misterdeath

The fact that when applied to Killing Attacks (or NNDs) DCs add at half their value. (pg 271 Fred)

2 extra damage classes == 1 extra Killing DC. 2 DC + 1 DC = 3 DC = 1d6 damage.

D

Originally posted by Morningstar70

But... they weren't in a multipower, so they were legal.

 

She paid her points for what she got.

Oh, yeah, I wasn't complaining, I was warning.

"Hey, there's that Viperia chick, heard she doesn't do more than 12 dice of damage."

Wham. Wham. Wham. Wham. Wham. Thud.

D

Viperia, queen of the Naked Advantages.

While 'star is correct that she only had a 60 Str, he neglects that she had Autofire: 5, Indirect, 0 End, Affect Desolid, AoE, and I think, Armor Piercing all as Naked Advantages.

So, that was 5 Armor Piercing, AOE, Indirect, Affect Desolid, 12d6 attacks.

999 points of pure goodness.

D

I got my copy on Saturday. It's absolutely amazing.

Until...

I was reading the cool sidebars, explaining the picture (an amazing idea) when I got to the first one.

After spending some time decribing this nasty acid, we get, "Agents expecting to encounter Diamondback should carry small vials of vinegar, which neutralizes the acid."

I spent entirely too much time teaching acid base chemistry to let that one fly.

Um, vinegar is a 5% Acetic Acid solution. Adding vinegar to any acid will make a smelly acid, and have almost no other effect. Maybe a little dilution, but you'd be better off with a gallon or two of water.

Now, if they were to carry Baking Soda, that would be sweet.

Assuming that the text is correct, then apparently Diamondback's "acid" is in actuality a Strong Base (like lye--Sodium Hydroxide). Corrosive, yes. Fits within the section of the book, yes.

AFAIR, while strong Bases dissolve flesh really nicely, probably better than strong Acids (which is why they're used for drain cleaners), they don't do as much to steel.

Aluminum, sure. But, not Steel.

So, is the text in error (possible, how much chemistry does the agent writing the text know), or is the Corrosive spit actually a base?

And, wow, that's a pretty minor quibble.

Darn Good Job guys.

D

Originally posted by Monolith

It is a curse. Quick typer, error maker.

Monolith's power.

+10 Lightning Reflexes, to post first.

+2 Speed, to post more often.

Unfortunately, he forgot some Levels with Posting, so he's limited to his base PCV (posting combat value).

What everyone else says. UMA is for creating Martial Artists in any Genre. Ninja Hero is my favorite of all the Genre Books (yeah, including Champions and Star Hero), mainly because it hits every Martial Arts Genre from the Three Musketeers to Video Game Fighting Tournaments, and does such a good job with it.

Buy UMA first, then get Ninja Hero.

D

Re: Devil's Advocate?

Originally posted by PhilFleischmann

Size matters not. Only content.

 

BTW, what do you mean by "crunchy"?

To answer the second thing first, Crunchy is a term first thrown around by the 3E crowd (that's where I first heard it). It simply means "full of useful gaming stuff". Rules, characters, examples, things anyone can use for their games right out of the box.

It's the opposite of Fluff, which is all the campaign, timeline, specific stuff which requires that you integrate it with your campaign.

The former is also known as Crunchy bits. Because they're the stuff gamers can sink their teeth into.

So, Crunchy == Content.

___

To go back to the first point. My wife (brought into gaming through 'urps, and is running the 3E campaign I'm in) looked at Hero with askance when she saw the size of it. "Too Much Information, or at least Too Intimidating". When I described the USPD to her, she said point blank, "that's the most important book for anyone not already a Hero player. That should have been out first. Well, second after the main rules." (It got to the gaming store tonight. He was just closing up, so I don't get the book till tomorrow.)

Because all those examples make the game less intimidating. Because it ropes people into the system, gives them a chance to see how good it is, and then allows them to peer behind the scenes.

The average gamer wants to pick up the book, and use it. Not digest it, then try to figure out how to model the exact thing they want. Just pick it up and go.

It's why we bought all those Enemies books, back in the ICE age. To get cool, but badly done, character and power examples.

Sure, you use Radar Sense to buy radar. But, do you need Analyze or Discriminatory? What do those mean?

Well, you know what they mean in your game, and I know what they mean in my game. But, what happens if some newbie picks up the system and wants to run something?

Having something as simple as a Radar Sensor Unit in the book gives the newbie a chance to go, "Ahh, that's not so tough to do. So, that's how it's done."

D

Re: Re: Re: Another thought

Originally posted by Hermit

Great!

Wow, I had a useful thought...

there goes my quota for the month

Only two more days and you can have another one. Good thing you save them for the end of the month though. Wouldn't want to peak early.

D

Re: Character Help: That 70s Team

Originally posted by winterhawk

A name for the detective. He's the former sidekick of the Tornado (boxer type ala Wildcat/The Atom I), who went by the name Kid Cyclone. The unrest of the 1968 Democratic Convention caused a rift between the Tornado and Kid Cyclone, which made the sidekick go off on his own "to make the world a better place". I'm thinking Nightwing caught up in the idealism of the late 60's/early 70s. Any suggestions for a code name?

