Pattern Ghost

Re: Endurance Reserves

That post doesn't address persistent vs. non-persistent powers. Until Steve flat out says END Reserve makes non-persistent powers persistent, I'm not inclined to give out a +1/2 Advantage for free.

Re: Endurance Reserves

I'm using the non-revised 5th:

from page 103:

The REC in an END Reserve is independent of the character: it continues to recharge the END Reserve even if the character is unconscious or preoccupied. Moreover, unlike personal END, the END in an END Reserve is not lost if the character is Knocked Out.

Now, while what you have from Revised is an expansion on the version I have, I still don't see anything saying that END Reserve comes with a free +1/2 Advantage for powers drawing on it.

Normally, when a character gets KO'd, their END goes to 0. That would shut off any Persistent Powers they have running. I think what you quoted is just clarifying that aspect of END Reserve. Nonpersistent powers are going to get shut off regardless, when Stunned or KO'd.

So, I'm going to go with my first assessment barring word from Steve. A free +1/2 Advantage is a bit over the top, given what END Reserve already does for the character.

Re: Endurance Reserves

Force Field isn't a Persistent power, so it's going to go off if you go unconscious. Running it from an END Reserve doesn't give it the Persistent Advantage for free. So, that assumption is wrong.

The only thing an END Reserve does for a KO'd character is continue to take its recoveries, because it's independent from the character's personal REC, which doesn't work when KO'd.

The Limitation Nonpersistent (Under Duration in the Limitation section) for -1/4 will make normally Persistent powers non-persistent.

Re: Difference between games?

You're pretty much right on the only major thing being in common being the setting. Mechanics-wise, the MMO is not using the Hero system rules, and there isn't any plan for convergence there to my knowledge.

However, Cryptic did cite Champions/Hero System as an inspiration for a more open-ended approach to character creation back when City of Heroes was being made. Unfortunately, they weren't able to fully realize the level of flexibility they wanted for whatever reason, and ended up with a class-based system. This time around, they're going for something that will both work on the computer, and be in the spirit of flexibility that Champions and the Hero system are known for.

So, while we won't see cross over of game mechanics, there's definitely a similar spirit taken in the approach.

Who?

Glowing gorilla! That's all I know about him. Is he a new character for the MMO, or does he have a history in Champions Universe I'm unaware of? Kind of interesting back story on this one:

http://www.champions-online.com/villains/qwyjibo

Re: 6e Characteristics

What do you think the INT characteristic covers? Just so we don't set off down the wrong path here, I know that it covers intellect skill use and perception in Hero, what I'm asking is what real life sense or ability links those two things. In fact, never mind real life, what genre convention links those two? Are Mr Fantastic's senses as acute as Wolverine's, or even any more acute than, say, The Thing's (with the obvious exception of touch)? No, they are not, and I doubt you'll find any consistent examples of a link between sense accuity and the ability to use intellect skills. Anywhere.

Quit trying to map game mechanics to real life. That's where we disagree.

I agree with you that Hero doesn't model animals well overall. The baseline character sheet is built to model a human, afterall.

Get back to the initial statement that I addressed of yours, that has nothing to do with the game.

Animals do not, in fact, have superior senses to humans. They have senses that are superior in some ways, and we have senses that are superior to many animals in other ways. Get it?

Here's an example:

Most predators have superior vision for spotting movement. We have superior vision for discerning detail.

Get it?

There are a lot more examples, but I'm not going to sit here and dig them up for you.

The point is the system is not capable of addressing anything so complex in a realistic fashion.

The way current builds work, is fine. It's a little clunky in some regards, but it works.

I wouldn't mind divorcing PER from INT either, though. Then you don't need special classes of Disadvantages (Complications) for animals regarding the type of animal intellect they have. It would make modeling the quick thinking lower-perception types a lot easier, too.

