Kdansky

Re: Flying Dodge I'm glad I don't own UMA, that makes it easier to not allow this. I dislike house rules, they quickly get out of hand. I suppose if you houserule "hit is resolved normally before movement" then it's only very powerful, not broken.

Re: Godly Charges of a Druid - how much disadvantage is this? I assumed all powers were constructed in advance, so the maximum AP / end cost is known. Then you never have to worry about exp. Of course, the MP thingy also works, but then costs really don't play any important role anymore. Any spell costs between 2 and 5 points, you can cast 10 tops. 50 points: "Can cast spells" spell 1: 3 spell 2: 2 spell 3: 5 that's like GURPS. Result? Only pure casters, never hybrids. You pay big for the opportunity, now you have to use it. GURPS was really bad in that way, since casting was roll 3d6 under (INT + Magic aptitude) -3. int starts at 10, MA at 0 (max 3), int costs about 45 points to get to 15 (and then +20 for +1), MA costs another 35 to get to 3. And then every spell is only a single point. We've never seen anything else than the weak and fragile old wizard, since you run out of points after having bougth the basics (char is 100+50, so you spent more than half on int +ma). But I'm derailing, carry on. I just didn't want this to become GURPS (bad experience with the system, although the game we played was awesome). And yes, my end reserve thingy is complicated, but it simulates as exact as I can imagine. And as I said: At the end, do not *use* it, do not pay for it, and nobody has to keep track of it. It's just silently waved as "charges 10". It's only a supportive construct.

Yes, you need enough END to power the most expensive spell 10 times. And all others you just buy the "increased end" limitation so that they cost the same amount of end. Fireball 10d6 EB: 5 END Blizzard: 20d6 EB: 10 END *biggest* reserve has 100 END. Fireball recieves "x2 End" limitation, now it also costs 10 End and is a bit cheaper (which makes sense, since it's a not so strong power burning through one of your precious 10 charges). 10 uses of anything = it's over. All the rec/end bookkeeping can be disregarded after building the powers and the users can just count from 0 to 10. And if you don't want to model it, then don't. And just declare: "These powers can only be used up to 10 times." If there's other things for the same points, make that a flat -1 or -3/4 limitation.

Re: Godly Charges of a Druid - how much disadvantage is this? Yeah, but since he wants to design a couple dozen spells and then let the players pick them, this will fail. At least that's how I understood it. "Fireball: 50 points" "Blizzard: 75 points" "Light: 10 points" And then you pick a couple until you reach your alloted cp. I assume. The MP approach fails here due to not so well working Pool and Slot cost. Assming I understood the problem correctly.

Re: Variable Advatage vs Multipower Yeah, End is calculated off VA, sadly. Thanks for pointing me to that link, I'll read it. Interesting, I could also build my power with VPP, I never thought about that. Hang on an hour, I'll try out what happens, I'll have to reread VPP, as I rarely use it.

I found another weird mathematical anomaly: I tried to build a certain power a couple different ways, namely the ability to have an attack which can take on different shapes, resulting in Armor Piercing first, Penetrating if that fails, Explosion or AoE if enemies are numerous and if they really annoy you, use Autofire or something. First build: EB 10d6 - 50cp, OIF (-1/2), does not work if X (-1/2) (just assume it's -1/2) Variable Advantage +1/2 (+1) END cost: 10 (ouch) total cost: 50 cp Conclusion: Very clean build, does most of the things I want (though Autofire is impossible with 6 end per shot and the variable advantage does not include enough to add end cost reduction due to that being doubled if AF is applied). AoE also impossible since the cheapest AoE is nonselective +3/4. Second version: MP pool: 70 AP, OIF (-1/2), etc etc (-1/2). cost: 35 pts all slots OIF+ETC (-1) too, making an ultraslot cost 3 pts. That leaves me with (only) five slots and them I break even. 9d6 ArmorPiercing (67.5), 9d6 Penetrating, 8d6 AoE nonselective, 14d6 no advantage, 9d6 AF (5 shots) 32 charges (or 3 shots half end). End cost: 7 for most slots, except if reduced (which would be possible). Somehow the MP appeals much more to me. At the numbers I chose the powers more or less break even, but for every 3 you add the MP gets another slot which helps a lot. I think the main problem with the VA is it's exact shape of 1/2. Having 3/4 sometimes helps a lot. If we want to add some rarely used slots we can also slap limitations on them, making them cost more end or low charges (e.g. the area thing can easily be limited to 2-3 charges, cutting the slot cost to 1), and in turn reducing the slot cost. For me, MP clearly shines, since it works much better and if you customize it a lot, you get better suited powers for the same price. And then, there's this bonus problem: I actually wanted to have Charges on the whole thing. Now with VA, this is easy and expensive (or very few charges total). With MP, you add 16 charges to each slot, resulting in lots and lots of shots (or reduce to 4-8 to get a couple points) for the same or cheaper price. Eh? And you could still add end cost too, if you really wanted to push the slot cost down. And I was soooo happy to have found a use for variable advantage finally, when I turns out that MP is the better approach.

Re: Yet Another Build Question: rubber-morph going splat If you're running out of points: 40 for life support? That's really expensive for probably never using it. Also, Damage Reduction is the better choice than Desolid, but I think that was covered.

Re: Godly Charges of a Druid - how much disadvantage is this? Free End Reserve X for everyone, Free End Reserve Recovery X/10 (while sleeping) for everyone, to calculate with (players don't have to take care of that afterwards, they just count 1 to 10). All powers take end limitations/advantages to make them cost exactly X/10 end per use. That also balances the powers nicely in terms of: weak power which uses up 1/10th of your daily allotment is really cheap (low AP -> low end cost -> higher end multiplier -> higher limitation -> cheaper power), since I usually don't want to have a cheap power burn one of my very few charges.

