zornwil

Re: The Last Word Oh, among many dates! It's going to be a grand time! I think this was the same moment my wife said I could mess around and she'd join in, too. Oh, boy!

Re: The Last Word I can hardly wait, that's when a LOT of promises are coming due!

Re: Hit Location: Heart To me, the most interesting modern twist was provided by the World Weekly News which declared (sadly, as they are indeed non-discriminatory except perhaps being somewhat homophobic) that vampires were dying off in New York City due to catching AIDS. Rather smart idea, actually, and I provide it seriously as a roleplaying notion. I didn't use it directly but did use a derivation and one of the PC's father (uh, Dr. Strange) died as a result of something related. Of course for a master mage, death isn't quite so great a hindrance as for most of us.

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat "Let's just be honest with the citizenry!"

Re: The Last Word Seriously, we call them fox bats. Yes, flying foxes.

Re: Campaign length Wait - did you just post spam? (I'll stop here if you will! Well, I will even if you won't. ) (PS - still giggling over your response - I considered a mock post in kind but figured people might not get it)

Re: Meta SFX I agree, and I think that's another reason to take stock of the SFX and compare to the tools we have. And don't forget, Adjustment Powers essentially demand not only an SFX declaration (as normal) but then a very specialized adjudication of those SFX against defenses. Currently it allows for this Power Defense construct. Some like it just fine, and I understand the argument that it's ultimately no less abstract than "Energy Defense" and simply addresses a particular class of attack. Others don't like it as we've discussed. I think reviewing SFX against these tools becomes at least a useful analysis even if, in the worst case, a dead end - at least we'll know (or rather have better-informed opinions as to) why it's a dead end when done. I tend to think of it two ways: as said, each attack and defense type is defined as abstract classes which are dependent upon the object of an attack, and the object of an attack is either Energy Damage, Physical Damage, Mental Damage, Power Damage, Sensory (Flash) Damage, and whatever else I'm forgetting. But basically it's grouped by the target, strictly. If we perform this method, I tend to think we should combine ED and PD into DEF, but of course that's entirely another argument. Anyway, in this school, we have a choice, then, when SFX matrixed on this stop making sense - one method is we construct the SFX to suit this method, basically, indicating that the class of defense "must" by definition catch the broad category and SFX be thusly derived, and if they are not in line, then there must be a Limitation or such on the class of defense. So in other words, if we purchase Power Defense, it is either very broad/abstract - "My Amulet of Thargon protects my vitality!" or "I'm really lucky!" or "My tough skin acts as a resistant against the types of drains that would hit my powers because they are all under my skin/bio-based" - or then we must pay a Limitation if the PowDef is indeed "only versus biochemical attacks" or the like. Where the SFX comes into play as Lims and Advs, we are into the traditional issue of selecting appropriate values. The other possibility, though, is that SFX is simply considered equally and unless particularly restrictive (whatever that means, again requiring definition) then we simply review the intersection of results and the GM rules accordingly, so the PowDef is described in some specific detail as is any incoming attack and judged accordingly. And, of course, one can certainly do this somewhere in-between, I'm not suggesting it's black and white. The other way is to view that attacks come in certain broad SFX flavors, Energy, Physical, or Mental. We can then give guidelines (maybe only in a compendium, maybe not a core book thing) to how to broaden or narrow that (to address if people want only "DEF" for Phys/Ener or (more likely) they want to broaden to, as Fantasy HERO suggests, Arcane, which basically I already had in my supers game as Supernatural). If this is true, I would posit we only need to define things as Limited further by SFX if more restrictive (again guidelines are helpful) and we need also then only AVLD and NND to help us much of the time. Reviewing Flash Defense and the like becomes an exercise in utility and comparison to these values, whether we keep that explicitly or not. There certainly remains reasons to keep the other Defense types, for pragmatic purposes, but they then need to be viewed in light of "attack SFX" reasoning as opposed to "target object" reasoning. The real condundrum is that it is not at all clear which is the "correct" (in this context meaning as it relates to original intention as neither is right nor wrong) way from the HERO core. In fact, there probably isn't a correct way, it's likely that the authors didn't think this through all the way to this level of detail, particularly given the way the system evolved. I'm not sure which is better even if I tend to lean towards basing the dynamics on broad attack type rather than target type - there are certainly strengths to both approaches. I think in the end the system would be streamlined and clarified by choosing one approach and then ensuring the rules revolve around that method very clearly, and the gaps are filled in with that approach in mind. Especially if you then consider how this factors into other related issues such as Life Support.

