Rockhoof

The simplest formula is

3d6+OCV >= 10+DCV

That's it, that's the whole thing.  Honestly, I just add 10 to everyone and everything's DCV and then it's just a 'roll to hit' mechanic with no math except one easy addition to a 3d6 roll, which is bog standard RPG mechanic stuff.  Couldn't be easier.

YVW!

Got a request for something slightly more complicated over on the G+ community.  The result is a reduction to 4 cards, but more stats.https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6c9Bl1d9QMGejRKNWNyajBoTE0&authuser=0

Most minor NPCs are on the field for only a few minutes/rounds, so I figure they should be substantially simpler than the PCs, no point in making them overly complicated. They're simplified, one Characteristic, OCV/DCV merged into CV, &ct.

Enjoy!

Hero System 6th - NPC Cards.pdf

Ugh. Bummer that I was totally out of the loop for that. Ah well, I have (multiple) backups of my stuff,it's just nice to know that I can re-download stuff as and if I need to.

I'd contact hero staff, they should have a record of your purchases.

Speaking of, I need to do that too, I don't have dl links for my 6e1, 6e2 and APG books anymore. Thanks for reminding me!

Purchase followers, OINormalID.

Everything else is just an SFX of your armor/whatever: Restrainable, OIHID, Focus, Extra Time (for 'assembling'), Unified Power (per follower), Individually Targetable, anything else that might make sense.

I've used thermite, I'd go with 12 segments.

Plus, it avoids postulating a speed for it, neatly avoiding the cut of Occam's ever-sharp blade.

Re: Thoughts on Damage Negation (6e)

Pardon my ignorance, but I don't have the 6E book and I'm simply curious.

 

What exactly is Damage Negation supposed to represent that wasn't already being done by other Defensive powers?

It models the ability to completely ignore certain levels of damage. Give a tank 6DN - only vs. small arms. Also included is the ability to create a target that's easy to *hit* but hard to *hurt*.

Re: 6E Mess

Problem #3: Multiform is also out, because she retains her original personality, which means, rules as written, this is also illegal.

Your interpretation is incorrect. One of the examples given is:

...a character whose suit of armor can “reconfigure” itself into many different types of armor;

No change in personality is required to use multiform. It is a sufficient condition to rationalize the use of multiform, but it is not a necessary one.

Re: Thoughts on Damage Negation (6e)

My solution to the "What dice are negated?" question is always the same whenever this style of mechanic comes up in gameplay:

"What dice are closest to you?"

Re: Haymaker a PRE attack?

I like the PRE attack rules. I'm sure there's a better way to do them, but they're good enough to work.

Then again, I'm also a big fan of 4e's Skill Challenge mechanic. YMMV

Re: Haymaker a PRE attack?

Haymaker-ing a PRE attack? Easy, using a power stunt to change your Blast into an aura, maximizing your location, perfectly tailoring your speech to the specific circumstances, managing a triple-entendre, and executing the most dramatic gesture you can come up with.

Epic Villains should do it all the time, heroes should do it when it really, really counts.

Re: Blogs and PodCasts

@Mostlyjoe: Wow, it was listening to your podcast that inspired me to go looking for more. I had no idea you lurked on these forums too. I'm listening to your interview with Steve as I type!

@Eosin: Perfect! You've got one more lurker to your blog, and I promise I'll post on it too.

[Edit: Eosin: your RSS feed does not include a feed name. In Google Reader, the link http://pencil-pushers.net/?feed=rss2 comes across with Title Unknown]

Not entirely sure where to put this question, but since this forum is HERO System Discussion, that seems as good as any other. I'm looking for blogs to add to my RSS reader and podcasts to add to iTunes with an emphasis on the HERO System. My Google-fu has turned up Meanwhile Gaming, but not much else. What do you guys read/follow?

Re: Attacks based on Presence (a.k.a. "The Underdog Effect")

My thoughts:

AoE Aid plus Linked AoE Drain.

You want two separate effects from one action, Linked is the way to go. The advantage to Selective in either case is obvious in this situation, no fudging needed.

Re: How to Simulate: Martial Arts Masters NND attacks?

