-Merry-Go-Round-of-Guns Thread. Apparently.

 

This is 'Murica! Can't get the guns out of our politics or our politics out of our guns. Guns are the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups of political discussion.

14 minutes ago, Ragitsu said:

Or, y'know, we could fix the nation from the ground up.

 

Seems easy enough. Let's do that. Shouldn't take more than a long weekend, right?

House of the Dragon: So far, it's OK. Don't have much love left for the franchise at this point, but the wife wants to watch it. Acting is pretty decent, especially the young version of the main character and Matt Smith. Not looking forward to the time skip where they switch out the younger actresses, but crossing my fingers the older versions will be good.

 

LotR: Rings of Power: So far, pretty good. Galadriel is good. Not too arsed about her being a warrior based on descriptions of her in the 2nd age in Tolkien, even if he never stated it outright. Diversity casting doesn't bother me, though I think they should hang a lantern on Nori and her mother (adopted? Harfoot genetics different from big folk?), loved Bronwyn's badassery moment. First episode was a little slow, but it looks like it's picking up steam pretty quick by the second. Purists have complained that they left out stuff from the Silmarilion. (Based on stuff I've seen on the web and YouTube.) That's because they don't have rights to the Silmarilion. The second age stuff is based on the appendices to LotR, and that leaves a LOT for the show writers to fill in.

 

Never Have I Ever: Funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Main character is a very bad decision-maker. Drama bits are also satisfying. Great show.

 

Hellbound: Korean show on Netflix. No major resolution in season 1 for the overarching situation, so if it doesn't get a season 2, we're going to be left hanging. Otherwise, good watch, just want more answers.

 

Indian Matchmaking: God help me. You will know that Sima is from Mumbai by the end of this, if you have any brain cells left. Kind of one of those guilty pleasure things, minus the pleasure?

 

Locke and Key: Latest, and final, season dropped recently. Good show, fair way to wrap it up, though IMO the weakest of the seasons. Overall, show is worth a watch, and better than I thought it would be based on trailers.

5 hours ago, Pariah said:

I really hope there's a Scarlet Witch / Daredevil crossover in the future of the MCU. That way, maybe Matt Murdock can teach Wanda how to cope with her loss of Vision....

 

 

 

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On 9/4/2022 at 11:12 AM, Christopher R Taylor said:

Doesn't look like the She-Hulk CGI was fixed after the trailers, its still not terrific.

 

I think it looks a lot better than the early trailers, but not quite as good as the movies. I don't expect movie budget FX in a TV show, and the rest of it has been good enough to push the issue to the background for me.

5 hours ago, pinecone said:

Lastly playing word games of is it a mass slaying, or a spree killing is honestly unworthy of you.

They're two different classes of events, and those classifications give context to an argument. To conflate them when constructing an argument is an error, IMO, so fair game to point out.

 

Killing 10 people in one place in a short amount of time is vastly different than killing 10 people in several different places over a longer time. There have been mass stabbings that have exceeded this, and would qualify as mass murders, but this isn't one of them. IIRC, those all took place in confined spaces or in one case where the victims were small children. In any of those cases, a firearm would have been vastly more devastating.

It's important to make good arguments when discussing these things, and that means accurate analogies, IMO.

 

4 hours ago, Old Man said:

To answer your question, the weak and crippled are welcome to join the non-gunfight with tasers, pepper spray, or other non lethal means which are impossible to commit mass shootings with. 

 

There's a reason that law enforcement does not defend against knives with less lethal options, and that reason applies equally to civilians, IMO. The police, whether obligated to or not (and the answer is "not" in this case), cannot possibly intervene in a use of force situation until it's over, unless they're standing right there when it starts. It's not unreasonable for civilians to have the means to present equal or superior force to defend themselves.

 

For the record, I think it's a bad idea to conflate mass shootings and their causes, including the role of availability of firearms, with personal self defense. Taking measures against the tools of mass shooters can probably be done in a way that doesn't impinge too greatly on lawful firearms owners who wish to have the option for defense or recreation.

3 hours ago, Ragitsu said:

Isn't it "civilian-ist" to disallow armor piercing bullets? What if a corrupt or bloodthirsty police officer violently mistreats civilians? How are they supposed to fight back against bulletproof vests?

 

Bigger gun. You don't really need armor piercing  bullets to get a through vest, just more speed with enough mass for the most part. Or an ice pick or sharp screwdriver, depending on the armor.

Papyrus font reminds me of the Civilization board game.

It could be because he's holding one of them upside down and they don't cotton to no upside down signs in Texas.

