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Re: fair cost for strength that isn't strong

Re: fair cost for strength that isn't strong I think by definition, a rear naked choke is not a NND attack. Because with a rear naked choke, if you squeeze hard enough, you can crush the throat or tear the head off. It therefore is an attack that can do Body damage, and can not be an NND. I'd argue that "Choke Hold" is a special move that prevents that additional damage from being possible, and is therefore not the same as the rear naked choke, or whatever choke-hold you want to simulate from the real world. The NND Choke-Hold from Hero is probably better defined as some sort of nerve or airway "pinch," that can only result in unconciousness (unless held long enough to switch to the drowning rules). I'm not aware of any such moves in the RW, but such things are not unheard of in the fictional subject matter Hero is attempting to emulate. I've never had a problem with how Choke-hold operates in any of my games. But if its a problem for Ki-rin because of how RW chokes differ from Hero's Choke-hold, I think he might benefit to consider these distinctions.

Re: The Ten Things I Love About 6e and the Ten Things I hate about 6e

Re: The Ten Things I Love About 6e and the Ten Things I hate about 6e

Re: Hero 5 and Marvel Continuity Mattingly just posted this in NGD, but the Marvel and Italy combination was just too to let it languish there...

Re: What's a good introductory adventure? I second this. And I don't even think you really need an actual "converted" version to run it. Its easy enough to stat up some basic lizard men, spiders, kobolds, goblins, etc. The story is system neutral, so just wing the details and go...

Re: District 9 District 9 is the movie that Blomkamp and Jackson made instead of Halo. I'm hoping the success of District 9 helps get Halo made. And I'll be surprised if District 9 doesn't get a sequal now, too. My wife also complained about plot holes, but I assured her that the sequal will make everything clear. {crossing fingers} As a teaser, if you haven't seen it, here is the original short by the director that impressed Jackson enough to get District 9 made... Alive in Joberg

Re: In Character: A Critical and Unauthorized Look at Disadvantages ...

Re: How much should strength cost?

Re: How much should strength cost? You have to look at the context under which the rules were put into place. When they were first created, ECs were basically intended to encourage players to create characters with unified special effects, like Iceman or the Human Torch. But today, we have a much more developed sense for character creation than we did back in the 80s. As a result, we're able to come up with reasons to incorporate these power frameworks into almost every build. But there are still legacy problems because STR is cheap, ECs and MPs make certain builds cheap, and not all characters can equally take advantage of those point savings. As you say, there is nothing to stop a EB from buying a 60 STR. Nothing except that it might not be appropriate for the character concept. While flying energy-blasting bricks might be a staple in the genre, flying EBs that do not have 60 STR are too. Generally, between characters of equal ability, one build should not be more "cost effective" than the other. But one is much more cost effective than the other, simply because the game provides point breaks for characters that utilize power frameworks and high STR. I don't think that should be the case, and it looks like some of this will be addressed in the 6th Ed. Lastly, I think the drawbacks on ECs and MPs are not nearly enough to make up for the point savings. As evidence, look at how many players choose to use these frameworks for their characters vs. those that don't. Drain is just not a common enough or powerful enough power to discourage a player from saving 60 pts for the same basic build. Not even close.

Re: My players have become villians Thread necromancy aside, there is a lot of good stuff to be learned from this thread. For GMs and players alike. Two thumbs up! :thumbup:

Re: Jason Voorhees I realize its a Friday the 13th movie, so its not like there is too much surprise in what happens. However, might a spoiler tag be appropriate somewhere near the description of the new movie?

Re: spells and active cost

Re: spells and active cost Because the power of the Dark Crystal (OAF) focuses the magical energies, making them easier to control? I don't necessarily agree with his take on magic, but its easy enough to explain this stuff away. As for the OP, maybe you can just create your own system for calculating Mana Use and RSR for your game. Something like... Mana Use/RSR Modifier For this magic system, calculate Mana Use/RSR normally. Then, take the result and apply it to the following chart... Revised Mana Use/RSR Modifier If Limitations = 0.00 - 1.0, then Normal Mana Use/RSR Modifier * 1.00 If Limitations = 1.25 - 2.0, then Normal Mana Use/RSR Modifier * 0.75 If Limitations = 2.25 - 3.0, then Normal Mana Use/RSR Modifier * 0.50 If Limitations = 3.25 - 4.0+, then Normal Mana Use/RSR Modifier * 0.25 So, a standard 50 point power, no limits, still costs 5 Mana and -5 to RSR. 50 pt power with -2.25 in lims, would be 5*0.5 = 2.5, Hero rounding making it 2 Mana and -2 RSR. 50 pt power with -5 in lims would be 5*0.25 = 1.25, or 1 Mana and -1 RSR. Obviously, you can set the break points where you want. Its an extra step, but a pretty easy one that should approximate what you want, I think.

