DevoDog

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

CAG: Curse and growl

MAG: Moan and groan

CAM: Curse and growl and moan and groan

L-FOG T-FOOT W: Lead, follow, or get the flark out of the way.

"Zow!" A lame attack. Pulled from a D&D game when a cleric was going to turn undead. The player, to announce his attack, said "Zow!"

Re: My City of Heroes Character

While I don't have any big issues with frames, the problem is in the sizing of the frames.

The issue I have in the site is in the use of the background music. Why?

It's not a music site...no one is expecting the sound...and anyone who browses the site at work (and has speakers) will be frantically reaching for the volume control so that their co-workers don't realize they're goofing off.

Re: Game Maps and Counters Exchange

Oops, I forgot that you need to visit a campaign home page first (the ASP needs to know which site you're on).

Visit http://www.devodog.com/champions

Select a campaign from the list on the right

Once on a campaign home page, click the Resources link on the left

Re: Game Maps and Counters Exchange

I posted a template used for creating stand-up minis and a page of minis used in my game.

The artwork was using HeroMachine.

Initially I was printing directly onto posterboard and/or index cards. I realized that if I printed on mailing labels, I would get better quality and didn't have problems with the poster board jamming in my printer.

To get to the template and minis

Visit http://www.devodog.com/champions.

• Visit http://www.devodog.com/champions
  
• Select a campaign from the list on the right
  
• Click the Resources link while on the home page for a campaign
  

Re: Player-Built Characters...

When I first started playing Champs, we all pretty much created our own characters. However, at the time (1st Edition), Munchkining didn't really happen much.

In my last campaign, I had created characters for 3 of the players based on their inputs, two of the other players created their own characters.

I've never been much for min/maxing my creations, but one of the other players was. And, as it turned out, his character was immensly more effective than the others.

So, after our 2nd session, all of the characters were rebuilt. The "power" character was scaled down while the other characters were scaled up.

I think the problem lies in how different people create different characters. From a balance issue, I honestly thing you're better off having one person create ALL of the characters (heroes and villains) in a campaign.

Re: Multipower and Experience

 

IME, characters with MPP are more likely to add more slots than to up thier MPP. Thats the true danger of MPPs; characters can suddenly sprout entirely new abilities for a handfull of points.

 

I'm not sure whether it's stated in FrED, but in previous editions of Champions, it stated that characters can't buy any new powers without the express permission of the GM.

Of course, when I was playing Champions on a regular basis (way back in the early 80's), we didn't really use Multipowers. The reason for that was we didn't grasp the multiple-attack power multipowers (since there were very few examples of that in any of the Hero materials).

Of course, one way to counter that (allowing players to buy new powers without it causing major problems) would be to double the cost of any NEW power/skill that the character in his/her initial version.

Originally posted by Keneton

Devo, i hate to argue but the earlier editions of the rules never said this. As far as a GM putting his foot down, I would say this more reeks of d20 thinking and is not in fact genre at all. It is quite common for heroes to hold for whatever reason.

Keneton,

Revised (2nd edition), 4th printing, pg 51 below SPD chart talks about holding a phase. I did, however, misread it and realized that even if you hold a full phase, you can react first.

I do, however, like your example of PER rolls and agree with you on your comments about penalties when holding a phase. However, I do think there are some problem with holding a phase.

For example, holding your phase until just before your next phase so you can Haymaker an not be as vulnerable.

Holding your phase because you're planning to attack, but dodge because another villain attacks you instead.

And remember, you can't use a held phase to recover (which my original group didn't realize and abused quite a bit).

I think what you need to do is look at what the rules state (or stated in previous versions) about holding a phase.

The idea was, for example, I'm going to hold my phase to shoot if a villain comes around the corner. Or, I'm going to hold my phase and shoot at X-Villain if he moves toward the hostages.

If that event never occurred, then the character lost his phase.

I think that you, as a GM, need to put your foot down and if a character is holding his phase, you should make them state what/why they're holding the phase. Not just, because I don't know what I want to do yet and I want to see what the villains do.

I had a character in a campaign who had teleport through wiring. She also needed Clairsentience to see her destination.

Current Traveling: 10" Teleportation (Long Range 640"); Increased Range: ×64, +30; Limited Power (Only through wiring): Seriously, -½; Long Range: 640"; Long Range (miles): 0.79; Mass Multiplier: ×1, +0; Fixed Locations: 0; Floating Locations: 0

See Through Wiring: Clairsentience (Normal Sight); See: Present, +0; Dimensions: Current, +0; Range: 100"; Activation: 8-, -2; Limited Power (Only through wiring): Seriously, -½

The full character can be found at:

http://www.devodog.com/champions/default.asp?CampaignID=1

Choose the Heroes link then look at Mistress Volt.

The "Flight, Only when in contact with a surface" is a throwback to 1-3rd Editions of Champions.

In those, NCM was different for Flight than with Running. (Non-Combat flight was much faster than NCM Running.)

Because NCM is now constant for movement powers, I think that nowadays, it makes more sense for Running + Clinging (although that doesn't give you the ability to run across liquids).

But the extra knockback should help balance things out.

