Herolover

Re: There's No "REAL HORROR" in a Horror RPG setting...is there? No there isn't. You are absolutely right. There is no real horror in horror gameing. However..... By that logic all RPGs and settings are flawed. What real love is there between characters? What real danger is there when a PC fights in combat? I may tell my player that his character is nervous as he prepars to enter the colesium to fight for his life, but is the player really nervous? (Maybe because he doesn't want to loose his character, but not because he fears death. To very different emotions.) This is where the role of roleplaying comes in. No, you might not be scarred, but your character is and you have to roleplay that. 4th Edition Horror Hero had some great rules on PRE attacks and adding Psychological Limitations due to failed EGO rolls. If you don't have it I reccommend you look it up. The basic idea of the PRE attack does a great job of showing the initial fear as the PCs see the big bad and either freeze or run away. Now, I realize I am talking numbers and mathematics here and not "Real Horror". However this is what roleplaying games are. They potray life, they aren't life. In this potrayal of life it is far easier to use numbers and words to potray "how scarred" you are then it is anything else. Yes, you are right there isn't any "real horror" in RPGs. However, you will find that when it comes to emotions there really aren't any other "real" emotions either.

Re: Hex I have to admit I really like the idea, but have to do some real thinking of this idea. I do like the idea of something along the six sides of the Hex meaning something. Will have to think about it. Of course I would add that there are agents that dont' stand back and watch, but like to add a helping hand here and there.

Re: Free Character Tools?

Re: What is your ideal sized hero group I am loathe to admit it, but WOTC IMO did get one thing right. I find that 4-6 players is good with 4 being the optimum number. With four players everyone gets some individual time and it has more of a cozy feel to the game. It is very easy to go up to 5 or 6, but after 6 it starts getting to crowded and filled with distranctions. 3 is a good number, but I currenly have 2, sometimes 3, and feel we need more people for more ideas to be put on the table instead of me running NPCs all the time.

According to Champions rules players must spend points in order to have a base, vehicle, etc. I have only 2-3 players at a time and we normally play 350pt supers. In order to keep them from having to spend points on bases I build very light generic bases with some very light equipment and vehicles. I wonder if anyone else does this kind of thing for their group? Do you require players to spend points for group bases and vehicles or do you "help" them?

Re: New VIPER toys lol I just gave this out as an idea of what VIPER is capable of and you guys have turned it into an adventure.

I saw this on History channel and my first thought was...oh my VIPER nest has got to have on of them. http://www.ibistek.com/secveh.asp

Re: Fumbled Seduction Roll lol.... The Seducer wakes up in his bath tub filled with ice, a scar on his right side, and a note that says, "Call 911 for the Emergency room immdiately."

Re: Fumbled Seduction Roll I have always liked the idea that a 3 is a great success and an 18 is an OMG screwup. So, a failed Seduction roll uhh...lol this could be fun or bad. The first thing is I have no idea of what the exact situation is or where you want it to go so these suggestions are very general and some might not even be playable. 1) The NPC misinterpets the person saying no and thinks they say yes. 2) The NPC is charged with sexual harrasement. 3) At a major extreme the NPC misinterpets the situtaion. He thinks they are being coy and commits sexual assualt. 4) Word of the NPCs attempt at seduction gets around in society and his reputation is ruined. 5) Turns out the target is underage. Just some suggestions. If you can give details on NPC, target, and situation I might be able to help more.

Re: Batman Begins Completely agree. I was hopping to seem more of Mr. Wantabi. As for Batman Begins....well, I never thought I would say this, but it might just beat the Keaton Batman's. I always liked the Keaton Batman's but wow. Batman Begins is....wow. Can't wait to see it again.

Re: Is VIPER a Terrorist Group? (& Groups like them?) If VIPER existed in the real world today I am sure they would fall under all the terroism laws that have been passed since 9-11. In fact, reading VIPER I see many simularities with VIPER and Al Qeada. That said, in the Champions Universe I would say they are treated more like the mafia.

Re: PRIMUS and Teenage Boys Thanks for all the ideas. They were really great. Sometimes I get to realistic and in situations like this, where a teenage boy is adventuring for a law enforcement group, I need help. I had already decided that PRIMUS has moved to have him "adopted" by "foster parents." Of course the foster parents are PRIMUS agents and I really like the idea that they are helping him go out and be a hero while official PRIMUS does not know.

Okay...its not what you think. I got a question that has come up in my campaign. Teen PC is 14-15 years old. His history goes like this.... Parents were members of VIPER (scientist). They were exposed to something that mutated their baby and he had powers. VIPER planned on controlling and manipulatiing the baby so the parents ran away. 13 years and many moves later the parents are found by VIPER and make a run for PRIMUS. Mother and Dad are killed leaving 14 year old boy with PRIMUS. This happened 3 months ago. PRIMUS knows that his parents were members of VIPER. PRIMUS knows that VIPER would like to get a hold of him, but now how badly. PRIMUS has moved the boy to a large city were there is little PRIMUS presence. The idea is that keep it quiet and VIPER will not be able to find him. Now, my question. The boy has started going out and adventuring on his own (PRIMUS does not know). What will PRIMUS do with the boy? What will PRIMUS do when they find out he is being a solo hero? What excuse can I use to have PRIMUS allow this 14-15 year old boy to go out being a "solo hero?" (Note: I do have a well respected hero that PRIMUS likes he could team up with.)