Re: Hit Location: Heart Actually, isn't it also true that metal doesn't do it, just wood, right? I always do it as instant death as in Buffy, once the spot is nailed. I liked KA's post...maybe that is it. Maybe it's a matter of a combo of a specialized power (more on that in a moment) along what MitchellS said and I added not knowing his comment, along with the penalty not being quite so high due to vampire blood lust and all that... so the maneuver might be something like a specialized form of Find Weakness, the SFX is the study of the opponent fot the right opening. Requires something like a half phase dedicated per player phase, requires 1 Turn or whatever, then make the FW roll, or perhaps it's a regular FW roll but with Skill Levels which require Half Phase Preparation per +1 to Skill Level, something like that, so the character will be concentrating during combat on studying and maneuvering so as to get the pluses and when ready, strikes. This tends to simulate Buffy combat well, anyway, and explains why, except for when the plot or humor really needs it, it takes her a few phases to put down even mediocre vampires. Or she's just a cat who enjoys her mice, which has also been alluded to in the series (the sub-theme of it about not battling monsters lest ye become one).

Re: Hit Location: Heart I don't disagree with your comment at all except for where we get into the whole nature of simulating story-telling - so the "average" person seems almost amazingly inept at hitting a vampire (even if they know the heart is the target) while the Scooby Gang is rather quite good at it and Buffy, of course, is superior. The real gap is between common and the Scooby Gang, which on first glance I have no problem with BUT the problem then comes in that the Sccoby Gang is plot-device-centric and so they suddenly can or can't do things that call into question what average and above average bars are. And of course Buffy as well will suddenly not hit a heart phase after phase after phase before nailing it. Maybe Extra Time... seriously, though, it's hard to draw from fickle source material, but then that's the age-old gaming-from-the-source problem, anyway.

Re: Hit Location: Heart Whoops, thanks much!

Re: Is missile deflection needed? I think the same suggestions tend to recur every so often...no disrespect to any of the authors along the way, but both parallel development and unintentional reuse occur. There's so much info on these boards it's impossible (practically) to organize and retain it (unless of course one really just did that on probably at least a 10 hour a week basis).

Re: Meta SFX Well, I think we can look to the HERO system itself for the first layer of SFX because...lo and behold, in fact, there is a STRONG system precedent - PD, ED, and MD. It is, at the least, interesting that PD and ED were split out instead of just being DEF. Some believe these should be folded in together, even. But anyway, the system has a core mechanic around "type of defense" with (very) broad SFX as the differentiator. There's a lesson here somewhere, at the least that we don't want characters to have all-encompassing defense and there's a core SFX used to defeat that. Then the system goes on to include that further limiting SFX is worth a Limitation. And that some powers require SFX definition, even, and expanding SFX is an Advantage. So I think the message here is that in order for the system to work well we need solid guidelines as to what constitutes broad SFX and what constitutes narrow SFX in a given campaign. Much of that is implicit in the current book and some of it is even explicit. I don't think anyone is suggesting one list will fit all campaigns, but at least that there could be a system to govern the relationships among the non-SFX fundamentals and the SFX layer already present on the system, with hierarchal schema building if needed and matrixing of effects. At least that's how I would view this endeavor. Out of it there may be a "standard" or multiple genre standards but that's not really relevant compared to the methodology of how one derives or rewrites that standard for one's campaign.

