bjvargas

Re: How do you keep your dark knights from going "squish"? This isn't Saturday yet. Please don't make my head hurt from thoughts of cartoons - I get enough of those on the weekend ;P LOL BJ

From a GM's point of view, does anyone know of an example of a legitimate use of Charges that Never Recover within a Framework? Thanks! BJ

Re: "Charges Never Recover" and Frameworks That makes sense...I am working on Champions concepts at a Superhero level, so I suppose I should have mentioned that. For that matter, I probably should have asked it in the Champions forum. Just call me dense. Thanks!

Re: Phase 12, GM's what do you allow? I like it too, and will use it. When the beginning of combat is truly random anyway. I don't view it as always being so. I do sometimes base it upon the timing of the person who starts the combat, should that person have managed to plan out the attack. Ex: A and B are just sitting around chatting. C is there too, across the room, singing Thriller - and very badly at that. B is in a bit of a snitfit, and thinks about smacking C upside (inside?) the head with an Ego Attack. B thinks about it for a moment, makes the decision, and is the basis for the beginning of combat. B has a SPD of 4, so combat begins in Phase 3. Now if it is random, Hero A and Villian B accidently run across each other, d12 is *perfect*. There would be plenty of other times this would work better as well. BJ

From a GM's point of view, does anyone know of an example of a legitimate use of Charges that Never Recover within a Framework? BJ

"You don't seem to be asking a question; you seem to be trying to start and argument or make some sort of point. If that's the case, I suggest you go to the Discussion board, where anyone who wants to can respond." My sincerest apologies, Steve. I didn't mean to make it look like I was trying to start an argument. I just tend to put concepts of where my thoughts came from out there along with my questions, to save intermediate requests for extra info. But then I did fail to directly ask an actual question as well. I'm not listed as an Incomepetent Normal for nothing I guess the question would be, is there a particular reason why a character could use a power with extra time, particularly a turn or more for a non-attack power, go out and have three rounds or more of combat, and come back and watch the extra-time power go off - but in the case of an attack power with extra time, if the target moves, the power doesn't hit/work/etc.? The reason I ask is that if I understand the process/thinking behind it, I could better decide if this is a good case for, "GM, ignore this on a case-by-case basis," and know best how to apply it. If this is still the wrong forum, I again apoligize, and will take it elsewhere. I am truly a noob to these forums. Please do understand that I cannot even begin to express my appreciation that such a forum even exists where the line developer gets directly involved, as does the software guru for those issues. It's downright amazing! BJ

Re: WHY is combat so slow and what have you done about it? I love these, and have seen variations. They really do work - especially if the GM is held to the same standard.

Re: Regeneration/Healing Agreed. I think there is room for Life Support, it would just be dependent on the specific character. Like above, Highlanders get sick, but just don't die. No Life Support other than no aging - the rest is some sort of regen (quickly off the top of my head anyway). Wolverine has been described often has having not only heavy regen (for that occasional bullet being shoved out of his perforated forehead) *and* a heavy immune system. Lots of Immunities then too. Or Selene - regen, no aging, no breathing, eating (of normal food anyway), etc. Completly character/race dependent, any build could be reasonable.

Re: Is it Dex or is it Speed?

Re: Rant? Speed in Hero And then you get to deal with the Cyberpunk style game, where the decker needs to out 'program' the other drecker...er...decker. Still based muchly on SPD. Yet has nothing to do with 'combat', by which I obviously mean something like: Decker is trying to get a prog entered before above mentioned delta force dude can fight through the cyborg, combat robot, and point laser defense to stop said decker from entering the prog. All timing based upon SPD, but one being physical 'combat training' vs. the other intellectual 'combat training'. /shrug BJ

Re: Rant? Speed in Hero Hmmm...I suppose my 'twitch' is just that, *my* twitch. But I admit I hadn't thought of it that way Hyper-Man...thx

Re: Attacks OK Defenses No Way?