Re: lim cost: semi-lockout Your take on ECs is a valid one, especially today. Everything should be balanced, and no character type should be punished for his sfx. I agree with that. But I don't think EC was created with that in mind. EC was created to promote characters like the Human Torch. Characters that had a tight sfx/theme that caused all of his powers to interact with the environment the same way. It encourages players to build characters like that, or to find some thin thread upon which they can argue their character is like that. For wrong or right, that was the intention. The drain/suppress all at once is not nearly a big enough limitation to warrant the type of savings characters see in a EC. Not even close. Personally, I think the time for ECs has past. There may have been a time earlier in superheroic RPGs for trying to promote characters that have a common theme, especially if the players didn't have much experience with the genre. But that was 20-25 years ago. If you want a character with a strong theme, it should cost you just as much, and be just as effective as, a character with no theme at all. ECs just promote a specific type of character design, and that may not be what you want in your game. PS: To say that "water" should be as common in a game as "anti-magic" + "anti-amazon" is a big stretch. PPS: Wonder Woman's powers clearly don't fit into an EC. At least no EC other than "Wonder Woman" powers. If you wanted to create an Amazonian EC, that's fine. But it could only include stuff that all Amazons have. Which would leave out magic flight, magic lassos, and mutant strength.

Re: Favorite 60-point Power Construction I'm used to taking body, and it still terrifies me. I was watching Star Wars IV the other night, and when Luke first starts waiving around his lightsaber, I yelled "watch out with that, it cuts through anything, you bumpkin!" True story.

Re: Telepathy Power Ideas Yes. I've also tried mind control, mental illusions, mind link, and ego attack. The only thing that seems to work is a limited form of telekinesis (OAF: Leash), only to pull things, must be attached to leash.

Re: Telepathy Power Ideas Now if I could just get my dog to go with my idea that she stop peeing on the floor, I'd be all set!

Re: Training away DCV Penalties from Armor I see I'm a little late to the party... The Broken Kingdoms had Moving-in-Armor Levels, which for 5 points allowed a PC to cancel 1 level of encumbrance. You had to buy them armor type specific (leather, mail, or plate), and you couldn't buy more than 2 levels in any one type without GM permission. The cost was calculated as 2 seperate 5 pt levels, one for DCV and one for Dex based skills, limited by "can only cancel encumbrance penalties (-1/2)" and "Plate (or Leather, or Mail) Only" (-1/2). It was under 4th edition rules, but it shows one way this can done pretty easily.

Re: Spreading Good WIll If you can just find a way to convince every country that their team won the World Cup, and every American city that their team won the Superbowl, the entity would be on his way to his next target.

Re: Ninja Spring Leap I agree it works pretty well as written. However, I might lower the 20", since its pretty costly as is. You could argue about the limit values if you wanted, though I think on their face these values seem pretty fair. Max 5" per spring being the big one because it limits 20" of flight down to 5". But what if someone bought 40" or only 10"? Maybe you should make that Max 1/4 flight per spring instead?

Re: I am your NEMESIS! How does this work? How does a player figure out what powers he has? How do we define the characters "feeling" of what his powers are? What power conveys this feeling? How accurate is it? My problem with this power idea is that it seems to have a lot of handwaving built into it. If you define how the power works more clearly, it will probably make things easier to build, and more importantly, easier to play.

Re: Telepathy Power Ideas I wonder if you need to buy the base telepathy at all? If you're basically only getting it to justify access to the supplemental powers that you have listed there, I'd say skip buying the base power. That way, you wouldn't have to worry about it providing mental awareness or being detectable. Just have the sfx of your "supplemental" powers be undetectable surface level telepathy, and use those telepathy points for something else.

Re: Free equipment side discussion. I would only downgrade weapons in games where I wanted a tailored game with less lethality, but still low powered supers that were hard to hurt with normal weapons. If I were going to play DC, military, spy, or modern pulp game, or a supers game where normal weapons are a threat, I'd leave the weapon damage alone.

Re: Free equipment side discussion. How did this happen? A beat cop with a regular pistol or shotgun (a beat cops traditional weapons) shouldn't be able to kill anybody in a standard supers campaign, with one or even two shots, and certainly not a super. Unless he's using really heavy duty equipment for which he probably doesn't have the WF, or, you're using all the more dangerous rules that HERO provides you, and specifically suggests you not use in superheroic games. Even Viper agents have standard 6PD/6ED armor on, which will prevent death from 1d6+1 and 2d6 reduced penetration shots almost all day long. I ask because I wonder if you're using the more dangerous, unpredictable optional damage rules. And if you are, and are now looking to add more rules to tone down those optional rules, you might be making things needlessly complicated.