Kintara

Hmm, how do you handle point caps? You generally limit characteristics like you do powers, right? With AP limits? It seems to limit the range a bit.

Hmm, so DEX is too good then? Why did you decide on x4? It seems pretty tough to me, especially now that SPD is bought seperately.

So, speaking of this, let's say I was to use the figured equations as guidelines instead of direct figured characteristics. What would the prices change to? STR 1 pt. CON 1 pt. DEX 2 pts. Would you leave Perception tied to INT? Personally, I don't mind that. Similarly, I don't mind BODY affecting STUN, but it might be more consistent and accurate to lower BODY by 1/2 a point (so 1 1/2). What about breaking EGO and DEX apart from CVs? Are there any balance concerns with this that mightnot be immediately evident? I like the changes in balance, from my admittedly inexperienced perspective. I just recently posted a question on how to do a paralytic poison. Drain DEX probably works best, as far as effects go. But Drain DEX is rendered a third less powerful because it "drains" the point that you pay in DEX for SPD, with no effect at all (correct?).

Hmm, another issue with both DEX and SPD Drain is that size doesn't factor in prominantly. In fact, many big creatures are slower. Presumably, larger creatures would have more PD (if I were to model it that way), but it should take more poison to drop a larger foe. Maybe a limitation, Reduced Proportionally to Size (-1/2, or more?), or maybe Increased END Cost as Size Increases (who knows? But I like this modelling, in theory). Also, I'm not sure I understand how your Entangle would work. Vs. Con, how? How does breaking free of the Entangle work with recovering from a paralyzing poison?

Ok, thanks for the advice. The only problem I see is that I worry about the ability to Drain Dex. It is the most pricey primary characteristic. Even a normal Joe Shmoe has a Dex of 8, and that's 24 points right there, to get them to 0. To get them to -30 is long indeed. How about Drain Speed, less limiting for the victim, but it seems to be a little cheaper (less granular though)?

I'm new to the HERO system, and haven't used it yet. But I've read through the book, and I know the system passably. But I still need some practice, apparently. My friend wants to learn it too, so I'm helping him learn it by doing an example for a game he wants to do. So here it is. This transhuman race has a bite that excretes a paralytic poison. The race generally uses it to hunt prey of many sizes. The race is vampiric; it eats blood. The poison in the bite can be extracted and used in other ways, poured in a drink, on an arrow, whatever (so Trigger, I guess). The poison must be able to get past the skin, but otherwise it can be used in many ways. The race can paralyze a normal grown human in one dose. Preferably, at lower levels it reduces coordination. The race has quite precise control over both how much damage the bite can do (they can do as much as a knife, and don't forget the blood loss), and how much poison is released (Standard Effect?). The poison should be able to paralyze large sea creatures enough for them to feed easily. We are thinking the poison is limited in Charges, perhaps 12. The poison should incapacitate for a good span of time, enough to feed at leisure. How should I go about this? Is Drain STUN the way to go? Drain Dex? STUN Only HA with NND? I'd like the power to not be too far off a decent AP limit (like 60), but it doesn't have to be. How should the poison, the bite, and the blood loss (which isn't sucked out, only taken as it is bled, but the idea is that the race can feed with out causing too much trauma to the victim) be modeled as a whole?

Hmm, interesting. If you think about this in terms of fire, if you make someone combust spontaneously, maybe that would be a physical attack (depending on how one makes them combust). On the other hand if your attack simply burns them (through the heat of fire), then it is energy. Oooh, that's tough though, how do you make someone combust, except by using energy at some point? Hmm, a molecular agitation power, perhaps by some physical warping ability, would apply. That means that you should think closely on abilities that warp space itself. Hmm, I wonder what other physical interactions need to be rethought, or thought of closely. As for acid, I don't know much about the actual mechanics of how acid attacks something. I would imagine it is mostly a physical process, and less an energy one (at least directly).