Re: Triforce of Roleplaying Wisdom

Re: Lets cut the crap...

Re: Lets cut the crap... There was a reason for my wink there...

Re: Lets cut the crap...

Re: Lets cut the crap... Cool, well, good luck! Do fill us in on how it goes, hope it goes well.

Re: Lets cut the crap...

Re: Lets cut the crap... I was just speaking for myself. I don't run preset worlds pretty much ever, so I end up doing the work anyway.

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER

Re: A really variable variable power pool Given you want/need the granularity, I'd go with MitchellS-cum-Hugh's suggestion, for the record. It's similar to what I did (though I did it quite cheesily/badly but in concept it was this way and the values simply needed to be modded) to the Urban Druid's urban power set, which wasn't a VPP but was levels of power, basically partially limited, according to three tiers of urbanization.

Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent I tend towards keeping it simply because I like it and I think it can be used. However, it's a low priority and I can see addressing it other ways - and from a purist rules perspective had in the past waffled either way, tending more towards perks lately as that does seem consistent HOWEVER... let me say this that I think influences it a bit more. RDU Neil has suggested, and I agree, that points are very much about control. The points the player spends and where he spends them signifies where he is taking control in the environment, and the points given back are ceding control to the GM. Not that it's all about this, but it is a primary effect, I believe. Now think about that in COM terms - what we are saying, then, is we have a low/no value stat (depending a lot on how people play it) but we are giving the players COMPLETE control over it! I say this because of the level of granularity given to players for this - any player can build their character to fit among the others as they so choose, with no ability for other characters or even the GM to say "Well, you're effectively the same" which would well be true with Perks and how they normally are done, but is never true with an open-ended char which a player can always point to and say, at least, "My character is 1 point prettier than Fred's!" And as people have said here, players do buy it up. And think about what we're emulating...heroic fiction, which has no such ranking, but which people love to talk about the relative comeliness of their heroines and heroes. So we get an, at worst, throwaway stat that gives the players 100% control (at inception, anyway) and models the importance of appearance in the source material. So I think a true case can be made to keep it, as I now think about it.

Re: Most Feared Disadvantage I see Unluck as fairly rare and the one more people have an absolute averse reaction to. I think this is simply gamer superstition, the feeling that Unluck is sure to run against you while Luck is rarely going to go your way. Berserks aren't bought, either, and I think that is probably really the worst deal as written - even villains don't want that one if they're PCs. Though from what I hear the most feared is simply the "Wilson disadvantage" for whatever I'll bring into the game!

Re: Hit Location: Heart -8 sounds like too much. I'd have to go back to see what I did, though, because this is a tricky area. It seems difficult, in much horror relating to vampires, for people, even Slayers, to hit the heart. Chest is -3 in HERO; I agree with the above comment I thought Vitals was groin in HERO, which people tend to be very protective of for bio reasons and assume the -8 has to do with that. The heart being in the middle of the chest and it comprising a known and significant area, I would tend to think anywhere from -4 to -6. I think I went with -4 but a better argument might be made for -6, same as Hands, that seemed about right to me - your first is the size of your hand. I think a reason I went with -4, though, is that vampires (I think) have a very high OCV to start so I found it became prohibitive too fast to hit at all, since the rest of the body did no damage at all. PS - but following my comment about humans and groins, well, maybe -8 is just about right - I just think if you have DEX 30+ vampires, which seems about right to me, it gets WAY too hard to hit them

Re: Is missile deflection needed? Maybe I missed it, but what about the Reflection part? Good discussion. I tend to agree that Deflection as a power is unnecessary. There have been a lot of conversations around why people can't do "x" with Deflection, and all the messiness related to its restriction methods. I don't know if a manuever is the right way or not but might be. One thing does that MD doesn't do which Block does, I'll point out, is alter the order of action in combat, so that has to be folded in somewhere.