The only problem I see with that, is that if ALL of Master Po's attacks are NND (Kung Fu), he can't do anything against another practitioner of Kung Fu. Other than that, NND is one of the best ways to handle just the situation you find yourself in.

Re: When he bleeds, he bleeds vermin

Absorbtion -> Summon/Change Environment? The more he gets hit, the more vermin come out.

Re: teleporter attacking fliers

You Almost Didn't See That! EB: Xd6 SFX: Character lays the smackdown by quickly teleporting to the target, punching their lights out and 'porting back.

Thought You Could Run, Didn't You? Stretching X", Does Not Cross Intervening Space SFX Same as above.

Why complicate things?

Braincraft said it best at the bottom of the first page: "I notice that for a lot of people, when adjudicating game mechanics, never ask themselves if their efforts are making the game more fun. The answer is, all too often, no. Is there really, really a good reason for adding tons of new, specific mechanics that may interact in unforseen ways with the rest of the engine, simply for 'realism'? (And I hasten to point out that what is being proposed here isn't actually realistic in any case. No, I'm not talking about the inherent lunacy in any serious discussion of teleporting martial artists, either.)"

Re: Ghosts

I'd make the pigeon's OIF.

Have you ever tried to catch a pigeon?

Re: Ghosts

Speaking to ghosts is all SFX. Figure out what you want the character to do then build from there, Spence is exactly right.

Some examples:

Deduction; SFX: You can catch a glimpse of what happened at a particular location,

Science: Chemistry; SFX: Your great, late grandfather was a Nobel Prize-winning chemist, he guides you through your experiments.

Knowledge Skill: City of Gotham; SFX: You have a rapport with several of the city's resident ghosts, whom you can freely call upon and ask for information.

Contact could be used with a ghost SFX, and with a bit of stretching, so could almost any power.

Re: How do you visualize combat?

IMO this is a failure of imagination. Any attack is a co-operative act between attaccker and defender. DCV is an abstraction of all the things a defender can do to avoid giving the attacker what he wants.

Re: Balancing various challenges.

Ahhh, I have a better understanding now. Thank you for your patience.

Nolgroth: Great idea on Teamwork and Coordinated Attacks, thank you.

Sbarron: I'm purposefully having my PCs spend points for all their gear and gadgets to prevent exactly that. Gadget-creep is insidious.

Mike W: That's the insight I was missing, thank you. I'll be taking a close look at the DCs my PCs come up with.

A follow-up question if I may, are there any rules of thumb or mathematical breakdowns of defenses compared to attacks? Things make much more sense to me when I can see the underlying math and tbh, I haven't had the time to do it myself.

Re: Internet themed gadgets

One more:

Black Magic: VPP (only affects computers -1) (Player has no conscious control over power selection -2) (Player has no conscious control over powers -1) (Invisible Power Effects +1) (Cosmic +2)

"You don't know what you did, or how you did it, but you did something, somewhere to someone."

Re: Internet themed gadgets

You've Got Mail!: Entangle, NND (Defense is accessing your mail server and reading one new email).

Backscatter: EB, Indirect, only fires behind the PC.

Eternal September: Drain INT linked with Drain Computer Programming linked with Drain KS(Internet Etiquette).

Alice and Bob: Telepathy (SFX is summoning Alice and Bob at the two locations that wish to communicate; Alice is chatty, Bob is taciturn)

AOHell: EDM From any point on this dimension to one point on another dimension (Hell's 9,999,999th level).

Banana Problem: Major Transform (Into character who must repeat the last action taken over and over and over); Heals Normally.

I'm starting up a new campaign and have never played in the Hero System before. I've got most of the basics covered, but am looking for some advice on differing types of challenges to face my PCs with.

The rules book is a great help when trying to balance PCs against each other, but how do I go about balancing their encounters? What should I be doing if I want to throw a horde of minions at them? How many points should a 5 person goon-squad be built upon? How many points should I use to build an end of scenario bad guy? What about a mixed group of goons and BBEGs? Are there any rules of thumb to use?

Assume 2 brand new PCs in a medium-future scifi setting, built on 200+150 pts. with an AP limit of 50.