Xotl

Absolutely. I'll be covering that in the Combat section. Corrected/clarified the above (I thought Complications were mandatory; thanks for the catch). Dominika is already at her points total for complications and (more importantly) I can't fit another complication on her record sheet. That's like saying you don't know why a human has disguise when they'd be unable to pass as anything else. The Digging Deeper section on the right mentions it in passing (and mentions pickpocketing as well to help convey freedom from "class" skills), but basically I wanted to get across the idea of how things work in a multi-racial world. PDF also updated with a two-page section on mundane and magical weapons and armour.

I've updated the main pdf again. This time I've bridged the two separate smaller ones together by including a discussion of skills, abilities, and complications. I also finished off the characteristics section with a brief discussion of selling back characteristics, and the comparison table. This is now the full first twelve pages: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/357573/Fantasy%20Hero%20Primer.pdf Rather than using the one straight out of Hero 6E, I made a new characteristics comparison table. Mine has a few minor alterations in terms of layout (for instance, I changed the "Competent" category to "Superior", because Competent didn't really feel like a step up from "Skilled"). The main difference is that I replaced all the entries with data drawn from the 6E Bestiary, to ensure that players are drawing on canon Hero stats (and to remove non-thematic entries like computers and whatnot). I also made sure to include an entry for every stat; the one in Hero 6E leaves out a bunch of stats. If you can find anything in the Hero Bestiary that swims 5-6m, I'd appreciate you telling me: it's the only entry that's missing, and that's bugging the hell out of me. Anyways, based on this it looks like pages 13-15 would cover the last character. From there I think I'll tackle equipment (with a few magic items), the combat rules, and then running through a sample scenario. I'd end with a few more sample characters (single-pagers--not going through the full build and discussion process), a mini-bestiary (orc, city guardsman, and a few other staples, and a mention of the Hero System Bestiary), and then the appendix with a summary of the full power rules and fully legal builds for everything in the primer. Maybe a mini-wizardy section too, giving a player fireball, sleep, and few other magical staples (and a mention of the full Grimoire). Anything else people think absolutely must be there?

Heh, I was wondering if people would note that. It's not so much the frequency (though Hero's frequency model for dependencies is a bit crazy, I find), but the damage. I intend to replace that with something else later.

Comments on comments: Use of colour: The only colour is (and will be) in the basic graphic elements (borders and text boxes). The colour elements will print in black and white with no loss of information fidelity, but makes for a better reading experience on the screen. Equipment: With regards to everyday and skill-based equipment, I probably don't want to get that specific. I think it's safe to say that many GM's say "you obviously need what you need to use your skill properly, and we're giving it to you for free". Going into heavy detail seems to me to just play into Hero prejudices of statting and detailing absolutely everything; I wouldn't want to do that in a regular supplement, let alone a deliberately simplified primer. In terms of weapons, I'm thinking of doing an equipment section after all the characters, where I can explore weapons, armour, and magical version of each in a bit of detail, and without bogging down the character entries. I think that fits better, because it will have the same relevance to all three characters. All right, I decided to dive into the troublesome issue of magic, which has caused a lot of debate in this thread. I'd probably place this character last, after the rogue, but I think it needs more attention and so I'm going at it now; the wizard character appears after the fighter, on page 5 of the pdf. Let me know what you think: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/357573/Fantasy%20Hero%20Primer.pdf In general, I want to stay general, and that's doubly true of magic: if we're going to lose them anywhere, I suspect this would be it. However, I think what could be done is a mini-appendix at the end of the document that gives an intro to the full Hero powers system: adders, limitations, advantages. As part of that, I'd add a section that properly builds out each characters' power in full. That way the characters are ultimately fully usable for Hero play, but the information never shows up until the reader is certain they want to dive into that on their own. It still could still scare them off, but at a certain point we need to just admit that Hero can be complex, this is the way it works, and let the reader judge for themselves if the system is right for them.