Re: Blocking/Counterstriking... Knockback (unrelated)

Re: Is this an OIF? Tonio writes exactly what I mean (rep). I also like Huge's approach. I don't want to change the limitation value based on special effects. If one of my players says: "I want these limitations, and I want this -1/2 for it, but I really don't like the idea of attacking with my ring, it should have the design of a sword." Then I go for it. Or rather: If you want to play a character with low str which still has the SFX - Swordfigther, then you should not be penalized because you cannot resists disarms with your low str, especially, if you PAY THE POINTS for not having -1 OAF but only -1/2 OIF. And no, I do not really care about the SFX there. As a player, I would then change the design of my character to better suit the rules, which is not the point of SFX at all. I see it like this: If you carry an OIF sword, everyone will instantly know that you are so incredibly skilled/strong/awesome that it will be neigh impossible to disarm you. Sure, it's cheezy, but points/cost are in a correct relation and the player gets to use sword SFX instead of "my ring generates a fiery/lazer/... sword in my hand". As pointed out, OIF sword is still inferior to OIF ring, even if enemies don't try to disarm you. Thinking like that, I'm rethinking the things I just said. Crap. Restrainable is actually quite a bit better than OIF for the same costs, isn't it? Except for entangles. Arg.

Re: Blocking/Counterstriking... Knockback (unrelated) And that is why everyone wants to invest 10-25 points into MA in a free-form-character campaign where you are not limited by archetypes. Massive advantages for cheap. Flying Dodge is like a full move with 4 DCV bonus, that's just plain 4 DCV better than not having it. Same goes for Defensive strike (yeah, same damage, but includes 4 CVs!) or offensive strike (slight cv improvement, slight damage improvement) or block (+2/+2? Holy Crap?!). I meant something else though: I'm speed 4, dex 20, my opponent is speed 2, dex 16. In segment 6, I go first, and attack (don't stun or KO him). He attacks me at dex16, I CANNOT abort to dodge because I already acted. Therefore holding until he attacks, then dodging with the held action and attacking on 9 is a lot better. Going first is a disadvantage, as it prevents me from aborting until the segment is finished. Now assume I have lightning Reflexes for 100 points. Result? I cannot ever abort on my segments, making me a duck. If I have dex 1, I can abort anytime against anything, since I'm always last. That's so wrong!

Re: Is this an OIF? By the way: The OIF sword has one problem, i think: It fools your opponents into believing it's an OAF and try to disarm you (which fails and they just wasted an attack). As a GM, I would let the BBEG take one action to regain his weapon (zero chance of failure) the first time it happens. And the NPCs will (and this I don't like) not try to disarm the PCs, because they "know" it won't work. Not perfectly happy with this though. OIF sword meaning: You can hit it, but my grip is so strong you cannot take it from me without taking me prison first. Definitely OIF/Restrainable, but not OAF.

Re: Martial Art: Tricking By the way: Tricking as described on Wikipaedia is not a Martial Art, but Aerobics/Gymnastics/Dancing which looks like fighting. So it's just a skill, no MA.

Re: Normals evolve into Supers Ressource Pool? I don't have Dark Champions, what is that?

Re: 1 pip RKA, Penetrating "Over 10 Points Resistant PD" technically illegal, explicitly ruled in 5ER. "Over x points" is not a valid NND defense.

Re: Active defense roll Letting me roll as a GM helps me cheat for dramatic effect I want to keep it that way.

Re: Martial Art: Tricking +5 PRE, only when hopping around like an idiot (-1)

Re: Blocking/Counterstriking... Knockback (unrelated) Well, I'm not saying I cannot forbid it as GM, but the rules clearly make it advantageous to do this. Also, I cannot forbid people to try to have a low dex (and decent CVs with Combat levels). Which I consider one of the biggest flaws in the current system (right up there with STR being too cheap). Going first is a disadvantage, going last is good! I still think Lightning Reflexes should be listed as a disad. Yes, I'm exaggerating, but still....

Re: Blocking/Counterstriking... Knockback (unrelated) But I really do not get the idea behind that rule... I mean: Then I'm just going to delay my action until Dex 1...

Re: Anyone ever tried a stat block auction in HERO? Auction? Yeah, I can see that. 5 players means that the best block will cost 5 cp, the second best 4 cp and so on... Not going to work.

Re: Focus Summoning, once a day "Once per day" depends hugely on the campaign. He could still pick up the focus normally, so the 1 charge is recoverable. That seems fine.

Re: Aborting to Shrinking One could take a limitation on his Attack: "Can be blocked by normal blocks withouth MD." I'd give that a -1/2 to -1, especially if the user has a low OCV. But that does not cover the "slow projectile"+EB thing from previous versions.

Re: Aborting to Shrinking I'm also in the "allow" faction. Growth for stun/body/knockback. Any kind of block, ranged, non-ranged. Stretching to get range for blocks. Etc. To ask further: How do I model "I jump (abort) into the way of the attack to prevent my squishy DNPC from dieing." I would allow it, but I have no clue how it works and I cannot find it in 5er.

Re: Flexible Active Point Limits: What Do You Think? Yeah, but this makes me ponder: Do I really need the points at all? Do I need an active point limit? Do all characters have to be on the same point pool?

Re: Rolling mechanic question Yeah, the 10- roll makes sense. Although I use opposing rolls anyway in these cases (stealth vs per)