Originally posted by Farkling

I dunno. I picture EC's as being a cost break because of the the linked special effects...that's how it works in my head. In other words, everything is supposed to be a modification (modulation?) of the chosen form of energy expenditures. Weather witches, Iceman, Nuclearman, The Human Bomb... allowing powers that do NOT require inherent energy expenditure seems retro design concept to me. So I let people put what they please in an EC, and it costs END when it is put in there. They can proceed to buy it down, off, or persistant from there.

I tend to agree with Farkling on this one.

I've been playing the Hero system since 1st Edition of Champions. Talk about changes in EC's since then!

I tend to be of the mind-set that an EC is a control of some type of energy. So, things like EC: Android Body might be allowed (since it's simply control over a character's internet electronic/mechanical systems), I would disallow EC: Vampire Power or EC: Kryptonian Powers.

I don't agree with the new ruling on adjustment powers affecting all powers in an EC. Adjustment powers already have an option to affect all powers of a certain SFX.

I'll have to give some more consideration to allowing powers that don't normally cost END in an EC. Someone made the point that Armor is basically Force Field with advantages (0 END, Persistent, and Invisible). If you go back to 1-3 edition of Champions, END costs were higher and reduced END costs were much more expensive. So, Armor wasn't simply the same as a FF with those advantages.

More differences than I remember

Wow! A lot more differences than I remember.

Of course, mind you, this was over 20 years ago.

Minor correction though regarding 2nd Edition: some versions of 2nd edition had a color front cover. All 2nd editions that I've seen had a reference chart on the back while 1st edition had art.

Oh yeah, and I think 2nd edition was the first to have pictures of the sample villains.

Originally posted by GamePhil

Yeah, that's the one I'm talking about. Now I'm going to have to dig through all of these boxes of packed up stuff to PROVE YOU WRONG! Bwah ha ha haha ha!

 

Or, refresh my memory, as the case may be. At least life has purpose again...

Be sure to let me know. The other difference was in the artwork on the "blank" character sheets. They had two artists who did the sketches used on the 1st edition sheets while for 2nd edition, I believe that Mark Williams did all of the sketches.

Originally posted by GamePhil

I'm reasonably certain you're mistaken, there: Shrinking has always been 10 points/level. The change was that Growth and DI were, too, and gave more power than they do now (Growth increased Presence and Running, for example).

Nope, 1st Edition of Champions (poorly typeset, missing the page on SFX, and EC's costing a flat rate, give you 3 powers at 1/2 the points in the EC) had Shrinking at 5/level.

The only reason why it's so embedded in my brain is that one of my first characters was a shrinker.

Shrinking and EC's are (IIRC) the two "powers" that changed between 1st and 2nd editions.

Actually, Shrinking cost 5 pts/level in the 1st Edition of Champions. That was a real pain for me when my primary character had Shrinking at 0 END Cost and it doubled the cost.

Aside from the cost change, the only main difference I've seen (not counting 3rd edition which really changed Shrinking/Growth effects) is that Shrinking no longer cuts your ground movement in half.

While it does make sense, it simply meant that, for the most part, every shrinker had Flight.

Uptown

Originally posted by Worldmaker

I was using the term generically.

I was trying to be funny.

Uptown (capital U) is a neighborhood in Chicago. It doesn't have a great reputation. In fact, some of the newer condos going up in the area state that they are in Sheridan Park, which, AFAIK, isn't a real neighborhood in Chicago.

Fermilab Location

Originally posted by winterhawk

Correct, where Fermi first split the atom. On the subject of Fermi and radiation accidents, don't forget about the particle accelerator at FermiLab south of the city.

Fermilab is in the far West suburbs (Batavia). Approximately half-way between Elgin and Aurora. Oops, Barton (from Lombard) caught that one also.

Batavia also has curium (safe levels) in the town's water supply. Not enough to be dangerous, but I was able to read in the dark as a child without using an artificial light source.

I grew up in Batavia (far west Chicago burb), move to W Trenton NJ for 2 months, then to Naperville (west Chicago burb), northern Japan, Germany, Arlington Heights (nw Chicago burb), then into the city itself (Uptown/Ravenswood areas).

Originally posted by Worldmaker

Not that the public would turn their backs on Reed Richards in favor of Spider-Man, but the feeling would be that Spider-Man is a regular guy from the neighborhood, while Richards is part of the uptown artsy-fartsy crowd.

You obviously aren't familiar with Uptown.

2nd vs 3rd Editions

For the most part, the rules in 2nd and 3rd editions of Champions are identical.

Depending on the version of 3rd edition, you might get the sample adventures.

Primary differences:

2nd Edition Shrinking/Growth: Affect DCV

3rd Edition Shrinking/Growth: Affect range modifiers

3rd Edition Elemental Controls: Costs calculated as per BBB & Fred

2nd Edition Elemental Controls: Costs confusing. Should be the same as 3rd edition + but wasn't clear.

Thanks & Updates

tenebre & RedMenace,

Thanks for the kind words about the campaign hosting site.

I have a couple of business trips and a move to a new apartment next month.

After that, I may be able to spend some time adding additional features (such as being able to upload other files and link them to content on the site).

Luckily, the site hasn't "crashed" in awhile. I've also figured out what causes some of the "crashes" (technically, it's not a crash...it's an issue of opening the database too frequently...a setting in IIS which I know about, but would need to contact my web host if it keeps causing problems).