jtelson

Re: Cuts through anything or you could just make the sword cost 50 points instead of 47 and have it be 0-End

Re: Why the dislike for Find Weakness? Find Weakness isn't a skill; The time chart's irrelevant, PSL's don't apply only Overall Skill Levels or the 5 point per +1 buy up matter. The power description is clear how extra time applies to the power, it does give the GM the leaway to make extra time very powerful but I've never seen one apply that option. You can only apply Find Weakness to 1 type of Defense at a time (PD/ED or Armor/Force Field or Exotic ) I think people are tending to react to the Find Weakness from 1-2 editions ago rather than the current version which is considerably less formidable.

Re: Mental Powers This too could be a balance issue. Sweep and Multiple Move By both carry significant downsides, AOE has a not minor point cost, but Spread is free with comparitively small downsides. No DCV penalty, first two dice are free from base strength, STR is favorably costed, HtH Attack includes a built in limitation (How cheap would HtH be with the limit only for spreading attacks?). Anyway, if I were to attempt to apply motive to rule, I would say balance played a part in the ranged only for sweep decision particularly since there also exist maneauvers allowing multiple target HtH attacks.

Re: Restricting Aspects of Character Creation You use guidelines and communication to keep them in-line...although in-line is a bit harsh. You give everyone your character creation guidelines, have them give you copies of their characters and you take plenty of time to review them. Make notes of things that concern you - divide those concerns into two camps. Things you don't want to see and things you're not sure about. Then talk to or email your players individualy (The first campaign or two should be talks to make certain everyone's on the same page). Things that you don't want to see have to go, offer suggestions about how to achieve similar effects in ways that don't make you're head explode, things you're concerned about they can change or not but make sure they know you may ask for a change later. So long as everyone knows going in even the munchkins shouldn't have much cause for complaint.. In my current campaign there are characters I had to see three of four passes at before I ok'd them. If someone's completely off the reservation you have to sit them down and explain what your concerns are. I've had to have the Doc Savage talk a few times...The other players don't want to be your sidekicks and support staff, you're building a group of equals, I'm not running Doc Savage.

Re: Cyberpathy vs. People's Foci Rethought this; I had been thinking in terms of Powered Armor and on that I'd stay pretty firm but I'm thinking this is akin to a power duplication pool. The effect of turning on someone's wrist saw is a continuous killing attack over there somewhere that you have a measure on control over. The effect of firing that guys rockets boots would be flight UAA (perhaps the only place I've seen it as valid). The pool would need to be more and less versitile that the power duplication one since it would include things like 'I tint his visor til he can't see'

Re: Cyberpathy vs. People's Foci Well, the game does need an Activate power to be sure I guess why wouldn't EGO stop you

Re: Cyberpathy vs. People's Foci Breaks down to two effects. 1: Gain access to the actions and abilities of another character: Which is Mind Control 2: Gain a temporary follower with abilities you don't normally possess (Animated suit of power armor): Which feels like Summon The defense against being controlled by someone is Mental Defense/Ego, the limitation on a follower is points. Everything else is getting bogged down in the sfx; It seems like you may be self kludging.

Re: Cyberpathy vs. People's Foci Sorry, I thought the question was 'How do you get cyberpathy and cyberkinesis to work within the rules of Champions WITHOUT breaking the game and turning armored characters and high-tech wunderkinds into swiss cheese? And by this, I mean the swiss cheese of mechanical nightmares where the system doesn't adequately represent the power.'

Re: Cyberpathy vs. People's Foci Hmmm, Maybe Mind Control vs the operator with the sfx of controlling the suit to control an occupied suit, and TK to control an unoccupied suit? How about a large versitile slavishly loyal Summon to represent controling unoccupied/uncontrolled machines?

Re: Cuts through anything Interestingly, Single or Limited Author Narratives, like Fantasy novels, are where you generally find examples of stable absolutes like 'cuts through anything", once you enter the land of Open Author Narratives, like most comic books, those absolutes tend to wax and wane with the preferances and or Narrative needs of this itteration's Author.

Re: Mental Powers 1 or 2 incarnations back I think it was only EB; currently it's (essentially) ranged non AOE non not Ego Blast mental attacks; With the caveat that the whole rule's optional and the GM can set whatever guidelines he wants (The write up suggests GMs may tend to dissallow some powers to be spread). As to spreading Mind Control etc.- Might be a balance issue. If you can spread 12d6 Mind Control, it pretty much gives you 2-3 Agents a phase rather than 1.

Re: Cuts through anything The examples given in the original post, however, are of things that are said to be able to cut through anything but really can only cut through most things which kinda brings us back to a simple HKA with AP and Penetrating and/or NND Does Body.

Re: Cuts through anything Characters ordinarily shouldn’t have more than one type of NND attack; this gives them too much flexibility in combat. 5th Rev pg 265 Goes on to suggest situations where ignoring it might be allowed but 'cause I want to cut through anything' didn't make the exceptions list.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... From Heracles' Children: The Odyssey; Lydos: Do you have an Heir? Hector: That's Lydos' way of asking 'Can I have your Shoes?'

Re: Mental Powers IIRC Only Ego Attack plus ranged attacks purchased with the 'based on ECV' advantage with GM's permission.

Re: Mental Powers Sounds like a job for Based on Ego Combat Value...

Re: If Only I Had The Will (or Building 'Stock' Meters for Fun and Beatings) Auto Resetting triggered Aid/Heal to Reserve X; Works for other things as well. Dodge Meter, Block Meter, Jump Meter; Whatever'd you'd like metered.

Re: Dextracardial Seems like just a oddity of character for the most part - I'd probably model it as the SFX of Lack of Weakness and then some disad. We actually use quirks from GURPs (up to 5 1 point minor disadvantages or character traits) This fits that pretty well.

Re: Hero System Good Idea/Bad Idea... Also my profile image is the logo for a major villian organization in my long running - now retired - Sentry campaign(s).

Re: Hero System Good Idea/Bad Idea... http://www.peginc.com/games.html You have to scroll down a bit to Necessary Evil When all the super heroes of the world are blown to kingdom come by an army of invading aliens who will save the day? Evil... The only forces left to take on the alien menace are the crafty and self serving super villains!

Re: Hero System Good Idea/Bad Idea... Just for clarity: That was an optional rule if the GM felt playing the player's shadows would be too much for him: The other option I can remember off the top of my head is that one group member co-gm'd playing all of the shadows.

Re: Restricting Aspects of Character Creation That seems like it would work nicely - may very well field test it in one of the next Heracles' Children arcs. And I agree about the Poison and Disease costs

Re: Restricting Aspects of Character Creation Yes but being submerged in acid would affect Captain America without Shield, Captain America with Shield, Captain America in Magic Plate Mail and Captain America in Police riot gear approximately the same amount. It's a question of Sealed Armor vs Not Sealed Armor rather than DCV vs Armor.

Re: Earthquake Making it UAA might move it into the realm of the legal.

Re: How does this work?