Re: Rant? Speed in Hero I'll tell ya where SPD makes me cringe: 2 diff characters pay for the exact same power with the exact effect expecting the exact same results: So they both build, say, an EB, AoE, Continuous, 0 END, Uncontrolled (yeah, going extreme here to make a point). One has SPD 6, the other SPD 3. One just happens to do damage twice as often as the other. Sure, I recognize that especially a the Superheroic level the game is all about paying for the benefit and getting benefit based upon what you paid for it, and the SPD 6 guy paid for that extra SPD (and through the nose at that). But still...kinda makes me twitch when neither character puts anything more into *the power*, and both disconnect from the power completely (continuous and uncontolled), but one does damage twice as often. /shrug BJ...DC...Iamlibertarian...whatever else you want to call me (Hi Chris)

Re: Is it Dex or is it Speed? Sure: Any Mage with Boots of Speed or the like as a magic item, just as one example. Maybe can't 'think' or 'react' any faster than the average schmoe - goes last on every phase - but goes *every* phase. In other words, actual phyisical movement, once put into motion (low dex), is almost faster than the eye can see (high SPD), whether it be movement (running, flying, etc.) or taking swings with that Wizard's Staff, or getting those gestures and incantations out so that spells can be cast faster. In fact, I have seen a mage who sold off his Dex (down to 5) and his Running back down to 2", all to help pay for the SPD of 12. To compensate for the low OCV due to the low Dex, he bought his powers in a nice cheap MP and made most of the 'spells' LOS. Cheesy, but technically legal. BJ

I don't get this one... On page 290, EXTRA TIME PERIODS, in the example for Andarra it says, " Andarra has a gadget that requires 1 Turn to activate. On her Phase in Segment 3, she makes a Half Move (to get behind some Concealment) and then begins activating the gadget. One Turn later, in Segment 3 of the next Turn, the gadget activates on her DEX. In the meantime she can take other Actions (unless her gadget requires an Attack Roll, in which case she must wait patiently for an entire Turn before she can do anything else)." Later, under the description for Extra Segment it says, "If the target moves before the character can activate his attack, the attack misses — the character cannot “track” a moving target aft er he starts activating the power." So if I understand it correctly, as long as she hasn't chosen 'can take no other action', Andarra can use her Gadget to start a non-attack power, run a block, pick up and throw a car at a target, run back, smack two other targets, light up a cigarette, take a couple puffs, throw it on the ground and grind it out with her foot (assuming she has enough actions in that turn), and then re-focus her attention on the use of the Gadget, and viola, at the end of that Extra Turn, the Gadget goes off successfully. She could do all those things in that turn, pick a target, attack it, switch targets, attack again, super-suck a cigarette, then go back and see what happens with the Gadget...but if its an attack power the Gadget is performing, she could not skip all those other things and instead track a target that simply moves a hex or two? Thanks for your thoughts! DBJ

Re: Here is a character for review... "At one point, I was thinking of taking his str , making it no figured characteristics, lowering his con, leaving him with high defenses, low stun but giving him high physical damage reduction." BJ: Actually, I think that sounds like a pretty, if you will pardon me, 'realistic' set of things to do. "I was looking at making a change environment that affects dex rolls and ocv/dcv." BJ: That sounds like a neat thing to do to. With all that gravity power though, maybe a Change Environment with a couple levels of Variable Advantage would be more useful, without being 'overpowered'? Not to mention that I think you would be doing better to take an MP instead of an EC. This would give the character more variety - and as a GM it wouldn't bother me as long as the individual powers were still of a reasonable level - besides, keeping them at a reasonable level allows for more flexibility at the same time. Here are some additional suggestions if you made it an MP (and therefore had more points to spend), taken from memory and powers lists I copied (cans we say stole? ) from many sources: * Suppress Movement * G-Forces (EB AVLD (powers/circumstances that would protect against g-forces)) * Vertigo - Suppress Dex * Gravity Wells - focuses gravity around the character so that he can attach himself to things - like for climbing walls, etc. * Bend Light, so that he can see as if using a telescope * Desolidification, self and other * Break electronic/mechanical items via gravity changes * Entangles * Flight as an attack * Missle Deflection * Force Wall Tons more. With all this, your character doesn't need to be as much of a brick (keeping the defenses always works tho ), whilst still allowing the character much participation in the goings-on, including OOC stuff. As for motivations and stuff: Does the character have any religious background? Is he happy-mad-sad about his change? How has it affected his daily life? Did he insto-change into his powers and hurt someone by lack of control of those powers, A) Giving him a psych lim, Getting him in trouble? Maybe the govt got him fired, and stripped him of that "Well Off" he has (more points for the MP? LOL), and is playing with his life to get him to work for them. This would give him conflicts - wanting to be a good little group hero, but being also being pissed. Maybe a global power provider wants to tap him and/or his knowledge. You know what works well for me on background creation? Look up every Disadvantage I can find (Master List of Psych Lims for example, which can usually be googled), read through them, find a few that make me go, "Oh, cool!" as ideas pop into my head.

