jtelson

QUOTE]Another thing to muddy the waters. If we're talking about telekinesis throwing something, does the PC need to buy an EB or RKA to do this often? Or maybe use the Power skill? Or do you just go with it and give them a freeby ranged attack? As always working backward from effect. Hurting someone at range is generally EB or RKA. I'd make them buy it, if they wanted to have that ability.[

Yeah - I'd go with the multiform duplicate and if you can heal back lost rats give each duplicate the ressurect ability limited by your ability to heal.

It never occured to me to use entangle to make a bridge, especially if the effect were telekinesis. For enduring effects, I'm not certain that a limitation laden entangle power is any less articulate than transform. For temporary effects, I've always used Force Wall. Although I suppose you could just as easily use a 'gate' version of teleportion or flight to simulate a temporary bridge.

What was the name of the organization that Steve Austin (The Six Million Dollar Man not the Texas Ranger) worked for? I think it was the OSI - Office of Strategic or maybe Scientific Intelligence.

One of the players in my group suggested buying the desolidification, EDM and the like on your main form and linking it to duplication - The duplicate becomes your inanimate body (Reasonably inexpensive) and you use disadvantages to define what happens if it's killed while you're out and about. It seems like an interesting direction to take.

We've tended to be very careful with VPP in our group (After a few unsettling incidents) so this problem has never really arisen. I would look at the scale involved - anything that would persist after the adventure/scenario ended I would require the character to buy external to the pool. As far as within the cofines of the adventure - I'm not sure - this could create some very abusive situations. I guess I would take it on a case by case basis - A charm to protect a hostage from detectionno problem make it last as long as you like - force fields on you and your friends starting at the beginning of the scenario and not going away til the end - come a little closer so I can smack you. Oh - DigitalGolem - Great idea on permenant effects.

My bad - I misunderstood what you were talking about and I see your point - Never really noticed it before and I'll have to give it some thought.

While I'm hesitant to argue that Hero Characters balance perfectly - The full phase example doesn't really work. Since we're looking at a single attack power it shouldn't be 2 overall skill levels as these will help the character in a good many other situations, it should be 10 2pt levels with a single attack. So now it's a choice of 1 attack per phase at base ocv or 1 attack per turn that will almost certainly hit every time. This doesn't seem like an unfair exchange although the higher the average speed in a campaign the more limiting full phase can become. The gun example works the same we're not looking at +6 stun we're looking at +3 to hit. Trying to compare stun to EB is like trying to compare fish to bicycles.

The real danger of dealing with Batman is that he plans. He would likely be prepared for an exploding warehouse or a chest bomb (Although with a Batman knockoff that one's probably a good way to go). So you need to operate outside the box. Assume he knows how your character thinks - so don't do take what you consider your best course of action - take number 2 or 3 down on the list. Use what you've done in the past as a blueprint for how not to behave. Watch a few old episodes of Mission Impossible - realize that Batman is the IM team all rolled into one with batarangs and a blackbelt. Consider how you would defend against them. Find out his secret ID! Those toys cost money. The car's parked somewhere. Take apart his life - break the man and the hero will falter. Get some goons - set them up - watch how he interacts with them - study his methods - learn his weaknesses. Destroy his reputation - Anyone can wear a cowl - a little tarnish and others in the city might do the job for you or at least be willing to help you do it. Even if this has no other effect it will draw him out. Finally - put your worldly or otherworldly affairs in order - If he's really Batman you're likely to lose - This guy can take out Superman if he gets mad enough.

Just take each character card and translate it into a package deal or template. You may end up having to design several different schools of magic but if that's what you're looking for, it won't be to daunting. If you're serious about it though definately look to pick up the Warhammer RPG for reference.

I've run FH sing the buy each spell seperately method and did not find that the mages were overly limited. That being said what's really important is the relevance and feel you need magic to have in your game world and how powerful/versatile you want starting mages to be. Very powerful you may want to consider a MP, very versatile a VPP. It all boils down to the world - there are dozens of ways you can design magic systems using Hero (For those that would say that there are more - I tend to lump similar systems together) and there is no reason that you couldn't create various classes or schools of magic in your world just to test out the variables.