Re: 6e Characteristics

Enhanced senses still work off PER: doesn't matter if you can detect human pheremones on the wind' date=' if you can only do it on 10- or 9-.[/quote']

 

Really? So +6 to Hearing Perception isn't an Enhanced Sense? That's news to me.

 

Human senses are amazing but they are not better than animal senses, no way no how. What humans MAY be better at doing is interpreting the information they get from their senses. That is a different proposition though, something like an 'observation' skill - which we don't have.

 

You should do more research on the subject. Our senses are far superior for using technology. It's a major reason why we have technology.

 

There may be examples of smart, perceptive types but as many or more of dumb perceptive types or smart non-perceptive types. The 'link' between smart and perceptive is far to tenuous to be hardwired.

 

Sure. If you want that level of granularity, go for it. As a system defaulted to heroic fiction, the default level of granularity works OK for me. The system -- any system -- is going to have to bend a little here and there to accommodate different styles of play.

Re: Remember the Old Resurrection Debates?

Do you honestly believe that you can avoid the cosmological question by changing the mechanic used?

 

The cosmological, theological, and other philosophical issues, remain exactly the same regardless. Wherever you are summoning the subject from, it's the same place whether you summon them with a Summoning power or with a Resurrection Adder on a Healing power.

 

In fact, now I think of it, Summon - which could be defined as summoning the living character forward in time from a point when they were still alive - is "cleaner" in that regard, as it can more easily dodge the question "what was it like being dead?" The subject obviously doesn't know because subjectively (heh) he never was. But if you want to avoid the issue, it is equally easy in all cases to simply not permit the subject to have any memory between dying and living again. And if you DO want to address it, you can just as easily put in the tunnel of light, or the appearance of a psychopomp, or whatever else may be true in the game's fictional world. Either way, the specific mechanic is irrelevant.

 

In other words, the current Rules as Written may be "better" in some ways than using Summon, but not for these reasons.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Summon Palindromedary

Yes. I think there's a limit to how far you can divorce special effects and powers. The powers themselves were designed to emulate something initially, and that's part of their design. Healing allows for a lot more explanations in regards to SFX than Summons does, despite your good example above.

Re: How to encourage RP?

A few observations:

1. Yell "ROLEPLAY OR ELSE!" It won't do any good, but at least you get it out of your system.

2. I see several questions about getting the players to work together tactically, and several answers in that vein, all good questions and advice, but... is that the extent of roleplaying you're looking for?

3. How about sessions designed around roleplay, to encourage the characters to get to know each other. Sure, the players know each other, but do they all know the personalities and backgrounds of the other players' characters? Have they roleplayed the initial group formation? Have they roleplayed Thanksgiving dinner at the base? Have you done smaller sessions with just a couple players that are pure roleplaying, such as social situations? Have you had "investigations" that turn out to be something less innocuous than supervillainy? A good comedy of errors can be a fun session.

4. A couple scenarios where our old F2F group had a blast with roleplaying, the first one of which totally got sidetracked away from whatever the actual threat was supposed to be:

a) A really colorful metror shower, followed by the sky being lit from the ground on the outskirts of town leads our heroes to investigate the strange occurrence. When they arrive, they find an intergalactic carnival has set up shop. They're invited in by the proprietor and given reign to enjoy themselves. Populate the carnival with whatever kind of creepy/bizarre/otherworldly denizens and displays you can think of. Go from wacky to whimsy as you wish, but make everything a mystery. Let the characters walk around in character, and react to things.

The team awakens in individual holding cells. Sitting across from them on another bunk is their double. The doubles are thoroughly convinced that they are the original characters. Any enhanced senses are inconclusive on the matter. These are very good copies. The players each play someone else's double with them. Will they attack each other? Try to figure out what happened? Convince the player that they're the original? (This happened to my robot, The Amazing Bill... he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.) Collaborate on an escape attempt?

Basically, if you want them to interact, give them situations outside of the normal super action to react to every once in a while.