Re: Hero Funding Hire yourself out for all *kinds* of work. Powered armor guys are usually very strong and well protected, so construction work can be very lucrative. Of course, you will have to join a union, and not take any more money than that crane operator you are replacing But that is just for general contracting. Now, if you got in on some secret military thangie...

Re: Heroes and Nukes! I think I have a simple answer to this: Since there would be obvious fallout affecting the rest of the world (the nuke being so large and all as mentioned above), there has GOT to be someone in your game world with some precognition who could pass that info on. Even if real Precogs are so rare as to be thought of as complete nut jobs, word only has to get back to ONE 'appropriate ear', who could foil the whole plot. I mean, even a villainous super who gets the word might not like all the fallout (pun intended) and this one time only cooperate with the 'good guys'.

Re: "Bag of Holding" Ok, here is my final effort - I am sticking with this one for my character (and hopefully my GM agrees). Opinions welcomed if anyone cares, but no biggie - just sharing thoughts. Bag of Holding: Teleportation 1" x2 Increased Mass Usable By Other (+1/4) Area Of Effect Nonselective (Much less than one hex; +1/4) Additional Cost for Fixed Location to be less than 1"=1km for Mega Scale (+1/4) GATE (+1/2) MegaScale (1" = 1,000 km; +1) Can Be Scaled Down 1" = 1km (+1/4) (24 Active Points) Independent (Anyone can use the item backpack as is, and with magickal skill, can reset the Fixed Locations; -2) Extra Time (Extra Phase, to place item gently on surface when putting item in, and to rummage/feel for proper item when withdrawing.; -1) OIF Bulky (Backpack; -1) Can Only Teleport To Floating Fixed Locations (-1/2) Real Cost: 4

Re: "Bag of Holding" Actually, thinking about it more (and trying various methods to create one (Hewards)) using Designer, A simple Desolidification attached to a backpack Focus, Independent, 0 END, and a couple of other reasonable limitations, is pretty cheap and easy to make. And expanding on what Fitz says above, the Hewards can have a linked power Summon, Usable on Others (highly limited), if you want it to 'summon' the item you want to the top. (Could be that it desolidifies by putting contents into a pocket dimension for those who like to keep that flavor) Hmmm...still thinking...

Re: "Bag of Holding" Ultimate Super Mage has a great idea for the 'spacial' part of it: =-=-= Space Warping This expands, twists or otherwise reshapes the rooms in a building so it can have more space inside or to create “Escher effects.” Cost Powers END Change Environment 4" Radius, Any Spatial Distortion (+1), 0 END Persistent [45] =-=-= This is easily adapted to a bag. Then just add on some highly limited Str and you are done. Further, to replicate "Heward's Handy Haversack" (( Heward's Handy Haversack: this backpack always weighs five pounds and is always the size of a normal backpack. It has two small side pouches that, like a bag of holding, can hold two cubic feet, much more than normal, or 20 pounds of material, while the larger central portion can hold 8 cubic feet or 80 pounds. The advantage of the handy haversack is that any item placed inside will be "handy", that is, located on top when intentionally sought. For example, if one were to place a dagger inside the haversack and cover it with a load of paper, upon searching for the dagger it would magically appear above the paper.)) Build an Independent Multipower for it, do the above Space Warping + STR thing, add in some highly limited INT that applies just to the backpack, a highly limited Telepathy between the backpack and wearer so the bag knows what the owner wants to pull out, and a highly limited Teleport to bring the item front and center. Or hell, just pay for a "Follower" and build it cheaply.

Below is a quote from Ultimate Super Mage, and I would like an opinion: "Multipowers: The only real reason to ban many Special Powers from Multipowers is that they have Persistent effects and would have to go away when the character switched slots. For this reason, Powers like Duplication, Multiform, Instant Change or END Reserve obviously can never be placed in a Multipower. For Powers like Enhanced Senses or Life Support, however, what’s the harm? The character just can’t use that Power all the time, that’s all. To use Life Support for an example, its chief use is in resisting NND attacks. Why shouldn’t a mage have a spell to defend against such attacks, without continuous immunity to hostile environments?" Is that the real reason for not including Detects and the like from Multipowers? Would it be reasonable to include certain Special Powers in Multipowers, with the above understanding of how to handle them? BJ