SleepyDrug

Re: Sand Powers

Sandstone (extra strength, armor)

Sifting (desolid only to pass through cracks)

Not Solid (damage reduction)

Sand Shaping (stretching, aoe str)

Sand Blast (energy blast, flash)

Grab a Beach (aid to stun/body; only near sand)

Sand Body (life support)

Re: Instructors needed, apply within.

giving you a hard time. gotta be done.

Nemesis

phys. ed. & martial arts instructor.

powers- adaptive physique. his strength, toughness, speed, etc. change to match who ever he is fighting.

Re: Star Wars in HERO

I am....

My conversion is slowly being sent to Arroo, who will post it on Star Hero Fandom

Re: Instructors needed, apply within.

And here I thought I already made your headmaster?!?

Re: The Chaotic Continuum

Have you read Wild Cards?? It is a great reference for this type of thing.

Re: Reference Materials

I use a homemade reference sheet I designed myself with the most useful info. I sometimes make a new version for specific settings.

Re: New Disadvantage: Control Override Codes

Why not a physical limit and a watched?

Re: stronghold

If Dark Seraph is one of the prisoners to be busted out, how about this?

He has that coven of witches. They could cast a ritual spell and possess the mind of an agent in Stronghold long enough to disarm Dark Seraph's cell. Seraph should be powerful enough to free the lot by himself from there.

Re: Super Metals and Alloys

(The unknown iron-Vibranium alloy of which the shield is composed resembles True Adamantium, although Adamantium itself contains no Vibranium,)

Over the following decades MacLain experimented, attempting to duplicate the process that create the shield. Finally, in recent years, he succeeded in developing the process by which the substance known as True Adamantium is created. True Adamantium is nearly as strong as Captain America's shield, and is, for all practical purpose, indestructible.

Only a device celled a Molecular Rearranger can alter the form of hardened Adamantium.

Adamantium is extraordinarily expensive to produce. Therefore, certain parties who wish to use Adamantium on a large scale have resorted to utilizing a similar but somewhat weaker compound similar to True Adamantium called Secondary Adamantium.

This post is copied from Marveldirectory.com

The previous was from a link at Comicboards.com/camb

As you can see, there is no proto-adamantium

Re: Super Metals and Alloys

There is a common belief that Captain America's famous shield is made of a unique "Adamantium/Vibranium" mixed alloy, lending itself to the legendary durability of the shield. It's a belief that has actually found it's way into the comics themselves several times over the years. But is this belief correct? The following information is my attempt to compile some relevant information to explain the correct properties of Cap's shield…at least according to the story itself.

Pulling open Captain America Vol.1 #303, the issue wherein Mike Carlin (writer) and Mark Gruenwald (editor) give the first accounting of the unique composition of Cap's shield it clearly states the following, as narrated by Dr. MacLain, the shield's creator:

"I had almost forgotten how impervious the shield is! It can withstand every force I've been able to subject it to! I cannot even chip off a particle to examine under the electron microscope...

"It was an accident. You see, I was a metallurgist working in a government lab just as America entered World War Two. I was assigned the task of creating a new super-strong metal to build tanks out of. Months went by. They gave me some of this rare metal to work with -- Vibranium...I tried vainly to bond it to this steel alloy I was trying to develop.

Then, one night I dozed off waiting for some metal to heat up. When I awoke, I found that I had somehow attained the bonding of the metals I had striven for. Quickly I poured the metal into the disc-shaped mold I used to form its optimum testing shape. I soon learned that I had produced the indestructible metal I was looking for! The only problem was try as I might, I could not duplicate the process and make any more of that metal. It was as if some unknown factor entered the experiment as I slept -- one that left no trace, but made all the difference in the world!

Ever since that day, decades ago, I've been trying to recreate that metal. The best I've come up with so far is a substance called Adamantium but even that is no match for whatever the shield is made of!"