Re: VIPER and the Serpent Lantern. GM brainstorm Wow. I mean really wow. I had forgotten that the SS knows where it is at. I, like you, are really intriqued by the serpent lantern and know that there is a good adventure there if I can figure it out. It looks like you came up with a really great adventure and I am going to have to read it again to see if I think I could pull it off. Very good, very in depth.

Re: How to...take all powers away. Never heard that sounds great. Thanks for the help. I am working on it now and have one last question. The character in question shoots a dart of some such at a person, however, the power takes a couple of segments to work. Example. Segment 2 Hero gets hit. Segment 3-5 nothing. Segment 6 power takes effect. While waiting the shooter can do anything he wants so this doesn't appear to be extra time and when it works it works immediately so gradual effect is good?

Re: VIPER and the Serpent Lantern. GM brainstorm I forgot about Takofanes. How would you do such an adventure. How would you go about getting the players involved. Something they guard? Something they have to find?

Okay all you VIPER fans. Reading VIPER I am very intrigued by the Serpent Lantern. It is of course a McGuffin that doesn’t need to be written up. What I am wondering is what kind of adventures would you run with it? You know VIPER would be interested in it. You know some in VIPER would want it to continue to be lost. You know Dr. Destroyer might still be interested in obtaining its secrets. So, all that said what kind of globe spanning adventure would you involve the characters in with the Serpent Lantern as the main theme?

Re: Alien Wars Character Pack now in Online Store Of course I am gonna go right now and buy it, but I do hope the Xenomporphs are there....

Re: VIPER Plots Thanks for the reply. Actually I can use what you said. I am going to change some things and move it around, but this plot might see the light of day in my campaign.

I am creating a character for a Champions campaign. This character will have the ability, in a limited form, to take away another persons powers. All of them at once. He could not take away techological based powers, he could not take away magic, and he could not take away superskill. However, any mutants, radiation accidents, etc would loose all thier abilities. Drain, Suppress, transform?

Re: How useful would Ultimate Martial Arts for other Campaigns be? I have always considered that there were three core books. FRED, the Bestiary, and the Ultimate Martial Artist. Think of UMA as not so much martial arts, but as hand-to-hand fighting. There are a great many rules in UMA that have great use in campaigns that don't have anything to do with martial arts. What kind of fighting ability does that commando have...look in UMA. What kind of street fighting is there...look in UMA. Just look at the martial arts in FRED. Not all of them are what we commonly refer as martial arts. Several of them are fighting styles that would not commonly be but in the martial arts category. That said, how much use you would get out of UMA depends upon what kind of campaign you plan on running.

Re: Hero Designer files for Alien Wars? Nope, not that I have ever seen.

Re: Slade, time management, and you.... D&D, although a game I dislike, has taut me somethings. One of the things I really liked came out of a D&D DM's helper book called the "Book of Challenges." Basically what it said was that when your PCs are facing a villian with a great intelligence or tactics feel free to cheat. Cheat even if it is obvious. Maybe you, as the GM with the INT of 13, didn't plan on those three agents breaking in right then to confront the good guys or plan on a trap being right there, but the villain with the INT of 25 did. I will say this however, that this thread has given me a new respect for advantage trigger. Thinking about it now trigger is a great advantage for that villian that is expected the PCs at any moment

Re: Western / Steampunk Hero Idea Bouncing: "Bone Falls" First, let me tell you stop working on your setting and pick up Deadlands. You might just save yourself a lot of work. You will discover, once you get Deadlands, the most if not all of the things you listed exist in the setting. It also helps that the setting is very cohesive, well thought-out, and has a definte timeline that evolves over the books. Don't dismiss the Deadlands system either. I remember when I first heard about it I said now way. Like I said before though after 20+ years of playing HERO Deadlands is one of the very few things that I don't convert, but run using the original setting. Deadlands currently comes in three systems. Classic (the original system), GURPS (yes good and generic) Comparing GURPS Deadlands to the Classic Deadlands is much like comparing D&D to Fantay Hero. Yes, D&D (GURPS) gets the job done, but not nearly as well as Fantasy Hero. Savage Worlds. The system that was Deadlands ended up being drastically cut down and Savage Words was created. Deadlands Classic is still on for sale in PDFs and the occasional book is still floating around for sell, but the company no longer supports it. Let me again say, given the description of what you want you will waste you time if you don't pick up Deadlands.

Re: Question on a Villain Bonus. Like what was said above the "villain bonus" is basically a fudge factor to allow villians to have all the villainy good stuff they need to take on a bunch of heroes. One thing about creating villains. Villains aren't nasty because, they have more points, but villians are usually nasty because they break rules that the PCs can't. If you have 6 PCs hitting one villain with a 12d6 EB each it won't matter that the villain has 6 EB worth 12d6 each. He can still only hit once at the same level as the PCs. Take Dr. Destroyer from CKC. Yes, he is a nasty one and mean in a fight. However, what makes him nasty? Yes, he has bases, yes he has some cool equipment. What makes him so nasty is that while the PCs are throwing around 12-14d6EB the DR is throwing 16d6. While the PCs are getting hit their blast are hitting DR. D's armor-FF and bouncing off. Of course, it comes down to what kind of villian you are going for and what kind of encounter you want. Just remember a villain is far far far more than the sum of his points.