No no, not assuming: what you've seen so far is pages 4-7. I actually started based on a proposed outline posted some pages back in this thread. Pages 1-3 give a quick intro and introduce characteristics, skills, complications. I just felt that wasn't as nailed down as yet so I didn't include it in my first download. As for the art, yeah, it's google image search stuff, just for proof of concept. If anything was to happen with this, we'd need new art. However, it doesn't have to be expensive, because just a few simple black and white sketches here and there really break up the monotony. It's just making sure it's clean art, consistent in style, that doesn't suck. I've got a link below to the first two pages. The idea here, as with all of it, is quick, simple, but also constantly trying to make clear what Hero has to offer a guy who almost certainly has already played D&D and whatnot and is looking for something different (because if they weren't looking for something different, they wouldn't be reading this; they'd be playing D&D). We absolutely cannot assume just elves and dwarves and traditional roles are going to draw anyone in. I've arbitrarily broken the stats up into two categories. This is just simple presentation: tell someone Hero has 17 stats with no other context and they'll boggle. Make clear a bunch of it is pretty much for combat only and they'll have an easier time (just like no one considers HP and AC as D&D "stats"). Don't have any movement info there yet, though, and I'll be including a brief note about selling back stats as well. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/357573/Fantasy%20Hero%20Primer%201-2.pdf (Also, I had a bunch of characteristics costs in the earlier pdf wrong due to copying and pasting: those are fixed).

Oops: corrected. I've also finished with the creation of the first character. Following this pattern, each character would take four pages. The first three would be a walkthrough of sorts, while the last would just be the full character sheet (although when it's done I'd likely just move the completed sheets together). There's a bit of simplification here, but only a bit. For example, I haven't listed any modifiers on the few limitations I've added; Fast Draw should be noted as for Common Melee Weapons, but that's a long and cumbersome note, etc. I didn't explore Complications for Laakash because there's going to be two other characters, and I would want to break things up a bit. Haven't thought about how to cover equipment yet. I'll likely be tinkering with the material for a good while on my own (and continually refreshing the PDF at the link), but outside input is always better. Feel free to make any suggestions regarding content or approach. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/357573/Fantasy%20Hero%20Primer.pdf

I was intrigued by this thread (particularly the difficult balancing act between "intrigue the reader", "teach the reader ", and "don't overwhelm the reader") and decided to do a thingie. Here's a part of it. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/357573/Fantasy%20Hero%20Primer.pdf

My local bookstore has Fantasy Hero 3rd edition, 4th edition, and both FH Companions. Rules incompatibilities aside, is there anything in those four older books that the 5th edition or 6th editions of FH don't have? I have both of the newer eds, so if between those two I have everything in the old books, then it's useless, but if there's a few neat spell colleges or whatever not in the new ones then it might be worth it. If you could, I'd appreciate it if you could be specific: I'd rather not buy all four if I don't have to. Thanks a ton.

Re: THE ULTIMATE BASE -- What Do *You* Want To See? I'd like to build on this. This book will no doubt be excellent for a GM, but when playing in a long-running Champions game our group always shied away from investing precious points into buying a base. Why? Because we couldn't actually see the benefit. Oh sure, it could provide adventure hooks, but the GM was of course already running adventures, so that wasn't anything new. It could be a place to change VPPs and such, but again we could already do that. Store prisoners? That's what Stronghold/the law does. We didn't have an adversarial GM, but in the end all a base appeared to be was a convenient place to get surprise-attacked, something to get trashed by vilains. I guess what I'm saying is that I think Ultimate Base needs clear detail on just what points invested in a Base can do for players in various genres that the GM or ruleset in general doesn't already do for you. Vehicles and guns and equipment are portable, but a base isn't, and if the first thing the players are doing every session is leaving the base to actually go out and adventure then it's hard to see the point for your average player. I hope this isn't too theory-Hero for the thread.

Re: Omcv 1?

Re: Omcv 1? You have it right, although you should remember that in a game with no mental powers it states (pg. 46) that you aren't allowed to sell back MCV, as it has no effect anyways.

Re: What is your plans for your first 6th Edition game? I'm converting my 5th ed game set in the Battletech universe, which in turn was converted from Mechwarrior 3rd edition. I've found that, with a few new rules to take into account the universe, that Hero handles low-powered gun play better than the official game did (though now there's a new edition coming from Catalyst...). In particular, I had great fun creating a custom-built make your own guns and armour system for Battletech characters, using skills, contact, and wealth levels to buy all the doodads one could want. I'm quite curious to see if 6th offers much new for these sorts of lower-point games - most of the new stuff I've seen strikes me as more super-powered in nature.

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #3: Area Of Effect And Damage Shield

Re: Sixth Edition Showcase #3: Area Of Effect And Damage Shield Looking better and better. I'm quite excited about not just the increased flexibility but also the streamlining of advantages we've been seeing so far. I also echo the thought that the art and layout are both looking fine. I'm a little disappointed though that in 6th you still can't buy Invisibility to only one sense - EDIT: this is not true, as Steve later points out. Sorry. In any case, thanks for another sweet preview.

Re: House! It's for a game of Mechwarrior converted to Hero, so I only have to worry about Real Weapons rather than power builds. That having been said, we just converted the Kill Attack dice of a weapon into an near-equivalent amount of Energy Blast dice, and only allow Resistant Defences to stop the Body damage from it. Stun damage is handled the same as always.

