ned-kogar

Re: Nanotech / magical self-growing structure

Well, some interesting things have happened to Force Wall since 4th Edition - Barrier, by default, is now one way of making structures that can support weight - if it has PD - and are also, by default, rooted to the ground and permanent until destroyed. They can be bought as opaque, too. A good starting point, I'd say.

'Following its last instructions' doesn't really need intelligence in this case - it's just carrying out the intent of the character when the power was activated... unless the plants adapt to circumstance.

Personally, I think buying them as Charges would be the equivalent of independence, due to the permanent nature of Barrier constructs.

It would be nice if eg. a plant growing into a huge protective awning (in preparation for a storm) still offered some protection before it was fully grown - not sure how to do that... perhaps halve the Extra Time Limitation?

Ooh, and there's the 'Dismissable' adder in the APG, too.

And it's great that your son's making characters!

Ned

Re: Suppress Body with Invisible Effects

uoo?

It's more that I was worried about foci having Body based on the AP of the powers that focus provides, but I've just noticed the

'A Focus is destroyed when it loses all of its powers, or when any single attack against it does two times (2x) its PD/ED in BODY, at the GM’s option' rule, which helps a lot.

Ned

Re: Gravity powers

P.S. my preferred is still Density Increase UAA :p

Heh - feisty, this one! - I think the only problem with DI UAA is that, as it says under the power description, you can't grant the power without the +5 Str by any means.

So I'm with the TK brigade. Worth getting Affects Porous, perhaps, for strange waterspouts and flattenin fog. Area Of Effect One Hex, for starters? The limitation 'Only straight up or straight down' is worth -1, I reckon. You'll probably want reduced End on the whole thing too. What sort of Strength are you thinking? I imagine it'll be too pricey to fit comfortably into a multipower..

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the 'how can they resist the grab when going up?' concern - put it down to a special effects credit, let them have a fair chance to grab hold of something when appropriate, and find some balancing debit eg. non-restrainable fliers being able to add their flight to resist the 'grab' (using the Movement and Str rules in 6E2)...

Ned

Re: Suppress Body with Invisible Effects

I'm not so worried about the object being destroyed forever, as the APG states that, though crumbling to its component pieces at 0 Body, it instantly reassembles when the Suppress stops - I think the IPA: Fully Invisible (+1) covers the non-crumbling aspect nicely (ie. all the utitlity of the power, without the visible result).

The problem of fall-through floors and walls, etc (which falls outside what I was originally considering, so thanks for pointing it out) could be dealt with by adding something like: Only vs. devices with an operatable function (-1/2?).

This is a power for a sort of 'conceptual gremlin': things which have a mechanical / electrical / dynamic / operatable function cease to function when he turns on his Suppression field. Locks jam, cars fail to start, radios crackle into silence, lights blink out. A bed would not collapse, a ceiling wouldn't cave in, acid would not cease to burn, a sofa spring would not snap, etc. Hmm - it's harder to describe than I thought... does a door count as a machine?

Something like: Suppress 4d6 (standard effect: 12 points), Area Of Effect (4" Radius; +1), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1) (60 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), Custom Modifier (Only vs operatable inanimate objects; -1/2) 30pts, 6 End/phase

The Device Malfunction Table means that the Suppress could have a chance of some effect even before 0 Body, which I like.

[Hmm. Actually, Ex-machina might be a good model here]

A big question is: how to make it function vs appropriate foci....

Ned

Would Suppress Body with Invisible Effects vs Inanimate objects be a good way to model a power which stopped stuff functioning in a fundamental way?

Seems nice for preventing a car from doing anything, or a watch, but what about a door?

Thoughts, folk?

Ned

Re: Photographic Reflexes

though I haven't used it

I am intrigued by the 6th edition advanced player guilds solutions

There are suggestions for repricing skills (with a 'phantom value') to increase the Active Points when they're included in Frameworks or have Adjustment powers used on them. The whole book's worth a look, in my opinion.

Ned

Re: Photographic Reflexes

If this was for a PC, I think it would be much more fun to start with a relatively blank slate, and see them expand their capabilities in play. It would be nice double-edged motivation: I want to be able to fight like him, so I'd better go and fight him...

Obviously, Taskmaster can learn other people's styles from viewing footage of them - I'd set some kind of limit on this - only face-to-face observation / interaction can allow full mastery of the style.

Here are some other mechanisms to consider, in addition to those already suggested. Excuse the lack of costs/detail, I'm not near my books.

Absorption vs Hand to Hand Combat Attacks: points go to DCV and OCV: only vs Person who did damage (-1)

[this would be a character who learns best from his failures, but quickly adapts to them... each times he takes damage from an opponent, he learns to counter them]

Buying Strength (or HA), HKA, RKA, Blast with Variable Advantage: +1/2 max Advantage, limited to physical qualities of weapons (+3/4) - to cover most weapons he could carry.