The government took my disc of mystery metal, painted it, and gave it to their super-soldier Captain America. He's had it ever since..."

[Captain America Vol.1 #303 p. 14]

The story Kurt Busiek has related in the origin of the common misconception is that editor Mark Gruenwald made a mistake in the 'Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe' and explained the composition of the shield as an "Adamantium/Vibranium" alloy. This was a *mistake* however, and Gruenwald (the editor of the original story) corrected his error accordingly.

Here is an excerpt of Busiek's explanation on the subject:

"It would be very tricky for the shield to have adamantium in it, since adamantium was _new_ in AVENGERS #66."

"Cap's shield has been around since 1941, and when it was introduced, nobody had even heard of vibranium or adamantium. Vibranium wasn't mentioned until 1966, 25 years after the shield was introduced, and adamantium was introduced in 1969. So even if they'd started saying it was adamantium as soon as they'd invented the stuff, that'd still be a long way from "always." However, they didn't do that. The origin of Cap's shield was a mystery until 1985 -- back around the time Roger Stern wrote CAP, there was even a survey taken in the book, asking readers if the shield's origin should ever be revealed. The results of that survey were that it should remain a mystery. Mark Gruenwald being who he was, though, he answered it anyway. However, his first answer turned out to be historically impossible, and he corrected his error very swiftly."

"I keep hearing from people about all the many times it's been stated, but when I invite them to cite sources within the comics themselves, they usually can't. You at least can cite vol. 3 #22...but that's an error -- Mark looked it up in the Handbook, read the incorrect entry and went with it, and his editor didn't catch it. I called him up and told him he'd missed both the Handbook correction and the CAP story that establishes the actual origin of the shield, and his official response was "D'ohh!"

"Cap's shield is even more indestructible than adamantium, yes. As I noted in another message, it's made of a steel alloy bonded to vibranium in an unknown process. Neither the steel alloy nor the vibranium were indestructible -- the result of bonding them together, though, was. And that's been the story since 1985, when the origin of Cap's shield was told for the first time in a comic book."

Avengers Annual 2001 provided additional info. on the shield in accordance with the shield's origin.

As Busiek noted, the only connection Cap's shield has to "adamantium," is the fact that adamantium is the unsuccessful result of trying to reproduce Cap's shield made of a "mystery metal."

Maybe one day the "Mystery Metal" will get it's due! It's all right there, waiting to be read.

Re: Super Metals and Alloys

The toughest substance in the Marvel Universe, so far as I know, is Captain America's shield, made of a unique alloy of true adamantium and Wakandan vibranium. There are tougher things, but none of them are entirely material objects. Only the power of the Beyonder ever broke it, and only that same power could restore it. Now, that being said, I'd give true adamantium a DEF slightly higher than the absolute upper limit of BODY that can be done in your campaign world; secondary adamantium would have a DEF a point or two below that limit

 

Actually, there is no Adamantium in Cap's shield. Adamantium was an attempt to duplicate the alloy that is Cap's Shield.

 

Oh, and the Odin-power (wielded by Thor) cracked it

Re: Limitation punishment

I generally don't allow things like Independent or Real Weapon in a super-heroic campaign.

On the same note, i'm not malicious but i will (at one point or another) step on every limitation or disadvantage a player has. They aren't weaknesses if they never hinder you.

Re: Smart Missiles

It is not entirely two attacks. It only ever does damage once. Also it is restricted by the limits of the Continuous advantage...meaning you would have to buy continuing charges or reduced endurance to use this.

So for the whole effect, you need Seeking +3/4, Continuous +1, and (minimum) Zero END Cost +1/2 for a grand total of +2 1/4 for this effect.

But the construct is easier to use and write-up than the missile as vehicle.

Star Hero suggests creating smart missiles as fanatically loyal summoned objects. But this seems a bulky and expensive way to accomplish the goal to me.

During 4th ed, someone online posted an optional advantage called Seeking.