Re: House! Ego instead of Dex as the stat that determines initiative when using mental powers. Piercing as a standard rule, with no Armour Piercing allowed for Real Weapons. No Elemental Controls allowed. Use of the Ultimate Brick Expanded Strength Table and Ultimate Energy Projector Vulnerability Frequency rules as standard. And in my new game that's about to start up (again) we've decided eliminate kill attacks as a separate power and go with a unified damage mechanic.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far You're being a colossal dramallama. "Spat back in our faces"? Come on. There was a debate, one of many in the 6th ed forums, where there were two sides. I and others argued for one, you and others argued for another. Occasionally heated words were said by both sides, and the debate certainly was passionate, but I thought it was handled for the most part in the respectful, mature, and ridiculously over-analyzed manner these forums are known for. I grew to respect certain people, opponents of what I favoured, because of that thread. You're making it sound like your opponents were a pack of narrow-minded dogmatics while you wielded the banner of light and truth rather than it simply being a situation where, *gasp*, people disagreed with you.

Re: Looking for Ideas/name for UMA villian group Yeah, I take back what I said: some of these are pretty neat. In particular I like the large stars and the thunder sticks.

Re: Looking for Ideas/name for UMA villian group It would probably be best if you provided a little more detail as to the mood you're going for, so we know whether to suggest something like "The Brotherhood" or something like "M.A.N.C.H.U." - Martial Artists of Nefarious CHaotic Uncivility. That having been said, martial artists and technology has a few possibilities. The most obvious is just fancy versions of traditional fighting weapons, but this strikes me as rather boring ("They're nunchuks, but with *lasers*." "Sure, whatever"). Offhand, I would go with bionics and cybernetic implants, or outright robots. One possibility would be a team of expert martial artists surgically altered into national totems: for example, Gavril the Bear, a 6ft 8" Russian wrestler cybernetically enhanced with implanted fur and armour plate and piles of STR, especially for Grab/Squeeze.

