Tonio

Re: It's Spooky Around here True, of course. My reasoning stemmed from a faulty understanding of Extra Time as applied to Constant powers. I understand now that Extra Time normally applied to Constant powers (that is, w/o the "Only To Activate" modifier) makes them take that long between "activations". So... 0 END, Persistent, AOE, Always On, No Range, Extra Time. I'd still go the Transform way. Seems more elegant (weird, I know... Transform... elegant?), and goes right to the point (Drain PRE/EGO has other side effects you might not want). What with Mental Transforms and Partial Transforms you get exactly what you want... a power that will eventuall turn you into a coward who won't even dare go out of his house cuz the outside world's too freaky and scary, but will get you there incrementally, first making you somewhat freaked out and scared, then maybe a little bit paranoid to boot, etc.

Re: It's Spooky Around here You could have the effect not be continuous or persistent, but be No Conscious Control (that is, the Nightmare can't choose when to use it). That, plus having the power draw END from an END battery with just enough END in it for one use, that takes a whole day to get back to full, would, I believe, simulate a power that goes off every day. Since you'd be building it as an AOE, No Range, I'd rule that BOECV, Mental Def Applies would be a Limitation; at best a -0 Limitation, since Mental Def is probably more common than Power Def. Having it be based on ECV won't make it easier to hit, since it's AOE anyway, so you're not really gaining anything. Depending on how you want it to work, you might also consider a Major Transform to give people in the area a Psych Lim: Freaked Out, Afraid, etc. Use the "Partial Transform" advantage. That'd give you a Cosmetic Transform, followed by a Minor one, and finally a Major one, as you do more "BODY" (well, EGO in this case, since it'd be a Mental Transform) to the target, making them more Freaked Out and Afraid. Have the Transform heal normally, and once they leave the area, they'll start healing back the "damage" and go back to normal after a while. Hm, the more I think about that solution, the more I like it!

Re: Information on incoming attacks I've always wondered about that... what if I want a power that can go against either PD or ED? Of course, a Multipower can cover that... but that might be awkward: I might want the power to be part of an EC, for example.

Re: Would this require shapeshift Hrmph... I've thought this over... I've decided I would allow this, but only as part of a whole. That is, the SFX for your linked Shrinking and Flight is "turns into a hawk". I'd still be very wary of it, and if it's used for identity concealment, or to "hide" in plain sight, too much, I'd have the character pay for a linked Shape Shift as well... or I'd rule that the character is recognizable as himself (rather than as a random hawk) upon closer inspection (anything more than a cursory glance, really). Why? Well, maybe because the hawk still has the character's features/colors/whatever, or maybe because "everybody knows Hawkman turns into a hawk with golden feathers on his head" (especially if the character has a Public ID), or whatever, would depend on many factors. I don't really "like" it, and were I building the character, I'd include the Shape Shift in the first place. Oh, btw... in case this post sounds like "ok, I've decided to allow you to do it that way"... that's not what I'm trying to say, at all! I hope I'm not coming through as being that arrogant. I'm saying I've changed my point of view and would run my game similarly to how you'd run yours in this respect.

Re: Would this require shapeshift What bothers me about this is that given this reasoning, a character should pay 0 points for the power to Shape Shift into a Hawk. I don't believe getting shooed away in some restricted settings (where you can simply go back to human form and stop from being shooed away), being noticed as out of place (where you'd either also be noticed in human form, or could avoid being noticed by going human form), and Sean's example (which I disagree with... I'd think a talking hawk would draw more attention than a regular human being) outweigh the benefits of being a hawk, unless that hawk you look like is immediately recognizable as "you" in any, or at least most settings. Otherwise, you're comparing minor inconveniences and the power to conceal your identity (stealth, concealment, etc).

Re: Must-have books? Oh, I see... not all are that expensive! Got the Bestiary, FH, and TA ones, yay! =)

Re: Would this require shapeshift Why? Is it because Shrinking is already changing your size, so changing shape is a short jump? Is it because you consider it less useful to look like a bird than someone else? Is it because you consider the benefits of looking like a bird to be balanced with its limitations, and not so for looking like someone else? (These aren't meant to be sarcastic, facetious questions, but honest ones... sorry if it seems otherwise.)

Re: Must-have books? Makes sense, yah. =) Still, the value (for me) is substantially less than the cost; I don't mind adding the ones I'd use by hand. This is certainly a case where YMMV.