I was thinking on this. I just got HERO for the first time a few months ago, so these sorts of system quirks and issues interest me. I agree that STR is a good deal. The figured characteristics do pretty much give you a free point per level. On the other hand, I like where the figured characteristics are derived when STR is used. But who says that a figured characteristic needs to give you anything for free? I say that the best way to do it is to take the figured characteristics that STR affects, and use the STR result as a hard guideline instead of free extra levels. The figured characteristics would start at what they would be with 10 STR; those are free (PD would be 2 for free, STUN would get 5 points at no cost). When you raise STR above 10, the figured characteristics tied to STR don't change for free. The idea is that you pay for what they should be now, unless the character in question has a justification for not raising them (what "justification" means is up to the GM, I'd be very forgiving). Basically you use the STR figureds as they are now, but you have to pay for them. The good thing about this is that it doesn't mess up the normal curve when it comes to DCs and STR and Active Points. Or maybe you could increase the cost to 2, and allow a higher STR limit. I'm undecided about the way I want to go. The first way, leaving the price for STR at one, has the advantage of allowing the character to be more free with how much his STR is really affecting his toughness (not that he couldn't buy them down before). The second way is just simpler to explain.

Alrighty roo! Sounds jiffy. And other goofy sounding gratitude.

Ok, but how would you construct an Uncontrollable power with Side Effects? Could you stat a simple power out, maybe a 12d6 EB, and explain how you determined the Side Effect?

Is there a "canon" way of doing a power that goes out of control on a failed Ego roll (somewhat like No Conscious Control would act)? My friend asked what the equivalent of the GURPS limitation "Uncontrollable" would be. I was thinking it could be some combination of RSR and No Conscious Control (NCC?), or perhaps it would involve a Side Effect (if so, explain pls). Am I missing an obvious "canon" answer? No Conscious Control does get very close, but it's missing the effect in its totality, from what I can tell.

How does an Infinite Dex character interact with another Infinite Dex character? Does defense always win, offense? Do they become 50/50 (like they cancel each other out)? What about infinite damage and defense? Does an Infinite ST character have the option of Infinite damage, or does he have to define it? I think it should do this: Any instance of Infinite/Infinite interaction makes the Characteristics involved equal 10, for the purposes of that interaction only (so they'd still be Infinite against any other Finite interaction with them at the same time).

My revenge is complete... The incompetent normal gives a gleeful cackle at the resounding defeat of the Ultrapowerful Super. Seriously though, it doesn't matter if the attack is as you say (to a point, anyway, there would have to be a minimum interval per die, or reasonable multiple of dice, or maybe the lag would come out of extra time beyond the specific level bought), and that might make for some interesting effects. If you were making a disease, varying the interval a bit might be fun. You could even link it with a Transform or Drain specified to go off after so much time.

Re: Re: Gradual Effect Vs. Defense Indeed.... Aha! But you see the first attack goes off in the initial phase, so it would be every 60 seconds! Muahahah! Revenge is mine! Thanks for the clarification.

When I read the description, I felt confused. It seems ambiguous. How does Gradual Effect interact with defenses? At first, I thought that you tally up the damage until it exceeds the given defense. But then it seemed like maybe it was more like each unit of damage is separate. By that I mean that the defense needs to be exceeded by that one instance of damage for it to work. Example A 6d RKA is spread over 5 minutes, with six intervals. The attack hits a PD of 5. The attack does 2,2,2,6,3,1. Does the attack do 11 damage, or 5? I'd ask in the questions board, but I'm pretty sure that it is 11 damage. If it wasn't, then the intervals would be more clearly defined and more important. As it is now, the way you do the intervals is subject to GM variance. Regardless, I think the ambiguity would easily be remedied by making the example more like mine. It does say that the defense "only applies once", but both interpretations are applying it only once, in their own ways. A defense works once, then it is defeated and stops working. Did I miss anything?