I lean toward just calling him Cyclone too.

Weird Mystic: Marvel seemed to have a lot of "good men as monsters" characters such as Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Son of Satan, etc. Looking for something along those lines.

Mine of this period was Balthazak the Destroyer. Former General in the Armies of Hell, currently AWOL, and seeking redemption so that he can get back into Heaven. Of cource, he was an 8' tall purple and green skinned horn headed monstrosity wearing mismatched hawaiian print (color blind) outfits. So, most people won't give him the time of day. Heaven doesn't trust him, and Hell wants to bring him home.

A couple of outcasts: Totally open on this one. Mutants, Atlanteans, aliens, what have you...

Come to think of it, Balthazak fits this one too. That allows you room for the Disco Pirate. He'd be an outcast, too.

As always, thanks in advance for the suggestions.

Hope this is somewhat useful.

D

Originally posted by tiger

I've always liked PRIMUS and use it much more than UNTIL. A member of the main NPC hero group I use, has a feud going with the Golden Avenger. He's usually refered to as that arrogant a**, they just don't get along

If we're talking about Kaufmann, my character one punched him on a live tv feed once.

They really didn't like each other.

D

Well, I've spent many a year learning how to cope with my up to recently undiagnosed Aspergers, and I got a 38.

What that really means, I'm not sure.

___

In game terms "Unfamiliar with Technology" or "Unfamiliar with Earth Culture" are Physical Limitation, and so, Aspergers would be a Phys Lim too.

Remember that it should be priced out by how much it affects the person, not how often it's there.

It's always on, but not necessarily always a problem. And how often it's a problem is how we determine points.

D

Don't forget a little extra Strength (or Hand Attack) as well.

D

Originally posted by Hermit

Grazi

Um, Herm old buddy, you're taking that Godfather bit a little too close to home.

I should get mine middle of next week, call for order was placed just after the products shipped. Otherwise I'd have had it today. Sigh.

D

Hmm, interesting.

Cougar (Sworn to Defend Mankind, Protective of innocents)

solo: We'll, he's a fast pocket brick damage spunge. He'd go out to engage the robot, the make top priority to hunt down, and if necessary cripple, Impulse and his girlfriend.

with team: He'd use his heightened senses to hunt down the people sneaking in to free Impulse, trying to intercept them before they can free the guy. That'd let his teammates stop the big robot, which honestly, they're better suited for anyways.

Spectre of Death: Ha. This is easy. Weedsit in the room invisible and intangible and then splatter the "rescue" party from surprise. Being very much an eye for an eye kind of guy, should Impulse get up, he'd probably get a intangible stick poked in his head and let go.

Anthem, the patriotic fast brick. Well, rule of law and all that, he'd have to go attack the robot. He's my only character with a Code vs Killing.

D

What you'll need is something to spoof the cameras.

You could just jam the darn things, but that'll probably trigger the alarm. So, instead, what you want is a fake transponder chip.

It looks like a real chip, acts like a real chip, but it doesn't have any affect on the car.

So, camera scans the car, sees a valid chip, and logs the chip number for traffic violation, and sends a slow down signal to the chip.

The chip number feedbacks to nowhere (or the mayor's house, or New Tiger Stadium), so the traffic violation never gets logged, and of cource, the slow down signal gets ignored because the chip doesn't work right.

So, you'll need access to the chips, and the traffic control computer system. Plus stay ahead of all the upgrades.

D

Well, the point break for having a focus is being able to be disarmed, or have the thing being taken away from you in some way.

But, the missle deflection thing is a good point.

And, yeah, I can see y'all's point. A martial artist should have the weapons element.

Except, well, nighthawk isn't a martial artist, per se. He's a gadget guy with some martial arts training. He's focused on the combat aspects, and none of the philosophy or roundedness of the styles. Hence, no weapons elements, no KS. It's all about doing damage and being effective in combat.

Hence, he knows how to use his cool billy club (balanced for him, designed by him, for him, and practiced with by him, to the exclusion of all else) and because he doesn't practice with them or train with them, no other billy club. Familiarity breeds contempt, and he has way too much familiarity with his weapon and no other.

Personally, I'd have made it some sort of duraplast gauntlets (that harden just an instant before impact, doing a little extra damage) for an OIF, instead.

Less confusion that way.

D

Originally posted by Jester

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! So, how many points do you think I should start with???

 

I live in Franklin, actually.

Depends on the campaign you're playing in.

350 is the standard, so I'd go with that for practice. If you're looking at a "solo" type character, the Star of His Own book, I like 450 points.

Sometimes I find creating the same character at several different levels is a fun exercise. Sort of mimicing the "team character sheet" vs "solo character sheet." (Only Batman has more points in JLA than in his own books, everyone else is less powerful in the team book.)