Re: How do i introduce new plyaer? I think that technically speaking, you CAN put it on your friend's machine, but only for your exclusive use (that is, your friend can't use it). Yah, more of a nitpick, but useful to know if you went to your friend's house, forgot your laptop... you can download it, install it on his computer, use it, then remove it before heading back home. Also, you can install it to a removable USB drive (aka pen drive) and run it from there... which allows you to carry HD everywhere, w00t! (Computers where you run it need to have Java installed, but most of them have it already, plus you can carry the Java installer on your USB drive anyway!)

Re: Would this require shapeshift Right, but in no case does the change allow for anything other than maybe a justification for DF. Having your arms turn into feathered wings doesn't give you any other ability. It doesn't let you pass as a bird, doesn't make you more difficult to spot, etc. I concur with Utech. "Turning into a hawk" is fine as an SFX for Shrinking, as long as you understand it won't fool anybody, ever, by itself. You're no more likely to fool someone into thinking you're a bird than someone who bought their Shrinking as "Turns into a breadbox" is, just by using your Shrinking power. Problem is, how, exactly, do you define the SFX to explain this? How does a person with Shrinking (SFX: turns into a haw) look different from someone with Shape Shift (into hawk)? The big difference between turning as a hawk as SFX for Shrinking and having big feathered wings as SFX for Flight is that someone else looking at you will think you're something else if you look like a hawk. There's a concealment component (as someone else mentioned). Giving someone a +3 on their Disguise Skill when used to Disguise themselves as a hawk when using Shrinking defined as "turns into a hawk" is fine, it's a minor effect. Having someone actually turn into a hawk (so that no Disguise roll is needed, etc.) is a major effect, in the province of Shape Shift. I still insist SFX's of powers should not duplicate effects of other Powers. Bringing up the FF/DS thing again... someone said that the SFX for the FF might make it LOOK like I have a DS, but I won't hurt anybody because I didn't buy the DS. I think I didn't make my point clear. Having "turns into a hawk" as SFX for Shrinking effectively means that your SFX for Shrinking is Shape Shifting into a hawk. Your SFX is another Power. If I can do that, what's to stop me as defining the SFX of a power (FF) as being another power (EB, DS)?

Re: Must-have books? Thank you all. I just bought a huge batch of books based on your suggestions. Huge. Edit: I didn't buy any HD packs, though. Paying more for a pack than what I paid for the program, nearly as much as I'm paying for the book, felt kinda excessive. Hell, the Grimoire packs cost more than the book themselves...

Re: Would this require shapeshift Neither Force Field nor Shape Shift nor Shrinking are Opaque (in fact, the only mention of Opaque in the whole book is regarding Force Wall). Neither includes, in its description, the power to change your shape. How is it, then, that you'll accept one as turning you into something else, but not the other? Why is the change from "Person" to "Bird" accepted when it's tacked on to the change from "Big" to "Small" in Shrinking, while the change from "Human" to "Orc" (as an example) is not accepted when it's tacked on to the change from "Unarmored" to "Armored" in Force Field? I'd say both should be equally valid. Either you (generic "you") allow SFXs to change your outward appearance, and if so, to what degree (believability), or you don't. Maybe both examples above are valid, only nobody would really mistake the small bird for an actual bird (just looks like a small human with bird wings and a beak), and nobody would mistake the wizard for an Orc (just looks like a human with a translucent image of an Orc around him). Or maybe neither is, and you'd need Shape Shift for the former, Images for the latter. Or maybe both are completely valid, and Shape Shift's only use would be with the Imitation Adder. It just seems to me that allowing one power (Shrinking) to change your shape (when it's not included in the Power's description) while not allowing another (say, Force Field) is inconsistent, especially since there can be SFX that really DO work. For example, a Force Field (or, if you wish, nonpersistent, noninvisible Armor or PD/ED/Damage Resistance) based power called "Orcskin" which makes your skin thick and leather, like that of an Orc, which makes you look like one.

Re: Must-have books? Haven't found ANY hobby stores in my area (Puerto Rico) that carry HERO books, sadly.

Re: Must-have books? I'm not much interested in particular worlds/settings, apart from what it might offer for a generic or custom world/setting (that is, equipment, monsters, adventure seeds/ideas, etc.). Also not interested in system conversions or ports. We haven't used a pre-built game setting in ages; we pretty much roll our own. I'm therefore not really interested in rules or guidelines to make it easier to move from D&D to HERO (I don't particularly like the system, even if it does have a special place in my heart), especially since I'm already very familiar with the HERO system (except it's limited to superhero campaigns). This is all excellent info, guys... many thanks! Regarding KS's site... it's one of the main reasons I decided to do this. Question: Am I understand this correctly? If I get TA and FH, the Equipment Guide doesn't offer me any more equipment appropriate to a FH game? Is it simply a collection of items from other books? (Not that that's a bad thing, mind you... just checking.)