Ambidextrous

Analyze Combat Technique

Penalty Skill levels vs Surprise Manouevres and to offset Unfamiliar Weapons (each only vs. people he's met/studied)

Shape Shift vs Sight and Touch groups; Imitation; Instant Change; Only to alter gait, fighting style, mannerisms (-2)

AND See the APG for an expanded version of Cramming and - even better - the expansion of Universal Translator into other 'Universals', including True Jack of All Trades..!

Ned

Re: Do you think this use of Personal Immunity is reasonable?

Personally, I think this is a fair logical extension of the Personal Immunity 'siblings, by nature of birth, are immune to each others powers' idea - but it's hard to say whether the power itself is abusive without actually seeing it written up.

As you're saying it's a Darkness or Change Environment, length of use and potential frequency of use would need balancing with combat effectiveness - eg. some side-effect or high End cost that compensated for high utility/effectiveness would make me more likely to allow the power.

I'm intrigued: What's the power? For some reason I'm imagining a UOO darkness vs Hearing Group, each member of the team disrupting communication, while still able to communicate with eachother.

Ned

Re: House Rules

Well, we'll be sticking with hexes, I think. Heck, there's still one on the front of the books...

Re: Hero In Two Pages - Complete

Thanks be for the stickying of this!

Re: How To Build: Mind Wipe

According to how Time Limit is defined you do need it. In Hero Designer Time Limit's definition is "The Time Limit Modifier allows a character to create an effect that lasts for a defined period of time." Since her power only lasts for five minutes of time for memories then it would need the Time Limit advantage. It all depends on how you would want to do it. Either build would be correct depending upon the GM. You'd be correct about it being a Minor Transform. I was thinking of how Transform used to work under prior editions.

So Zatanna speaks backwards, starts the power and the target will not remember anything that happens in the next five minutes? I think the OP wants more of a Men In Black style power that wipes the target's memory of anything that happened in the last five minutes.

Re: Embers of the Reich

Sounds like a great campaign - may I suggest you look at BPRD 1946 & BPRD 1947 for some plot, shape and mood-related clues, too?

Ned

Re: How To Build: Mind Wipe

The APG also expands on this topic under Psionic Surgery. It lists the removal of important facts and memories as a Major transfrom, rather than Severe... as you're not looking to remove all personality, just the last five minutes or so, this seems appropriate.

Ned

Re: Weapon that does knockback with no damage?

The weapon is a shoulder-mounted gun called a Kinetic Pulse Cannon' date=' and its main purpose is to essentially throw people and objects a fair distance. Actually getting hit by the kinetic blast shouldn't hurt much more than having a person throw you, although the landing could presumably cause injury, depending on what you hit.[/quote']

 

There've been lots of interesting thoughts on this so far, but can I just check: say there's a man standing in front of a plate glass window, and he gets hit with the Kinetic Pulse Cannon - is only he hit, and the only reason the window smashes is that he is thrown through it? Or is the window smashed regardless of whether he hits it? If aimed directly at the window, would it break it?

 

I guess I'm asking if it's a 'beam' that targets an individual, or a 'wave' that fans out from the cannon. And also whether it's a carefully calibrated, Stun Only, non-damaging to the environment weapon.

 

Ned

Re: Transmit Smell

Yes, I think Images vs Smell would be a sensible way to go for a man who could reproduce smells at will (my character would need a limitation to reflect that it's only things he's already ingested) - but now I'm intrigued to figure out what Transmit would do for each of the senses.

"This Sense Modifier allows a character to transmit information similar to that which he can perceive".

If you have Radio Reception/Transmit it allows you to use Hearing (and the Voice - a 'sense' that's part of the hearing group [6E2 p11]) via the medium of Radio. High Range Radio Reception/Transmit extends that, I believe, to the Sight Group, still via the Radio sense group.

So, should Transmit Smell allow you to transmit what you perceive through your other senses, via odour? I see a dangerous situation and put out a 'message' via Transmit Smell - because of the innate qualities of Smell/Taste group, this has limited range, but some staying power - someone with a suitable sense of smell could walk past and smell the warning later. By this token, normal human Smell/Taste has a 'sort of transmit' on it already (we emit scent and taste involuntarily), similar to Voice being a 'sort of transmit' on Hearing, so adding the full Transmit would perhaps be like a sentient's more sophisticated version of scent marking. This would be nearer to ShadowEater's pheromonal transmission of data.

What about Transmit on other senses?