____

Hmmm, most of the other Champs players live in Antioch (or thereabouts). Me, I'm about half an hour away from Franklin toward I-40.

D

Off Topic.

Ok Mr Jester, where in the 'ville do y'all live.

D

Aglar.

D

Originally posted by Tom

In general, that is correct. If you've bought a weapon with points, you are not required to have the appropriate Weapon Familiarity to use it. The gripe in this case is that Nighthawk doesn't have a Weapon Element with his Martial Arts which would allow him to add the bonuses of his martial techniques to his weapon.

 

In other words, Nighthawk doesn't receive any "non-proficiency" penalty for using his billy club w/o a WF ('course the WF for clubs is free ), but he can't add the +2 DCV and +6 DC of his Martial Strike to it because he didn't buy a Weapon Element with his Kung Fu.

Um, he doesn't need it.

He paid points for the weapon, and so gets to use it at full power (which is why the slot is way underpowered, and he doesn't have Offensive Strike. Add the 10d6 Martial Strike and the 2d6 HA and voila you get 12d6.)

But, if you disarm him, he can't pick up any other club and use it at all because doesn't have that weapon's element.

This is how Steve explained it to me when I asked him about it in playtesting.

If he had just bought a 2d6 HA and defined it as "Fist of Stone maneuver", then he'd get to add it to his maneuver damage. But because he defined it's SFX as Club, he can't? Doesn't make much sense, in my book.

If this bothers you, cabbage a point from somewhere.

D

Congratulations, you poor bastard.

I had them all once. Part of what made me buy 4th edition when it came out.

Then, when I sold all my comics, I got rid of them all. Bought more gaming books.

No great loss, IMO.

D

Well, one thing you have to remember is that current rounds use smokeless powder (usually nitrocellulose based) instead of black powder. Smokeless powder produces more energy.

from http://www.reloadammo.com/45cload.htm

A "cowboy" load is about 760 fps while a maximum load is 950 or so fps with 225 grain slugs. Is that enough to drop the damage from the book? Dunno.

The .45 in 5th edition (2d6 -1) etc is higher than the d6+1 from 4th edition. Steve seems to have shifted up by caliber instead of energy.

Hmmm, in that case...

You could use the closest equivalents (.45 peacemaker, 12 sawed off, and well, I'd go with a 2d6 + 1 stun mod, assault rifle type thing for a '73 winchester (which basically used pistol rounds, but from a longer barrel which gives higher velocity, hence more damage). Use the other stats per the first link I found (ammo, cost, etc)

Found a nifty timeline of black powder http://footguards.tripod.com/06ARTICLES/ART28_blackpowder.htm

D

Originally posted by TheEmerged

What, nobody was thrilled with my answer?

 

As for "unaging", you'd better believe it comes up. NND's are wonderful things

Actually, I think your answer killed that part of the topic it was so good.

D

Originally posted by tesuji

As for spending Xp vs levelling up... the fegree to which these interrupt or follow from the play is entirely a GM thing. In my game, leveling up occurs at the end of one session and the players have until the next session to provide me with a sheet. Since it never happens "in game" it never interrupts the flow.

Oh, ours too. You get xp at the end.

Unfortunately, everyone rarely has time to do all the work before hand. Only Joe, who has the next ten levels of his character all worked out has his character done next week. I come close, but there's always something I need to consult with someone else with (we've got two clerics, no need for too much overlap).

Because we all have jobs, families, and lives, it's hard for us to not take time at the beginning of the session to do the work for the game.

I require them to also submit their "nexts" (whats your next feat, your next attribute, etc) whenever they advance so everything they gain is "something i have been working at for a while."

That would work, I think. Do you allow for changes to the plan? When do you require the "nexts" list? If at the beginning of the level you're in the city and the character is planning to take another level of rogue, but then the campaign moves to the wilderness for the forseeable future and the player wants to take a level of ranger instead, when does he have to give you advanced notice?

I don;t know of any game i have played in where it was customary to spend XP for stuff during play. (In my current MnM game the gap between earning XP, spending XP and seeing that Xp in play is likewise a series of stages taking time... it takes an entire episode to earn the 2-3 xp and another entire episode to have the changes kick in... an episode means a month's worth real world gaming... usually 3-4 sessions of play.) Its similar with my dnd game although the leveling up is a bigger thing and occurs much less often.

It's because it's a bigger thing that makes it a "problem". Buying stuff happens more often than that.

How do you handle keeping buying stuff metagame things out of the session?

D

No idea if they're updated, or 4th edition, but there's some stuff here http://geocities.com/blademaster01757/westernarms.html

D

Originally posted by CrosshairCollie

I do if my character concept requires it ... all my Robots have full life support.

Except that that way, no parts can break down, and the Robot can still be active thousands of years in the future.

Hate to have bought an Extended Warranty on that puppy.

Each mechanon body is only going to last a short period of time, and then, he has to build a new one. No need to worry about the effects of time on it. It just ain't going to be around that long.

D