Re: Must-have books? Thanks, this is precisely what I was looking for! Yes, I DO own HD, and I do believe it's the best $25 ever spent on gaming. Ever. Really. Three questions: 1) HD Packs... how do those work, exactly? Do I get a bunch of prefabs? A bunch of templates? A bunch of characters? 2) What's The Valdorian Age? Another FH setting? A "module" for TA? 3) Do FH, TA, and the Equipment Guide list prices (in money) for equipment, or something of the sort? I'm really quite bad at deciding how much things should cost, which is why I like long lists of equipment with stats and prices (also why I tend to buy big batches of books!).

Longtime D&D player (way back since Basic), long (but not as long) time Champions player, wanting to move from D&D to FH... which books are must-haves, which are nice-to-haves, etc? I assume FH is a must-have, of course... but what about the Grimoires? Equipment books? Bestiaries? A very general list with very short descriptions of what each book offers would be great. =)

Re: Would this require shapeshift Right, Shrinking also says nothing about obscuring your form, so it runs into the same problem as the FF with SFX: Tall Russian Man. All Shrinking should do (apart from some minor effects from SFX) is change your size (and all that's associated with that, such as DCV bonuses, etc). Turning into a hawk is not a "minor effect", since it's THE base effect of another power. Being surrounded by a vaguely hawklike aura, or turning into a vaguely hawklike form of yourself, would be minor effects. But turning into an actual hawk, even if only with respect to Sight, is the province of Shape Shift, and shouldn't be given out "for free" as SFX. I'd rule that giving even cursory glancers the impression of a "hawk" without even a Disguise roll is more than minor.

Re: Would this require shapeshift Isn't there a rule somewhere that SFX's can't (shouldn't?) duplicate other Powers' effects? If so, wouldn't Shrinking with SFX: Becomes a Hawk have SFX that duplicates Shape Shift? I don't think anybody here is arguing that Shape Shift can't be used to make you look like a hawk; I think we all agree that's part of its basic usage. The question is whether it's appropriate to have "Becomes a Hawk" as appropriate SFX for Shrinking, right? If I can have Shrinking with an SFX that duplicates Shape Shift, what stops me from having a FF with SFX that duplicates a Damage Shield Energy Blast (not a stretch of the imagination, clearly!)?

Re: Minotaur Racial Package Just checked out the updated Package... Seems kinda expensive; I think you can leave out the Sense part; it'd give Minotaurs a less immediate answer (they'd have to stop and "figure out" the way out, rather than immediately knowing where to go). Also, why Tracking, and why Discriminatory (just asking what your rationale was, not arguing against)? Maybe you can leave out Increased Arc of Perception; Minotaurs would need to turn full circle, checking each direction... would be more of a "Ok, this looks like the way out" rather than a "The way out is thatta way". Would be cheaper, and still have the right feel, I think.

Re: Minotaur Racial Package I think both versions "work", if only for different campaigns. A more realistic campaign, where Minotaurs aren't really mystical cross-breeds between men and cows, but rather creatures with bovine ancestry that evolved into intelligent humanoids, giving them Bump Of Direction + Reputation: Maze-Proof would fit the bill. On the other hand, on a more fantastic campaign, where Minotaurs were created by the Gods (or by powerful Wizards), having them be naturally (magically?) immune to mazes, an ability given to them by their creator(s), can be appropriate. I didn't mean to imply Minotaurs should have either of those, just to point out that Bump Of Direction does not make you literally Maze-proof. =)

Re: Information on incoming attacks Nah, it makes perfect sense. I was just wondering whether there was a rule regarding this, like using something like Analyze: Superpowers or something along those lines. I do think, though, that once you're hit with the power, you should at the very least have a good idea of what you'd need to defend against it. Else, it just feels like "cheating" by the power owner. GM: "You get hit by a big rock [*throws some dice behind a screen, does some math*]... you take 10 STUN. Player: "Ok, I put up my PD-only Force Field". GM: "You get hit by another big rock [*roll, math*]... you take 12 STUN." Player: "WTH..." GM: "Ha ha, you got fooled by the villain, it's really an EB vs ED with the SFX that it looks like a big rock but it's really a blob of plasma." The Player should know he just got affected by an Energy power, and whether his defenses stopped any of it (i.e. whether it's NND), and if they didn't, how he could avoid it (or else we can get "Well how was I supposed to know grabbing my left knee while singing the Star Spangled Banner would block the plasma-blob-that-looks-like-a-big-rock???"). Ok, so I deliberately picked a nonsensical combination of powers and SFXs. But I think the point still stands.