Re: 6e Characteristics

I find myself slightly distressed that PER is still based on INT. Never did understand why humans had better PER rolls than animals because, you know, they don't.

Not really. Animals have several Enhanced Senses that make them very hard to sneak up on. Humans have senses that are better in ways that don't involve avoiding being snuck up on.

Since most of our human perception involves advantages for technological type stuff, I think baseline PER being calculated from INT is generally OK. Plus, in Heroic fiction, smart characters tend to be a bit more perceptive.

Re: 6e Characteristics

If you use Summon for resurrection, where are you Summoning the subject from?

I think the answer to that question gets into the cosmology of the campaign, so the Healing adder seems cleaner to me.

Re: In Character: A Critical and Unauthorized Look at Disadvantages ...

I tried to read it, but the author needs to learn the art of revision, IMO.

Re: Would you allow the white knight defense?

Functionally invulnerable does not equate to unbeatable.

I remember running a Heroes Unlimited game with a guy who rolled Invulnerability and Winged Flight as his powers. He wasn't particularly good on offense, so he figured he could simply go around smashing into stuff. Until he got stuck in a piece of abstract metal sculpture.

Re: Astro City: Roustabout

Considering he can fly and all that' date=' not sure if leverage is all that big of an issue.[/quote']

 

I was just picturing him flying and reaching down into a car engine. Seemed like he'd be using some of his weakest muscles. No biggie, your adaptations are usually spot on, and I'm not at all familiar with the character.

Re: Astro City: Roustabout

rip the engine out of said car (with one hand)

Is 35 STR sufficient to pull that one off? Seems like the leverage would make it tricky.

Anyway, nice write up. I need to catch up on Astro City.

Re: Star Guardian write-up?

Is there a rival organization with an AI named Chaos?

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

Let's see...

 

 

They could all be real people and thus difficult to model in an abstract system on a piece of paper.

 

I refused to accept that they're real people without photographic evidence.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

True, but in my personal case , since I want the connection it means reinventing the wheel with at the absolute minimum extensive campaign guide lines or even templates ( maybe using unified power) to avoid combinations that offend my aesthetics.

 

6e needs to give me something to make up for the extra trouble for me personally. I'll get the first book eventually but probably in PDF. You early buyer will need to spread the word about what is wonderful for us dullards who don't see anything worth switching for yet.

I think that's a valid approach, and certainly suited to the genre. The figured characteristics approach was appropriate to comic and other cinematic genres. I don't think the level of granularity needs to be that fine in many cases.

Personally, I'm curious about what this is going to do with CSL costs, etc, and my gut feeling is that the old way will prove to be less hassle. On the other hand, that's firmly rooted in conjecture and if not fear of change, at least a healthy dose of trepidation.

It'll be nice to get a more extensive document closer to release (or after), detailing the differences between fifth and sixth.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

Those individuals who have a high DEX and yet are poor at hitting their target and poor at avoiding attacks are simply saddled with a Physical Limitation.

Or they don't actually have a high DEX, since they don't have all the things a high DEX brings. Maybe they have skills or skill levels instead? (Like lapsedgamer said, and yeah, I'm reading and responding to the thread in reverse order. =p)

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

On the other hand, nothing that can't be modeled with decoupled DEX/CV either.

Re: The Clown Guild - The First Clan for the new MMO

Ok' date=' guild submitted. Cross your fingers! [/quote']

 

Thanks much. Fingers crossed.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

Will buying Ego as defense against mental attacks be worth it without Ego contributing to ECV, I wonder? Mental Defense is half the price, and if all you get is Ego and Pre defense (and most supers buy some PRE anyway), then MD is a real bargain. That is, unless Ego is dropped from two pts.

Re: Naming the baby

I've got a feeling it's going to end up being just plain old 6E.

With the E for Egbert.

Re: A Normal Tempted With Dark Power...

Since a 7000 point villain has just moved into town... move out of town?

Re: Fog

I usually model dampness like this:

GM: "You're damp."