Re: Most dishonourable Chinese supervillain team Happy to oblige. First, as far as how they would be used. I've never thought of a team name for them - they've always struck me as an extension of another villain's will rather than an independent entity (much like VIPER's Dragon Branch, which I'm sure player's just refer to as "VIPER agents/villains" rather than a team name). As befitting a great villain, their master has made sure to tie them as closely to himself as he can. Also befitting a great villain, this can also provide a number of excellent plot threads ("the more you squeeze, the more will slip through your grasp"). Lotus Blossom: she has no independent access to the juice of the black lotus, meaning she can never be more than a week away from her master without suffering. He keeps her busy, but "graciously" allows her the ability to travel when not needed in pursuit of her own agenda, knowing that with her teleportation abilities she can return in an instant. She will usually not Hunt heroes, being too occupied with her master's plans or her own designs. Guan Di: he's a boisterous, energetic "man", who loves to drink and carouse. His unique appearance means he can never pass himself off as a normal and sneak into the cities or villages, so he keeps himself busy training his master's agents (and drinking with them). He's not aware of his own "Slavishly Obeys" limitation, as it has been implanted into his mind at the subconscious level by his creator along with his skills and false memories. It manifests itself in his mind as a natural, feudal sort of loyalty to his master - he simply thinks his attitude is proper and natural towards any superior, and frowns upon "uppity" subordinates. His carefree attitude and near-total loyalty preempt any sort of Hunting of heroes, unless ordered specifically by his master. Snapdragon: he has had a long criminal and martial arts career spanning the world before he fell in with his current master (hence his reputation). He is the most independent of the team, and the most often off on his own. Most of his rivalries are with unpublished Tiger Squad members - he deliberately focuses on the more high-profile martial artists, such as China's heroes (or a notable PC), as their constant appearance in the news makes people think of them as the greatest martial artists in the world, a title he wishes entirely for himself. His drive and vengeful nature make him an excellent Hunted or Rival, especially with martial artists, but at no more than an 8-: his master ensures he has plenty to do. Iron Monkey: the demon within might be considered similar to a poltergeist - an entity that delights in mischevious irritation and destruction. It makes no exception for scale - a small prank or hurt is as delightful to it as a grand one. Though impulsive, it is not stupid: despite his short attention span he remembers any thorough thrashings he might receive. He cannot feel pain, but has grown to love this plane of existence and so has no wish to return to his infernal home (which is what would happen if his BODY were reduced enough that he was "killed"). He is not really suitable as a Hunted: there's always something more immediate he can focus on, another prank he can play elsewhere, and this prevents the forming of real grudges. I've tried to make the group low on Characteristic totals so that they might easily be adjusted to suit any sort of point-level. They all have stats suitable for even a 250 point game - just lower or raise their PD, ED, and attack dice as desired (you should adjust Snapdragon's Teleport trigger to always be 1" higher than your campaign's AP cap/10 - right now at 9" it's aimed at 80 AP). PLOT SEEDS Lotus Blossom: 1) She seeks immortality and is willing to pay almost any price. She believes her master's stories about the necessity of the juice of the black lotus, but is painfully aware of the side effects and the hold it places on her. If you have an immortal PC with a Public ID, then she would be very interested in speaking to him about the source of his powers. Even more so, any arcane PC might do as well, though her contempt for non-Chinese means that unless the PC is Chinese he must have established himself as an expert or someone very powerful. 2) Alternatively, any PC with a decent enough Alchemy skill (say 15-) or a higher Arcane Lore skill than Lotus Blossom has could realize that black lotus juice has nothing to do with immortality serums, and pass this potent piece of advice on. 3) Some backlash resulting from a PC's magical or technological effect (most appropriate would be flash- or light-based attacks) has resulted in the dispelling of Lotus Blossom's permanent facial cloak of shadow, revealing the careworn face of a Chinese woman apparently in her mid-50's. This fills her with shame and fury, and would earn the PC a powerful Hunted. It would be worse if, in order for her to restore her cloak of shadow, she had to capture and perform certain rites on the PC who caused the cloak to fall in the first place... 4) For any British-themed PC: While overseas working on some sort of villainy on behalf of her master, Lotus Blossom is knocked unconscious in some sort of mundane accident (gas-line explosion, etc). The PC, responding to the crisis, pulls a unconscious Lotus Blossom from certain death, and she awakes in his/her arms to realize that not only has she been saved from certain death by a non-Chinese, but by no less than Captain Britain/The Admiral/Dreadnought/Boiled Roast Beef Man/whomever. Too weak to leave or be moved, she is placed under guard at a local hospital by UNTIL (with teleport suppressors, of course). The PC and his team are asked by UNTIL to guard her, as they have no doubt her partners in crime will attempt a rescue. Not only does this set up a fight, but further interactions between the rescuer and LB. From here you can choose to inflate her prejudice through the humiliation of rescue and capture (setting up a Rivalry or Hunted), or begin to weaken it due to kind words and deeds. This might also serve as a good time to reveal knowledge concerning her addiction and immortality quest, especially as a week passes and she begins experiencing terrible symptoms that no doctor can explain... Guan Di: 1) Due to his status as the god of literature, he has been implanted with a great deal of knowledge on the Confucian classics (18-). However, while that's an extremely high skill roll, it's not perfect, which you would expect from a god. Guan Di does not realize there are some small gaps in his knowledge in this regard and so feels he knows all on this matter. If confronted with someone with a higher roll (such as Tiger Squad's Immortal Philosopher, perhaps), he would not know what to do. Similarly, there are a fair number of immortal beings in the Champions universe. As Guan Di the god actually had a mortal life as a talented third-century general by the name of Guan Yu, it is conceivable that there are some still alive who knew him in that life, and would quickly learn that this supposed Guan Di does not remember his old friend or other aspects of his mortal past that he should know better (note that his KS: Chinese History is only 13-). Wouldn't you know it, any immortal/long-lived PC happens to be one of those people... If his reality is challenged by any of these unpleasant facts there's no telling what he might do. He might go beserk and have to be stopped, if you want something simple. Alternatively this could be the path towards making him understand that his creator has lied to him, breaking his loyalty Psychological Limitation and turning him down the road to reformed herodom. I've got more, but my PC has a nasty tendency to blue-screen, so I'm posting this now and will add more later. Feedback is more than welcome. I also slightly edited their writeups as ideas came to me based on these hooks. I'll add finished Hero Creator files once I'm sure they're all done.