 

10 hours ago, Logan.1179 said:

In rare move, school librarian fights back in court against conservative activists

 

I first read this as "In rare move, school librarian fights back in court against conservative archivists," which I was thinking would make a cool action movie. Nicolas Cage would star, of course.

On 8/27/2022 at 11:42 PM, Old Man said:

What's especially amusing and annoying is all the attempts to reinvent OD&D

 

All of which is readily available in PDF now. Or at least was, the last time I looked.

 

I haven't played anything in a while, and those were all online or PBEM games that fizzled too fast to really get into.

I think the big question is: Are we making a PC or an NPC? Because an NPC is going to get a greater percentage of their character points spent on things like buffing powers than a PC. It's just not fun for a lot of players to be (to borrow an MMO term) a "buff bot." Build point total matters too. I think 5th and 6th default build point suggestions leave room for these kinds of things, but it's something to consider.

 

 

Contact seems like a good fit for the Green Beret. Hard to picture as a DNPC because the character has extensive knowledge that's useful for the PC as well as their own network of contacts, which is something I forgot that I was going to list earlier. These guys are in a brotherhood, and usually have large numbers of contacts within their community, even in retirement.

On 6/3/2022 at 5:23 PM, Old Man said:

Taser Drones, coming to a school near you!

Ooooh, I want these! Just the ticket for keeping the noisy neighbors in line.

 

I forgot about Talents earlier. I don't think any particular Talent is endemic to all SF soldiers, but I'd say the most common would be Lightsleep. It'd probably be appropriate to take one or two Talents to add flavor to the character, and give them something unique.

"Always think of different numbers than the ones you're pressing when entering your PIN, because telepaths are a thing."

DNPCs don't need stats from the player. That's the GM's job, if they're needed at all. (Not everything needs to be statted out in Hero.) You can just give the GM the backstory for the DNPC. So, the female DNPC can be sketched out for the GM narratively. I'd check with the GM on what level of detail they require there. For many GMs, what you've given is plenty to provide enough character hooks for play.

 

The stats for the Green Beret likewise are up to the GM, not the player normally. So, first thing I'd do is talk to the GM about the character in terms of their role in your PC's story and how they'd fit in the game.

 

That said, I'll tell you what I know about Green Beret types, having served in the Army in my misspent youth, and known a few along the way. This is all very second hand, and an actual Green Beret will likely counter most of this, so take it all with a grain of salt. The first time I ran into Green Berets in the Army was during language school. NCO students ran barracks details, and PT. Most of the SF guys were easy to get along with, personable, and . . . ohmyhgodnoisoneofthemrunningPTtoday??? . . . yeah, physically, these guys were all beasts. I hated running with them.  Army physical training is based primarily on calisthenics and running. Endurance is valued over physical power in the military, because you have to have enough juice left to fight when you get where you're going. That aside, most of these guys were there picking up their second or third language. So, if your NPC has a functioning mind, "can't do normal Green Beret stuff," may need to be more refined as a descriptor. These guys are intelligent, and highly, highly trained. You can do a search for something like "what do Green Berets do" to get details on what the current or more recent doctrine is. A quick glance I did shows that things have changed drastically since the late 80s in that regard, so I'm a bit dated there.

 

However, I can safely say they're going to have a HUGE chunk of the Hero System skills list. I'll just list everything I think every Green Beret should have on their skills list. I wouldn't recommend trying to pick up every skill here for an NPC build, though. Just focus on a few the character excels in and let the rest be under "PS: Special Forces Soldier," or something. (Note: I'm using 4th Edition, b/c I don't know where my FRED went. Skills are basically the same, and this list will be too long anyway.) I bolded the skills I think should be mandatory-ish. Most of these are common soldiering skills that SF guys usually have at a higher level.

 

Skills - Combat:

Probably a few Combat Skill levels. Will be trained in hand to hand combat, but bulk of skills will be with modern weapons.

Martial Arts: I'd drop 15-20 points on maneuvers, including some type of strike, a disarm, and a grappling technique as a minimum.

Ranged Skill levels: These offset range penalties.

Weapon Familiarities: Modern Military Weapons and Knives should cover it. Improvised if the campaign uses it.

I'd probably load out something like this for Combat skill levels:

 +2 with Ranged Combat (10 pts)

 +2 with Martial Arts (6 pts)

This might not seem like a lot for a Green Beret -- and it may not be -- but things will get expensive fast, to I wouldn't go too much more here.