It was in fact from "The Invasion of Time"

I ran Chill every Friday for two years - the key was always the Players. I did everything I could to handle mood - we played by candle light soft instumental music in the background - I worked on pacing and description - I did my best to avoid the pitfalls of overuse and MOW (Monster of the Week) - I tried always to keep in mind the basics of horror - Isolation, Uncertainty & Hope (Never forget Hope - characters have to believe that the struggle is worth it) - but in the end it all came down to the players - The best sessions were not always the ones that I put the most effort into - they were sometimes even ones that I look back on now and go 'What was I thinking when I put that plot together?' went amazingly well. If the players came ready to play they got the scare they were looking for - If not, well we would have been better off ordering a pizza and watching a video. So the best advice I can give you is that If you have a group that is willing to be scared take good care of them, If you don't don't even bother running it. Oh yeah and don't be frustrated by the occasional outbursts of laughter - I can mean you've just done or said something very foolish or it can be a release because you're actually getting to someone.

If only I had players that would be receptive to something like that.. Ah well a GM can dream. If you're going to do it you can find dry erase boards at places like Michaels or AC Moore(?) in a reasonable variety of shapes and sizes. I use one for scene clarification doodles when I run. Get one for each player for their dialogue.

I would most likely go with the -1 version of no conscious control and still require the +1/4 trigger advantage.

Social Limitations are tricky because they are as open ended as Psychological or Physical Limits without the same clear context. Psych Limits reflect how your character will choose to behave. 'I choose not to kill people' Physical Limits reflect how your character can behave. 'I am incapable either through action or inaction to allow the death of a sentient being' Social limits reflect how the predominant campaign culture will react to your character or a group your character belongs to. 'Pacifier is a member of Save our Sentients, he won't kill you' What I don't understand is why reputation wasn't included under Social Limits.

If you're looking for detail try Mythus or Rolemaster. They both have rigid but in depth magic systems - Mythus in particular could be described as downright complicated.

Invulnerability tends to show itself more often in non-super fiction. In the Videssos Cycle there is a spell that makes the recipient immune to damage from normal metal, The Mayor in season 3 Buffy was immune to harm for the period of time before his ascension - Norse and Greek myth both contain heros who are imune to all damage except for one location - I believe there is a Gaellic hero similarly blessed but I can't recall for certain. I suppose you could simply design the world so that all swords must have the limit will do no damage vs recipiants of spell x or so that anything that can do damage has the limit does not work vs person who has bathed in dragon's blood/dipped in magix river y. That seems a little clunky to me better to have the option for sbsolutes.

It doesn't necessarily have to be your vulnerability you are avoiding. I would go with the Missile Deflection - It seems the cleanest-ish and could allow you to protect others as well.

Wind in Trees HEY - I took out way more than half the team in that danger room.

I don't see any issue with an Invulnerability power. Even if true invulnerability is rare to non-existant in comics. It is not uncommon at all in other genres and any system that claims to be a toolkit for genre simulation should include the option for absolutes. All absolutes abilities should of course be labeled STOP and should only be allowed where appropriate. I think it speaks volumes for the Hero System that it is so easy to create an Invulnerability power and insert it.

1899 - Special Security/Intelligence operatives working for Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Present - Animals in a mall pet store after closing time - Attempting to smuggle other animals to freedom and eventually escape themsleves. Near Future - Virtual Roleplaying becomes a spectator sport. Characters are professional players working with and competeing against each other for tournement championships, product endorsements and fame. Future - Characters play Military Security and Research personell on a deep space temporal research station. The station is largely taken over by a terrorist organization - Play alternates between fighting for control of the space station and stopping the terrorists from altering the past. Fantasy - Take a Fantasy City similar to Constantinople and the characters are the fantasy equivilent of shadowrunners. Complete Fantasy - Characters are anthropomorphic fish and sea creatures - Freedom fighters vs the evil Sharks that have taken over the undersea and made deals with various surface dwellers in return for good catches.