Re: Most dishonourable Chinese supervillain team I'll post the last two at once to finish off the thread. The first is Snapdragon, your typical oriental martial artist. I tried to be a bit creative in some of his powers - in particular, I think the Trigger is fun. He is an ambitious, aggressive martial artist, driven to be one of the greatest fighters of his age. This has gifted him with a host of long-running rivalries, mostly with Tiger Squad martial artists, but also with the freelancer villain Shadowdragon. What Snapdragon does not realize is that he is also a mutant, which explains some of his phenomenal abilities. As mutant power levels go his are fairly low - he gets great reflexes and perception rather than optic blasts and whatnot. However, Snapdragon believes he is a great martial artist because of his dedication and training, rather than due to winning the genetic lottery, and has built his worldview around this. The revelation that he is a mutant and that this is the source of his raw ability would be shattering to him. None of his teammates are aware of this fact. Iron Monkey is quite literally a 4ft tall iron statue of a sinister-looking monkey, imprisoning a mischevious demon imp from one of the Chinese hells. Mischevious, malicious, and with a relatively low attention span, he bores easily. He is also weak-willed; the sorceror who imprisoned him knew of this mental weakness and tried to compensate by shielding the demon's mind (the Invisibility to mental group), but in the end it's only a patch. As both are martial artists, I tried to distinguish them somewhat. Snapdragon makes the more aggressive, more traditional attacks, while Iron Monkey has a host of moving, flying strikes. He zooms by his targets, never remaining in one spot, often while shrunk. In addition, Snapdragon has the discipline and foresight to use his teamwork skill to work together with Guan Di in pursuit of tactical goals, while the impulsive Iron Monkey would be much more focused on whatever target presented itself, especially if it was annoying him. They would play out very differently on the battlefield. SNAPDRAGON VAL...CHA....Cost..Total...Roll......Notes 17....STR.....7.....17......12-......HTH Damage 3d6 END [2] 20....DEX.....30....20......13-......OCV 7 DCV 7 15....CON.....10....15......12- 15....BODY....10....15......12- 11....INT.....1.....11......11-......PER Roll 14- 15....EGO.....10....15......12-......ECV: 5 30....PRE.....8.....30......15-......PRE Attack: 6d6 15....COM.....3.....15......12- 5.....PD......2.....5................5 PD (0 rPD) 5.....ED......2.....5................5 ED (0 rED) 6.....SPD.....10....6................Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 10....REC.....8.....10 40....END.....5.....40 40....STUN....8.....40 9.....RUN.....6.....9"...............END [2] 5.....SWIM....3.....5"...............END [1] 6.....LEAP....3.....6"...............6" forward, 3" upward CHA Cost: 127 Cost..POWERS Lightning Reflexes 12.....1) Damage Reduction - Physical, Resistant, 25% (15 Active Points); Must be aware of attack (-1/4) 5......2) Clinging (normal STR) (10 Active Points); Requires A Climbing Roll (-1/2), Sideways movement at 1/2 ground move rate (-1/4), No ceiling movement or angles less than 80 degrees (-1/4) 2......3) Flash Defense - Sight Group (5 points) (5 Active Points); Requires A DEX Roll (-3/4), Must be aware of attack (-1/4) 7......4) Knockback Resistance -6" (12 Active Points); Requires A Breakfall Roll (-1/2), Must be aware of attack (-1/4) 11.....5) Lightning Reflexes: +7 DEX to act first with All Actions 14.....6) Teleportation 9", Trigger - within the area of an Explosion or AoE attack (Activating takes no time, Trigger resets automatically and immediately, Character does not control activation; +3/4) (31 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), Must Pass Through Intervening Space (-1/4), Must be aware of attack (-1/4), Requires A DEX Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; -1/4) - END=2 9......7) +2 SPD; Costs Endurance (-1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -1/2), Only in combat (-1/4) - END=4 Phenomenal Perception 17.....1) Danger Sense (self only, out of combat, Function as a Sense, Intuitional) 14-/11- 5......2) Increased Arc Of Perception (240 Degrees) with Hearing Group 32.....3) Spatial Awareness (no Sense Group), Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Range 9......4) +3 PER with all Sense Groups 10.....Luck 2d6 5......Iron-willed: Mental Defense (10 points total) (7 Active Points); Ablative STUN Only (-1/2) 6......+12 PRE (12 Active Points); Only to resist Presence attacks (-1) POWERS Cost: 139 Cost..MARTIAL ARTS 5......Defensive Block: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +3 DCV, Block, Abort 5......Defensive Strike: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +3 DCV, 11d6 Strike 5......Disarming Throw: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, Grab Weapon, 62 STR to take weapon away; Target Falls 5......Flying Dodge: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +4 DCV, Dodge All Attacks, Abort; FMove 4......Joint Lock/Throw: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +0 DCV, Grab One Limb; 5d6 NND ; Target Falls 4......Killing Strike: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +0 DCV, HKA 3d6 3......Legsweep: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, -1 DCV, 12d6 Strike, Target Falls 4......Martial Block: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block, Abort 4......Martial Disarm: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, +1 DCV, Disarm; 67 STR to Disarm 4......Martial Dodge: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +5 DCV, Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 4......Martial Escape: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, 72 STR vs. Grabs 4......Martial Flash: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Flash 12d6 4......Martial Strike: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, 13d6 Strike 4......Nerve Strike: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, +1 DCV, 6d6 NND 5......Sacrifice Strike: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, -2 DCV, 15d6 Strike 4......Weapon Bind: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +0 DCV, Bind, 67 STR 32.....