 

Adventuring Skills:

Animal Handler - Possible, but probably unusual/unlikely

Demolitions  - Possibly, and would suggest taking at least a Familiarity (FAM) with it

Disguise - Possibly, based on ability to blend in with local cultures, a FAM would work here too

Electronics - If taking Demolitions, I'd take it too, at same or lesser level

Gambling - unlikely, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Lip Reading - unlikely, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Mechanics - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Mimicry - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Navigation - Yes

Shadowing - Yes

Survival - Yes, and I'd pick at least two terrains/biomes

Ventriloquist - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Weaponsmith - Yes, for military small arms

Bugging - Possibly, but not likely

Computer Programming - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Concealment - Yes

Criminology - Possibly, depending on team's role

Cryptography - REMF job

Deduction - Possibly, depending on team's role

Forensic Medicine - Unlikely, but might justify it based on team's or character's role

Inventor - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Paramedic - Yes, all soldiers have basic life saving training and all infantry and SF have advanced life saving training

Security Systems - Possibly, depending on team's role

Systems Operation - Possibly, depending on team's role

Tactics - Yes

Tracking - Possibly, depending on role

Acrobatics - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Breakfall - Yes, part of jump training, combatives training, so used in different contexts

Climbing - Yes

Contortionist - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Combat Driving - Strong maybe, will be trained in driving under adverse conditions for sure, but whether to the level of RPG combat driving, wouldn't be a generalized skill

Combat Pilot - Unlikely, unless from prior career

Lockpicking - Yes

Riding - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Sleight of Hand - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Stealth - Yes

Acting - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Bureaucracy - Strong possibility to have points here, increasing with rank

Bribery - Possibly, as it can be useful in some cultures

Conversation - Strong possibility

High Society - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF; some will be better at rubbing shoulders with the brass than others, though, so possible. Officers might consider taking it.

Interrogation - Possibly, though this also falls under its own MOS

Oratory - Possibly, as SF frequently train others, so a star trainer may have some points here

Persuasion - Possibly

Seduction - Not a core skill, would leave off unless based on character background outside of SF

Trading - Strong possibility

Teamwork - Yes

 

Transport Familiarites should include military light ground vehicles, and parachuting at a minimum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21 minutes ago, dsatow said:

As you take more and more Body damage, your Con lowers, showing an effect for the damage you have taken and making it easier for you to be stunned.

 

I think most people would consider a death spiral mechanic more of a drawback than a benefit, but YMMV. It could be good for really gritty games, I suppose.

On 3/21/2015 at 10:44 AM, Armitage said:

+2 OCV is bought as two 2-point Combat Skill Levels for 4 Base Points.

 

I'm not up to speed on 6th Edition: Did the rule about only being able to apply Advantages and Limitations to 5pt and higher skill levels change?

21 hours ago, unclevlad said:

  Personally, I'd be very hard-pressed to allow a limitation when it doesn't, because the SFX might allow one type of escape, but not another. 

 

I don't think we disagree in general on that issue. My example was entrapping someone in a sphere, which would allow more freedom of movement than the rules assume, so worth a limitation, IMO.

Drive Thru seems to have the original available at least. That's something.

Here's what 6E, p. 215 says in the Entangle description:

 

Quote

When a character is Entangled, his arms and legs are restrained, giving him a DCV of 0. Typically an Entangle completely immobilizes a character, making it impossible for him to move or use any Movement Powers except Teleportation, but the exact effects depend on the special effects of the Entangle and Movement Power.

 

So, regardless of the description of Tunneling, I'd say it's still falls under GM fiat based on SFX. If your tunneling was bought as vibrating your whole body instead of digging with claws, for example, the GM might allow it. Spinning? Probably impossible to build momentum when restrained. The Entangle is a sphere entrapping someone or otherwise loosely restrains them (with appropriate Limitation, since that's a mechanical change)? Then Tunnel away.

 

I'd just go with the general principles that SFX can sometimes impact game play, and that it's your game to run as you see fit. 99.9% of SFX combination wouldn't logically allow Tunneling to be used by the character entrapped by an Entangle anyway. The error is with the book in making an absolute statement in the Tunneling entry, IMO. Another Hero axiom is no absolutes, right?

On 7/29/2022 at 3:01 PM, LoneWolf said:

Spatial Awareness does not include ranged.

 

Going all the way back to 4th Edition, this is RAW accurate, but it's a little counter-intuitive, especially since the description (again from 4th and carried through to 6th) compares it to passive sonar and seeing through walls. I guess that begs the question of how much range do you get for "no range"? Would that be just the hex the character is in or the hexes bordering the hex the character in (which isn't exactly no range)? How much area do you allow Spatial Awareness to cover as GMs? I've never seen the power actually used in game by anyone or used it myself, so now I'm curious.