Please note: I'm really interested in the possibilities that might be thrown up by discussion, rather than alternative methods by which Enhanced Senses could have been delineated. Obviously, not all Enhanced Sense Modifiers will be an easy fit for very sense group, and I'm not trying to pick holes.

Cheers,

Ned

I've a (low level) villain whose abilities centre around being able to reproduce effects of chemicals he's ingested (he suffers no damage as he ingests them) - so, if he drinks sulphuric acid, he can emit acidic sweat; if he ingests psychotropic drugs, his breath can can be used as a Con-based mental illusions... That sort of thing.

As I adapt him to 6E, it strikes me that adding Transmit to his Smell/Taste group might be an interesting little 'colour' power.

How do people think that would work?

Cheers,

Ned

Re: The HERO System Advanced Player's Guide

I hate to come across as dictatorial -- really all I'm trying to do is make sure that I don't miss out on any good suggestions! Sometimes the unfettered freedom of the Internet isn't the best way to go about these things' date=' so I try to guide the process a bit.[/quote']

 

Nope, not at all dictatorial - I was genuinely praising your calm, clearly stated approach to the forum, which I think extends to the company. Most dictators are capricious and inconsistent.

 

Re: The HERO System Advanced Player's Guide

There will be an APG2 in 2011' date=' but I guarantee you that if anyone starts a WDYWTS thread other than me, I will ignore it... particularly if they start it a year before I'm supposed to begin writing the book. When the time is right, I'll post a WDYWTS thread.[/quote']

 

Heh - I really like your imperturbable strictness Steve, here and in the Rules Questions. Always better for a fan-base to have clear guidelines and open communication, rather than mystery and fudge.

 

A second APG is an exciting prospect - the rationalisation of 6th Edition gives a really firm basis for tinkering.

Re: Hero System Books Have Way to many Typos

[Not to get too OT, but]

There's lots to love about Mongoose. Most fun roleplaying of the last year was a Traveller rules Dredd Hotdog Run - so different in style to Hero, combat-wise (quick, dirty, lots of post-rationalisation)... but the additional detail of character creation (as compared to GW and D20 Dredds) is what appealed to my Hero-loyal players. And the setting drew in a new player, who should be taking his first foray into Hero some time before Christmas...

Re: Hero System Books Have Way too many Hippos

Hero books, especially 6E, are among the most accurately, tightly written gaming books I've seen. If I had the time, I'd test the OP's complaint about inconsistencies when the stats are run through HD... maybe at the weekend.

To his credit, he loves the Hero System, so he must be a good'un when it comes down to it. He's just been lucky not to buy, say Mongoose's Strontium Dog (nice setting, some big typos...)

Re: Making Characters For Fun and Practice

In a superheroic game' date=' where the team might have a private jet or flying base anyway, it's not even that powerful - more like a flavor ability that sometimes comes in handy.[/quote']

 

Tell that to Bastion... I've just read the X-Men Second Coming storyline. Zoiks!

Re: What do you really think of Champions Online?

I almost never think of Champions Online at all.

Quantitative answer to a qualitative question. But still cute.

Re: The HERO System Advanced Player's Guide

I love this book. It throws up some lovely ways of nudging the system nearer to what our campaign's turned out to be. The Mental Powers ideas, in particular. Excellent work.

Re: Total Point Cost Guidelines for 80's supers

See, I reckon you could do a nice version of Moonknight or Boomerang (or even Nightcrawler) on 300 points... as long as I made sure to model their core powers first, and assumed some of those 'writer's fiat'/infrequently used powers were down to Power Skill usage.

I prefer making pared back characters and then, if they seem short of an ability from the comics, handing them some XP.

Ned

Re: Limitation: Increased Endurance Cost, Good or Bad Idea?

Sound advice given so far.

Placing Increased END on only, say, the upper half of your character's main attack powers is an alternative to relying on pushing.

Also, depending on the character concept, perhaps it's appropriate to represent his having to work hard in some other way - is it because he's half-undead? Strain of power-use could be done with Side Effects, perhaps reducing Str and/or Con: he needs energy to maintain his physical state, and starts to decay if too much is used elsewhere. Or Ego, if this half-undead chap is resisting a Psychological Complication relating to the need for flesh: the harder he works, the harder it gets for him to resist the urge.. for Brainzz. It's a different mechanic to END, but might be worth playing with depending on the character.

Even without characters who have a particular energy defecit, I really like END in my supers games (we even use Long Term Endurance, when the scenario suits it), but that's cos we like facing real world problems with superpowered individuals... eg. the players fly 400 miles to get to a fight... they're not going to be too fresh once they get there, but it's heroic for them to get stuck in, rather than rest a while. It also means that our electrical hero's absorption to END, or our psychic's use of illegal END-enhancing drugs, come into play an appropriate amount.

Ned