+8 HTH Damage Classes MARTIAL ARTS Cost: 100 SKILLS Acrobatics 13- Breakfall 14- Climbing 13- Concealment 13- Contortionist 13- Defense Maneuver I-IV Disguise 12- Feint 13- High Society 16- Interrogation 15- KS: The Martial Arts World 15- Language: Cantonese (imitate dialects; literate) Language: English (fluent conversation; literate) Language: Mandarin (imitate dialects; literate) PS: Caligrapher 15- Rapid Attack (HTH) Shadowing 14- Sleight Of Hand 13- Stealth 13- Tactics 11- Teamwork 13- WF: Common Martial Arts Melee Weapons, Common Melee Weapons, Iron Mandarin Duck, Off Hand +2 Overall +2 with Agility Skills +2 with HTH Combat SKILLS Cost: 141 Cost...TALENTS 48......Combat Luck (24 PD/24 ED) 4.......Double Jointed 3.......Lightsleep 5.......Rapid Healing 3.......Simulate Death 2.......Trackless Stride TALENTS Cost: 65 Value..DISADVANTAGES 5.......Distinctive Features: Elaborate tattoos (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10......Distinctive Features: Mutant (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) 5.......Distinctive Features: Very long fingernails (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable) 10......Hunted: Tiger Squad 8- (Mo Pow; Limited Geographical Area; Harshly Punish) 20......Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow; NCI; Capture) 20......Psychological Limitation: Hates non-Chinese (VC; Strong) 15......Psychological Limitation: Must be the best (Com; Strong) 15......Psychological Limitation: Overconfidant (VC; Moderate) 5.......Psychological Limitation: Vengeful (VC; Strong - cost reduced for breaking 50pts of Psych Disads) 10......Reputation: Cold killer, 8- (Extreme) 5.......Rivalry: Professional (Boxer; Rival is As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry) 5.......Rivalry: Professional (Phoenix; Rival is As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry) 5.......Rivalry: Professional (Revolutionary III; Rival is As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry) 5.......Rivalry: Professional (Shadowdragon; Rival is As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry) 15......Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Freq; Major) DISADVANTAGES Points: 150 Total Character Cost: 575 IRON MONKEY VAL...CHA....Cost..Total...Roll......Notes 35....STR.....25....35......16-......HTH Damage 7d6 END [3] 17....DEX.....21....17......12-......OCV 6 DCV 6 20....CON.....20....20......13- 20....BODY....20....20......13- 13....INT.....3.....13......12-......PER Roll 12- 7.....EGO.....-6....7.......10-......ECV: 2 20....PRE.....10....20......13-......PRE Attack: 4d6 10....COM.....0.....10......11- 10....PD......3.....10/35............10/35 PD (10/35 rPD) 5.....ED......1.....5/25.............5/25 ED (5/25 rED) 5.....SPD.....23....5................Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 15....REC.....8.....15 40....END.....0.....40 70....STUN....22....70 8.....RUN.....4.....8"...............END [2] 2.....SWIM....0.....2"...............END [1] 16....LEAP....9.....16"..............16" forward, 8" upward CHA Cost: 163 Cost...POWERS 68......Armour (25 PD/20 ED) 10......Clinging (normal STR) 15......Damage Reduction - Physical, Resistant, 25% 7.......Damage Resistance (10 PD/5 ED) 6.......Extra Limbs - Tail (1), Inherent (+1/4) (6 Active Points) 15......Flash Defense - Sight Group (15 points) 37......Invisibility to Mental Group and Infrared Perception, No Fringe, Inherent (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (56 Active Points); Always On (-1/2) 30......The Devil's Own Luck: Luck 6d6 5.......Nightvision 20......Power Defense (20 points) 25......Shrinking (0.3025 m tall, 1.7969 kg mass, -4 PER Rolls to perceive character, +4 DCV, takes +6" KB), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (25 Active Points) - END=2 POWERS Cost: 238 Cost...MARTIAL ARTS 20......+5 HTH Damage Classes 4.......Choke Hold: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +0 DCV, Grab One Limb; 4 1/2d6 NND 4.......Fast Strike: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +0 DCV, 14d6 Strike 5.......Flying Dodge: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +4 DCV, Dodge All Attacks, Abort; FMove 3.......Flying Tackle: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, -1 DCV, 12d6 +v/5 Strike; You Fall, Target Falls; FMove 4.......Killing Strike: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +0 DCV, HKA 3d6 4.......Martial Escape: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, 75 STR vs. Grabs 5.......Passing Disarm: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Disarm, 70 STR to Disarm; FMove 5.......Passing Strike: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +0 DCV, 12d6 +v/5; FMove 5.......Passing Throw: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, 12d6 +v/5; Target Falls; FMove 5.......Takeaway: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, Grab Weapon, 70 STR to take weapon away MARTIAL ARTS Cost: 64 SKILLS Acrobatics 13- Breakfall 12- Climbing 12- Contortionist 12- Language: Cantonese (completely fluent) Language: English (completely fluent) Language: Mandarin (idiomatic; literate) Lockpicking 13- Mimicry 17- Teamwork 13- Tracking 14- Ventriloquism 17- +3 with Agility skills +4 with HTH Combat SKILLS Cost: 98 Cost...TALENTS 4.......Double Jointed 3.......Perfect Pitch TALENTS Cost: 7 Value..DISADVANTAGES 5.......Distinctive Features: Magical aura (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) 10......Distinctive Features: Monkey made of iron (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10......Hunted: Tiger Squad 8- (Mo Pow; Limited Geographical Area; Harshly Punish) 20......Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow; NCI; Capture) 15......Psychological Limitation: Contemptuous of non-Chinese (Very Common; Moderate) 10......Psychological Limitation: Easily distracted (Common; Moderate) 20......Psychological Limitation: Mischevious; fond of malicious pranks (Very Common; Strong) 15......Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Frequently; Major) 15......Susceptibility: Holy relics and spaces 1d6 damage per Phase (Uncommon) 30......Vulnerability: 2 x STUN Electricity (Very Common) DISADVANTAGES Points: 150 Total Character Cost: 570