How much information do I, as a player, have on incoming attacks by NPCs, besides the obvious? Specifically, do I know which defense applies? Sometimes it's obvious (a guy comes at you with a sword, it's probably rPD), but sometimes it's not (Big Bad Villain shoots a ray of bluish energy at you... could be ED (energy blast), could be rED (RKA vs ED), could be PD ("force" blast), could be PowDef (SFX for a Ranged Drain)). Should the GM let the player know? Let's say that on a Segment where I don't have a Phase a bad guy shoots me with a power. I want to Abort to a defensive action. Should I put up my high PD force field? Should I throw down my high ED force wall? Should I Dive For Cover? Is it a gamble, or do I have a way of knowing, besides a description of the SFX?

Re: The cost of killing damage Without having read the book, or really any substantial amount of material on the matter, I'd say the expected outcome as pertains to decision taking would also depend on how risk-adverse the decision maker is. An extremely risk-adverse decision maker would assume max damage on a highly variable attack (like KA), and average damage on a more standardized damage attack (like EB). A risk-taker would do the opposite and would assume minimum damage on the KA. Both positions, and all those between, are equally viable, as long as you're consistent with your risk-adversity (made up word, I think).

Re: EC's and Linked Powers Sean, my point about saving more points wasn't that it was wrong in any way (which is what I meant by "Which is not a bad thing (it IS an EC after all)"), but about how I was receiving a substantial additional benefit from a Limitation. I really like your proposed solution, though. If I understand it correctly, you're saying that "Powers bought in a single EC slot are considered mutually linked and must be used proportionately. They can't take the Linked Limitation to reflect this."

Re: EC's and Linked Powers But the rules allow what you're describing! (Well, not really, since you can stick plain stats in an EC... but call 'em Aids with standard effect and 0 END.) I can have a bunch of those in an EC (Stone Body Powers), each of them linked to Shape Shift (which would be outside the EC). Powers in Power Frameworks can be Linked, just not to each other, unless they share a slot, which they can only do if they're Linked to each other. Which is what bothers me. For example, this is legal: 20 Radiation Control: Elemental Control, 40-point powers 20 1) Irradiate: Energy Blast 4d6, No Normal Defense ([standard]; Defense is LS: Safe in High Radiation; +1) (40 Active Points) 17 2) Radiation Field: (Total: 40 Active Cost, 33 Real Cost) Force Field (10 PD/10 ED) (Real Cost: 20) plus Energy Blast 1 1/2d6, Damage Shield (+1/2), Continuous (+1) (20 Active Points); Linked (Force Field; -1/2) (Real Cost: 13) So is this: 20 Protective Radiation Field: Force Field (10 PD/10 ED) 20 Radiation Control: Elemental Control, 40-point powers 20 1) Irradiate: Energy Blast 4d6, No Normal Defense ([standard]; Defense is LS: Safe in High Radiation; +1) (40 Active Points) 18 2) Harmful Radiation Field: Energy Blast 3d6+1, Damage Shield (+1/2), Continuous (+1) (42 Active Points); Linked (Protective Radiation Field; -1/4) But this is not: 20 Radiation Control: Elemental Control, 40-point powers 20 1) Irradiate: Energy Blast 4d6, No Normal Defense ([standard]; Defense is LS: Safe in High Radiation; +1) (40 Active Points) 20 2) Radiation Field: (Total: 40 Active Cost, 40 Real Cost) Force Field (10 PD/10 ED) (Real Cost: 20) plus Energy Blast 1 1/2d6, Damage Shield (+1/2), Continuous (+1) (20 Active Points) (Real Cost: 20) since the two powers in the 2nd slot in the EC aren't Linked to each other. With all three constructs, I can: 1) put up a FF, 2) shoot NND EBs, 3) do both simultaneously. With the first and second ones, I can, additionally set up a DS, but only if my FF is up. With the last one, I would (if it were a legal construct) be able to, additionally, set up a DS, whether my FF is up or not. Why is the third one not legal? (Because the rules say so... I know ... but what was the reasoning behind this rule?) I've also considered allowing MPs in ECs, although I really haven't thought it all out. But, for example, given an EC based on, I dunno, Force (not as in Jedi) Manipulation, I could want an EB vs PD, a Force Wall, and a Force Field. But I might want to be able to vary the PD and ED in the FF. So I could want, say: 20 Variable Force Field: Multipower, 20-point reserve 4m 1) Force Field (20 PD) (20 Active Points) 2 4m 2) Force Field (20 ED) (20 Active Points) 2 Only it's really more like a single power with some sort of "Variable Effect" advantage. So it really should fit into the EC.