Seeking was +3/4 and allowed an attack to make an attack roll on the heroes phase if it missed initially. The attack had to be bought Continuous for Seeking to be used.

Does this sound workable to people?

Re: DEX vs. CSLs

This is really an issue of game balance from what i'm reading. Your rules lawyer wants the most bang for his buck, so to speak. But the cheapest way is not always the fairest way in HERO.

Raw attributes are always less expensive than anything else; but they are not always fair or appropriate.

Re: Speed Typing

Very simply.

Talent: Speed Typing/Writing

3 points

This talent allows a character to transcribe words to paper or word processor at high speeds similiar to Speed Reading.

I think thats all thats necessary. The average guy (Spd 2) with speed typing types fast. The Flash (Spd 8) types that much faster.

Re: RSR. Can you think of a different way?

I have never liked the idea of RSR for spells. Well, maybe I don't dislike the idea of it, just wish I could think of an good alternative. As a RPG balancing mechanism, it's excellent. Having a spell not go off because a player blew a roll isn't very heroic, though. And I don't know that it's really in genre, either. Or, it probably is in genre, but it's not as common in fantasy literature as it is in fantasy role-play.

 

Is this more or less heroic than the knight missing the dramatic sword swing because his roll was off? or the rogue stepping on a stick while sneaking because he missed a roll? or being arrested because you missed your persuasion roll?

 

There are several reasons for this, but mostly I think it's that the writer decides when a spell fails in a story. Spell failure usually results in something comical, but no big deal. And almost never will a spell fail when all the chips are down and the it's time for the heroes to be there most heroic.

 

Again...how is this different than anything else? How many fights does Conan lose?

 

The opposite is true in RPGs. Most spells get cast in combat, and spells failing aren't funny at all. Especially if you have side effects. And there is nothing but probability preventing a PC from blowing a roll at a crucial time in the story. Hell, I think we'd all agree it happens more often when it matter most. Sure, I could hand-wave that bad roll, but I'll feel like I cheated if I did.

 

I do like the idea that a spell can be disrupted if the wizard gets hit while doing their thing, however. Just not that a Magic Skill 16- with a 40 pt power results in a miscast 1 time in 4. 18- gets you 1 time in 10, which is way better, but still results in random failures that I don't think fit the Genre. If something disrupts you, that's one thing (which the GM can control). It's something else when the power is built to fail every so often.

 

So, I guess that is a long intro to say: I don't want to use RSR for my magic system. Does anyone else not use RSR for their magic system, and if so, how do you do it?

Why should magic be exempt. In a novel, the writer determines everything. All crucial momments are decided. Why should magic be more reliable than an epic warriors sword swing? Or the world's greatest thief's stealth ability?

Re: Jedi Characters

Arrooo is going to be posting my Star Wars conversion on Starherofandom

Re: "Mobility" as an Adder

Why isn't this just a Flash vs. sight group. Said amphibious guy's attack didn't stop our lovable telekinetic from moving in any way, shape, or form. It stopped her from seeing. She couldn't remove it (sounds like Flash which would take dispel to remove). But was long lasting (zero end, continuous) until removed (to end continuous as required by rules).

What about the ships from the Wing Commander series?

I played in a campaign where spells cost mana (equivalent to END) and character's could have a tattoo that was the equivalent to a naked Reduced END advantage for the one spell (and also let the character cast the spell without all the usual incantations and gestures).

Sounds good to me....

does this mean the spell is not usable if the rest of the character's defenses exceed the spell's def?

or does it mean the spell's def is counted first and then everything else?

Thanks Arooo...i'll do that

I have a fully functional Star Wars conversion to 4th; it's mostly in Word files. I don't have a web page but i'd be happy to email files or answer questions.

As a GM, I don't allow everyone equal access to everything. It needs to be balanced and fit your character's background.

12d6 is right for an energy beam like a flame stream or repulsor rays.

8d6 and ranged martial arts would fit an archer.