dsatow

Or Lois could have a triggered images sound that she plants on Supes when she kisses him.  When she screams, the sound images trigger allow Supes to hear the cry for help.
 

GA to me it sounds like 1 END minimum should be more of a genre thing. In a Pulp game I see no reason why even a Martial Artists couldn’t pay END for even their martial maneuvers. Now for a martial arts game? No END even for Standard maneuvers.

I believe that this is a classic example of Trope Follys and the balance that the GM/players strike between genre simulation and game play.

Ok everybody lets take a moment to appreciate that we have different opinions and that not all campaigns are alike. All the talk I seen here makes sense and the characters and point values indicate great GM's who got their game in order. The only thing that is important in accordance to balance is to stick to the creation parameters you as the GM have developed. 
 
Normal characteristics maximums not being used as the maximum for human development in many campaigns is because the games curve is way to steep. Its the only weakness of the hero system. 
 
The hero system is unique among rpgs as its rules are not really rules for simulation but rather an "language" which can be used to describe everything from a pencil to an house cat to an sentient galaxy cloud. 
 
The only problem here is that we start at different places when we set the standards, in relation to how much emphasis we put on different aspects of the stories we create. Be it ease of gameplay, realistic simulation, dramatic effect or balance. 
 
The discussion I wanted was to get each of your thoughts about players focusing on not getting hurt and doing damage themselves rather than being able to get hurt but still keep going and that the majority of characters I seen in the game goes down if they take a stunning hit twice. 
 

I would simply make it a multipower with a focus limitation downgraded for the availability of the focus.  Again, this is how I would do it, other GMs might have different ideas.
 
example:
15 multipower (Weapon spells) (30) OAF: Any weapon (downgraded to -1/2) Requires a roll 13-
1u Ice Rune: 3d6 Entangle no range -1/2
1u Fire Rune: 6d6 Blast No knockback -1/4
1u Lightning Rune: 1d6K RKA +4Stun Mod No range -1/2
1u Thunder Rune: 6d6 Sonic Flash No range -1/2
1u Pestilence Rune: 3d6 Con Drain 

My first thought "Huh, I don't remember that..." <d'oh!  >

Though my sample set is very small (mainly because most players prefer 5th than to change over to 6th) and thus can be skewed, I've found that 6th characters can take slightly more stunning hits and stay up longer than 5th.  
 
What I've seen is a bit higher defenses, higher STUN and bigger recoveries.  Note that the CONs I have seen are only down by what would be by about 5 points (18 <- 23).  By decoupling, there is no longer a need of doing a point saving maneuver by buying up CON or STR and those values have gone down to or below the 20pt characteristic max.  Stun, being relatively cheap, has gone up in amounts usually by at least 10 points and recoveries have gone up about by 4.
 
Again, this is mostly anecdotal and not very scientific.
 

Oh, and Bender should be there somewhere. Even if Foxbat has to place him there.

Keeping the breathing head outside of the poison gas while the body goes in for the kill. Able to communicate and talk to one person safely while fighting assorted villains. The ability to have your cake while fighting off other people trying to take it from you.

Keeping the breathing head outside of the poison gas while the body goes in for the kill. Able to communicate and talk to one person safely while fighting assorted villains. The ability to have your cake while fighting off other people trying to take it from you.

OK, I thought you might be thinking of this one
 

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<Beep 1>
 
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The heroes go to Holly's place and find its a jumbo wreck.  X Supervillain is in town and had vowed to torture the hero's loved ones.  Meanwhile, Holly has finally calmed down that the Eagle's won the Superbowl and has headed back to her apartment to clean up after the tantrum she made when the Patriots lost.

I recently gave a character PS: Cook and KS: Herbs.
 
I'll admit that was largely for flavor.
 
Lucius Alexander
 
The palindromedary says it's   a  matter of taste

"Smith and Wesson - Detectives gunning for the little guy.  Wednesday nights 8 PM on CBS."

What he's done is created a combined attack, which is legal in the game.  Note that he is paying the full cost for both attacks or 2xSTR end cost + both KA end costs.  Each attack is applied to the defenses and CON for stunning separately.  The attacks do not coordinate with each other but can coordinate with another player as normal.
 
Strangely, for a weapon, its not a focus but has a hand requirement?  Also, if it is restrainable, why the required hands? Don't they(restrainable/required hands) both work the same type of limitation on the power?
 
That said, you can always say no.  As GM you have final say over any power that a player wished to be included into your campaign.  Even if it is "rules legal".  You are the final decision maker and can say, "Look, I just think this power is unbalancing for this game."  Sometimes, I will say something to the effect of "Look, I don't like the power design, but I'm willing to let it run for a while in the game.  If its too unbalancing, I get to veto the power later on in the game, no arguments."

