Tonio

Re: Decoupling Figured Characteristics

Re: Decoupling Figured Characteristics

Re: Decoupling Figured Characteristics

Re: More than just Uncontrolled...help please Summon was my first thought as well. On the other hand, is this really any better than plain old Persistent? Say, Armor, for example? If it's ALWAYS on, isn't that even better than being able to be turned on while KO'd or Stunned? If there are disadvantages to having it on (maybe it's Visible and would give the character away?), that's a different story... I can't think of why Armor would be a bad thing to have on in any situation, so I'd go with plain Armor, with the SFX that "it turns itself on whenever I need it". Maybe add Activation Roll if you want it to "forget" or fail to turn on at times. If it were Visible, I'd either do it as a -0 Limitation (since it's invisible when not needed), or plain old Visible at -1/4, then buy off the Limitation, with a Limitation on the buy-off "Only when Character is hit" (depending on setting and such, -1/4, or -0 (which would be the same as taking Visible at -0 to begin with!)).

Re: Discussion on costs of Characteristics

Re: Teleportation, Triggered Many, many thanks. I believe this works perfectly for what we want. I guess the character can still t-port mutliple times before attacking, moving, or whatever, but a) he'll be using extra END or Charges, and it's really trivial anyway, since he can't do anything between those t-ports. (Btw, did you edit your post before I replied? I coulda sworn I read "5ER pg. 20 has rules...". I was gonna say pg 20 took me to the Glossary, and that I'd found what you described on pg 360.)

Re: Decoupling Figured Characteristics It's not the actual coupling I'm opposed to, it's the default coupling enforcing a specific SFX. STR giving you PD, Leaping, Lifting, Damage, REC, and STUN is based on a specific SFX (physiological musculature). Other SFXs might couple stats differently (one based on mechanical servos might not give you REC or STUN, but give you DEX (or Lightning Reflexes) or SPD, for example). Others might not involve any coupling at all (an internal hydraulics system might give you added Lifting capacity, but none of the other abilities currently coupled with STR). Like all other powers, I feel this coupling should be left up to the character designer, hence there should be no Figureds; players should be free to buy their stats up or down as they wish without default freebies or limitations.

Re: Teleportation, Triggered Ok, so how would I build a power that would let me teleport (half, or full, whichever really works... preferably full, though), only during my Phase, but only once, and still allow me to take a full Phase's worth of actions? Basically, how can I make t-port be a Zero Phase Action? Alternatively, since this t-port will actually be quite limited (character can deploy one or more Images of himself, and can only t-port to switch with an Image), assuming I do allow it as an action that takes no time (or a zero phase action), this would allow him to t-port to an Image to avoid an attack without Aborting, right? Would this require a DEX roll as if he were holding an action?

If a character buys Teleportation, Trigger (auto-reset immediately, takes no time, "mental command"), can he now do a half move with t-port and still take an action that takes a full phase? What about a full move with t-port? What about multiple moves?

Re: Discussion on costs of Characteristics

Re: Whipping myself into shape That's especially true when dealing with "Cosmic" VPPs (those that don't require time nor a skill roll to change). In a regular VPP, a Charges limitation is actually limiting, since you might be caught w/o any charges, and would need to take time to change your powers, and might even fail at that.

Re: 1pt CSLs

Re: Discussion on costs of Characteristics When you say "transform", do you mean after buying it? Or do you mean "defined when bought, can't change afterwards"? I understood the latter when I read your description. The former would certainly help balance it, but seems odd, since it'd be the only Power with that ability. Regarding Power Frameworks... you can already put STR in a Multipower, it just has to have the No Figured Characteristics Limitation. Regarding splitting it into its components, removing figureds, and the complexity it adds... it's not really that much more complex. It certainly adds some complexity, in that to build a character with a concept of "I'm strong" you need to buy more Powers, but it reduces complexity in other ways. Like how to deal with a character who can lift a car, but can't punch harder than me. Or basically how to build tons of other "Strength" concepts that don't involve being more muscled (hydraulic lift style strength (high slow strength, low explosive, no figureds), auxiliary servo strength (low slow strength, high explosive strength costing no endurance, no PD, added REC), surrounded-by-kinetic-field strength (low slow strength, high explosive strength costing extra endurance, added PD, no added REC), etc.).

Re: Discussion on costs of Characteristics So your HA is STR that trades figureds, leaping, lifting, escaping grabs, resisting disarms, and mebbe other stuff I'm forgetting for being able to "spread" like an EB, except only for added OCV, not for area? Seems expensive! I can almost buy a 2pt CSL for each 5pts of regular STR just by trading off the figureds (-1/2, No Figured, is 1.67 pts per d6 of STR damage), if I buy back leaping and, say, PD, I can buy a 3pt CSL for each and still have some points left over. If I'm already raising all the figureds, I can reduce them (that is, buy less of them), and buy even more/better CSLs.

Re: Ranged Martial Arts and TK or Entangle It's just what I always thought. Well, ever since I asked here whether I could use a HTH MA with TK, and someone answered I could, as long as I got the TK Weapon Element for the MA, and pointed me to UMA, I think. It made sense to use hth since TK "maneuvers" are essentially hth, only done at range. Different from actual Ranged maneuvers (there's no range penalty, at least I think there isn't, you can grab, punch, etc.). Edit: Meh... there IS a range penalty. No clue why I thought there wasn't. I dunno, it just "feels" like you should be able to use HTH MA's with TK, but not Ranged MA's. Not sure I can explain why. =/

Re: Discussion on costs of Characteristics That still doesn't make both situations analogous, since EC gives you only points, while STR gives you points AND abilities (even if it now comes with the disadvantage that draining it also drains figureds). Another way to fix it would be having STR give you no figureds. Or eliminating the entire concept of Figured Characteristics. And splitting STR into its component abilities. Like, actually following HERO rules regarding "reasoning from effect", instead of paying points for SFX-based stats which give you a whole suite of abilities. "Pay for EB, get damage at range", "Pay for Aid, get a boost to a Power", "Pay for STR, get lifting capacity, hth damage, leaping, PD, etc...". Also fixes the contrived -1/2 pseudo-limitation on HA, hee hee. =)

Re: Discussion on costs of Characteristics

Re: Bow & Arrows separately.

Re: Double The Hero Excitement!

Re: Bow & Arrows separately. Which is why we need Slow STR (for lifting, etc.) and Quick/Explosive STR (for hitting, throwing arrows, etc.) instead of just one STR. This would also help mitigate -- Eep, wrong thread. Sowee!

Re: Ranged Martial Arts and TK or Entangle I thought you used HTH MAs (not Ranged) for use with TK... ?

Re: Negative CSLs Oops, my bad... it's the effect from the Confusion spell, but not the actual spell per se. It's actually a grenade that lets off a small cloud (1 hex area, at best... probably no area) of nanobots which invade the target's nervous system and puts him under an effect as described in d20's Confusion spell. (I hadda dig a bit for that... he actually said "If you've ever fought an Umber Hulk, well, that.") I'll check out your Gibbering Mouther write up. I'm sure at worst it'll shed some light on the issue. =)

Re: Negative CSLs Excellent, KS... that helps, a LOT. As an aside, the player just told me exactly what he wanted, initially (although he's now willing to modify it, since it'll probably be over 60APs). It's basically the Confusion spell from d20: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/confusion.htm

Re: Flash and AoE

Re: Adrenalin Based Perception Change Not at all: +2 SPD (20 Active Points), Only When Needed (-0), Real Points: 20.