Re: Most dishonourable Chinese supervillain team That RKA is only 4 charges, and is around for exactly the sort of targets you've described; I'd never use it on players. Your comments concerning taking his blade away are good though. I might remove the focus limitation to represent the blade's ability to teleport back to his hand at whim (accompanied by a stroke of his long beard and a HA HA HA a la Pai Mei from Kill Bill). Then again, I don't really have too much trouble with the villains being defeated or captured, so that might be a bit much: I'd hate to penalize player tactics. Has there been anything published like +STR, only to resist Disarms? It might be a good compromise - make it harder to take away, but not impossible.

Re: Most dishonourable Chinese supervillain team It originally was, but I designed him for a more pulpy/4-colour sort of game, and a HKA of that size was too lethal for what I'm going for. It would be an easy replacement if you wanted to go that way, and would certainly be more realistic I agree. Stretching for reach is another good idea. Thanks.

Re: Most dishonourable Chinese supervillain team I knew he had a heavy association with it (hence the 17- in classic literature), but I didn't know he was actually a god of it. I'll raise it, but this gives me an idea. Thanks!

Re: Most dishonourable Chinese supervillain team Next we have Guan Di. Guan Di is the Chinese god of war (and, believe it or not, the patron of bean-curd sellers). The idea behind this character is that he is actually a magical construct, a golem-like being created through arcane processes by your Dr. Yin Wu/Fu Manchu-type villain as a powerful and inspiring symbol of the old, pre-Communist ways. It helps that he's a mean brawler as well (or so I hope: I post him here so that you might critique). The real Guan Di has, as far as I know, no tradition of archery, but I felt like adding it so I did. He has a false past, implanted into him by his creator (along with an unconscious near-absolute desire to obey him), and truly believes he is in fact an avatar of the god of war. I figure it would be a possible interesting plot device to deal with this, perhaps even luring him away from his masters' control if the truth could be somehow learned and convincingly revealed to him. He loves a good brawl, delighting in it to the point that he'll sometimes miss when it is more advantageous to leave. Though he does not need to eat, his mind carries false memories of his mortal life, and so he'll gladly eat and drink and generally try to live the normal life he's in fact never had. Though a great fighter, he is also one of the world's foremost experts on the Confucian classics, and will gladly take the opportunity to teach or engage in debate over related issues. I would have added the Psych Lim "Protective of Bean Curd Sellers", but it didn't seem worth the points. The point though is that he's extremely protective of Chinese citizens, and I intend him to be the one member of the group whom a hero team might, if they play their cards right, be able to eventually turn. GUAN DI VAL...CHA....Cost...Total...Roll.......Notes 25....STR.....15.....25......14-.......HTH Damage 5d6 END [2] 24....DEX.....42.....24......14-.......OCV 8 DCV 8 22....CON.....24.....22......13- 18....BODY....16.....18......13- 14....INT......4.....14......12-.......PER Roll 12-/14- 18....EGO.....16.....18......13-.......ECV: 6 25....PRE.....15.....25......14-.......PRE Attack: 5d6 12....COM......1.....12......11- 5.....PD.......0.....5/30..............5/30 PD (5/30 rPD) 5.....ED.......1.....5/30..............5/30 ED (5/30 rED) 5.....SPD.....16.....5.................Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 15....REC.....12.....15 62....END......9.....62 55....STUN....13.....55 13....RUN......0.....13"...............END [2] 4.....SWIM.....2.....4"................END [1] 5.....LEAP.....0.....5"................5" forward, 2 1/2" upward CHA Cost: 186 Cost..POWERS 31.....Bow of Divine Fury, 70-point reserve, (70 Active Points); all slots OAF (-1), Limited Range (-1/4) 2u.....1) Armour-Cutting Arrow: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6, Armour Piercing (+1/2) (67 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), OAF (-1), Limited Range (-1/4) 2u.....2) Arrow of Blinding Vapours: Darkness to Sight and Smell/Taste Groups 6" radius (65 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), OAF (-1), Removed by high winds or rain (-1/4), Limited Range (-1/4) 2u.....3) Arrow of the Blinding Sun: Flash - Sight Group 14d6 (70 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), OAF (-1), Limited Range (-1/4) 2u.....4) Arrow of Tranquil Mists: Energy Blast 7d6, No Normal Defense (self-contained breathing; +1) (70 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), OAF (-1), Limited Range (-1/4) 2u.....5) Thunderclap Arrow: Energy Blast 9d6+1, Explosion (+1/2) (70 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), OAF (-1), Limited Range (-1/4) 45.....Green Dragon Crescent Blade: Hand-To-Hand Attack +9d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Affects Desolidified - any form (+1/2), Armour Piercing (+1/2) (101 Active Points); OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2) plus Stretching 1", Inherent (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (11 Active Points); Always On (-1/2), Linked (Hand-To-Hand Attack; -1/2) - END=4 Jade Armour, all slots OIF (-1/2) 50.....1) Armour (25 PD/25 ED) (75 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 10.....2) Damage Reduction - Energy, Resistant, 25% (15 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 10.....3) Damage Reduction - Physical, Resistant, 25% (15 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 13.....4) Knockback Resistance -10" (20 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 5......Damage Resistance (5 PD/5 ED) 7......Healing 1 BODY, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (20 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 1/4), Self Only (-1/2) 30.....Life Support (Eating: Character does not eat; Longevity: Immortal; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing; Sleeping: Character does not sleep) (30 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 5......Mental Awareness 10.....Power Defense (10 points) 14.....Running +7" (13" total) - END=1 15....+25 STR, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (37 Active Points); Only to resist Disarms (-1 1/2) 4......+2 PER with Sight Group POWERS Cost: 259 SKILLS +3 with HTH Combat +3 with Bow of Divine Fury Multipower Penalty Skill Levels: +8 vs. Range Modifier with Bow of Divine Fury Multipower Breakfall 15- Defense Maneuver I-IV Gambling 15- KS: Chinese Classic Literature 18- KS: Chinese History 13- KS: Chinese Myths & Legends 17- Language: Cantonese (completely fluent) Language: English (fluent conversation) Language: Mandarin (idiomatic; literate) Rapid Attack (Ranged) Stealth 14- Tactics 16- Teamwork 14- Trading 14- TF: Equines WF: Common Martial Arts Melee Weapons, Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons, Iron Mandarin Duck SKILLS Cost: 123 Cost...TALENTS 8.......Combat Archery 10......Follow-Through Attack 4.......Rapid Archery TALENTS Cost: 22 Value..DISADVANTAGES 10......Distinctive Features: Extremely tall (9 ft) (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10......Distinctive Features: Red Face (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 15......Enraged: If fighting abilities unfairly disparaged (Com), go 8-, recover 11- 10......Hunted: Tiger Squad 8- (Mo Pow; Limited Geographical Area; Harshly Punish) 20......Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow; NCI; Capture) 15......Psychological Limitation: Contemptuous of non-Chinese (Com; Strong) 15......Psychological Limitation: Lives for battle (Com; Strong) 20......Psychological Limitation: Slavishly loyal to Sinister Wang Ho (Com; Total) 15......Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Freq; Major) 10......Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN Magical attacks (Com) 10......Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY Magical attacks (Com) DISADVANTAGES Points: 150 Total Character Cost: 590