To me, the game starts during character construction. After the group has decided on what kind of game we want to play (street level local, city's best and brightest, national hero team, global protectors, etc.) and players have the basic power builds in place, we have a group session where we build out Disads (or whatever they are called these days), and establish a "history" of the PCs. It is a free-form shared story telling session, where I push with questions like, "What was the first case Captain Cosmo and Ice Princess worked on together?" and let the two players throw out ideas. Then "How did Ice Princess save Big Mojo's life?" and the two players come up with a story. "What secret did Big Mojo uncover that required the Lioness to help him?"  etc. 
 
I write it all down as we talk it out. We build the disads based on the story... "Ok, so that means Captain Cosmo has now seriously pissed off the Hunger Man, so that is a hunted right there," and players will ask, "So, I was thinking that is when we ran into VIPER... or is VIPER not a thing? Another kind of group?" and I can provide some key world building details like, "Let's go with the VIPER having been pretty much demolished over the years of fighting off heroes and law enforcement, but let's say you've run into some kind of organized crime ring using high tech, but one that has no name, yet."  etc. etc.
 
After we have this session, the more traditional game play starts, but the great part is, you have players already invested in the world, because they helped shape it, and PCs already invested in the "team"... and I do my best to weave in the pieces of the story that the players came up with, which gives me fodder to work with and let's me know what the players think would be fun. So when "the Hunger Man" shows up, the players already have the "oooh, Captain Cosmo has a problem!" right from the beginning. Whatever the first couple adventures are, they are shaped by things the players introduced, mixed with my own plot ideas... and so, hopefully, have a unique, immediate hook for the players to be invested.

A decepticon!  Incoming Michael Bay explosions!!  Lots of exclamation marks!!!
 

I just like to note that part of the confusion is he's may be taking a multipower control limitation on the slots.  If the limitation only applies to how he controls the multipower, its a MP only limitation, he doesn't get the discount on the slot.  Its a minor difference but important for example, the activation roll.  Is it just him rolling once, or does each user have to roll?

Holly tries to prove she's clever so she challenges the hero to find her.  Unfortunately what Holly doesn't know is that she was accidentally exposed to a substance that will kill her in a few hours unless she gets treatment.

What he's done is created a combined attack, which is legal in the game.  Note that he is paying the full cost for both attacks or 2xSTR end cost + both KA end costs.  Each attack is applied to the defenses and CON for stunning separately.  The attacks do not coordinate with each other but can coordinate with another player as normal.
 
Strangely, for a weapon, its not a focus but has a hand requirement?  Also, if it is restrainable, why the required hands? Don't they(restrainable/required hands) both work the same type of limitation on the power?
 
That said, you can always say no.  As GM you have final say over any power that a player wished to be included into your campaign.  Even if it is "rules legal".  You are the final decision maker and can say, "Look, I just think this power is unbalancing for this game."  Sometimes, I will say something to the effect of "Look, I don't like the power design, but I'm willing to let it run for a while in the game.  If its too unbalancing, I get to veto the power later on in the game, no arguments."

I'm in agreement with Bolo: Persuasion or Conversation depending on the circumstances. I suppose a PRE attack could be used, but is vague (other than the PRE attack chart) as to what happens. A skill vs skill is way more exciting and interesting. As time goes on, it gives the character with the skill a chance to ham it up.

I'm in agreement that it is a presence attack with a skill roll modifier... conversation, charm, persuasion... any of which could work. 
 
Edit: Actually, it really depends on the extent of what they are trying to do and the circumstances. If the target of the stall doesn't really know they are being stalled (keeping the nurse at the desk while someone slips into the patient's room) then that is a skill roll, conversation or charm... but the target is actively being stopped from acting... (Hold on! You don't want to shoot me because...!" to get the villain to not pull the trigger on a raised gun...) then THAT I'd say is an active "attack" on an opponent and needs a presence attack... skill roll to help.
 
Circumstances are important in how I'd rule this in a game.

We each started with one hero and we took turns GMing, but it wasn't very long before we each had several PCs.  It was up to whichever one of us GMed as to which PCs the other would run, depending on which one(s) the GM cooked up a scenario for.  So the GM's PCs would serve as that game's NPC heroes.
 
 
It's certainly more challenging with more players.  With just me and my friend, we grew up reading comics together so it was rare when one of us as GM could surprise the other with plot twists.  When I would plan the session it was pretty easy to predict how he would react to things.  With more players, the chances of somebody doing something completely out of left field increases exponentially, and as a GM I like that. 
 

I've done it for my wife but usually, in other instances, more players will show up.  Its a very different feel I think.  More role playing goes on in a solo run as I can concentrate solely on a player and not worry the others aren't having fun.  Personally, I think its the same as the difference between a team comic and a solo comic.  Take Captain America or Batman as a solo comic versus him in a team comic.  You get more story telling about the character in the solo comic than you do in the team comic.