zornwil

Q: What comes after the 4 Horsemen? A: I don't know, but you're not who you think you are!

Missed it, thanks, am checking it out.

But in a lower power/lower speed game you can use a d4 (assuming 4 is the max) or 3 cards or if it's really low-powered a coin! Heads, you go, heads or tails, I go! Yeah, I suppose if you're being "realistic" though you'd get the odd situation where that brick/MA thing could happen. Like if the MA guy had a bad cold and the brick was feeling especially good about himself - I think the die rolls simulate things like that and you have to kind of "back into" it sometimes. Although I hate the fact I can't recall an example right now, some of the funniest moments are when a series of die rolls leads a player to create a funny story around why it went that way.

Yeah, I remember this, my system is the other path of evolution (if you will) from the original. I liked it the original way and wasn't so interested in the new method, but liked the detail of maneuvers and variability the new method provided.

This highlights SPD's biggest importance currently - predictability. It's not just that I move faster, I know WHEN I'll move and with just some observation, it doesn't take long to figure out when you'll move. I don't have a problem with this. I think it fits heroic playing quite well, giving the kinds of split-second mvoes seen in that sort of world. But it is another lack of realism. I wouldn't use it, but that's a good suggestion as are other such SPD randomizations. It would probably work especially well in a sub-super or low-powered game.

That's funny, one of the PCs in my current game is a morph-type who loves to imitate Elvis and has spent lots of points to do so (as well as received lots of points from the GM who loves the whole thing and how the character handles it). He's actually this weird lifeform with no real knowledge of his past except that he awoke in this biochem (and more) company's lab, as the subject of experimentation. Now here's the funny part - when the character first came on the scene, the other players didn't know about the Elvis idea, and the player with this character had only conceived the idea and executed nothing, so there were no clues other than some reference on his sheet. Another player created an NPC for a detective agency with an extreme psych disad for...Elvis Presley! She loved him fanatically. So when Sammy, the character in question above, appeared as Elvis, she freaked out. She's still convinced that he really is Elvis, and that Elvis was/is a mutant. Unfortunately her love for him is unrequited (after all, he's not at all human), and now he's found one of his own kind and is becoming a partner with this new friend.

The players haven't met the REAL "big bad" yet. They had a long-running battle with Kingpin but honestly he wasn't really enough to make them groan out loud, except maybe once or twice. The surprise to me in a way was an effective nearly-human group I set up called Fox Force Five, modeled after the mention in Pulp Fiction. These women have not been defeated and have proved difficult to deal with, both in the PCs' "regular" life as well as in super-hero mode. However, they are mercenaries and really not so evil that things have escalated to all-out war. Oh, and Magneto - he's a tough cookie. They are now at odds, as Magneto demands that mutants join his cause. As the PCs' friends, Professor X/the X-Men (who actually are an under-powered team that goes up against Magneto but is somewhat easily beat by him right now), have become embroiled in conflict with Magneto, so have they. They've only had one battle and even since then have conversed. In that one battle, it was more like shadowboxing. I restrained Magneto a bit, mainly because he's not interested in killing. However, after he was surprised at their strength in battle, he's warned them next time he won't hold back - via a warning to ALL mutants that times are grave and if he must kill other mutants, then he will. It's something he greatly dislikes, but now feels that the battle-lines within his own community must be drawn and he must be more aggressive.

Re: The world of Champions I hope you don't mind if I just link my site, at http://www.asterick.com/realschluss/x-champions/ - the "issues" section is the stories part but there's probably stuff under the "world settings" and "history" you might find useful.

Another resource on the boards is at http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5141

Wow, just caught up to this, excellent! Thanks Mr. Vimes!!!

In my current game there's no such thing as a Sorcerer Supreme though Dr. Strange exists. There isn't quite enough magic users or historical organizations to make it that organized. Although rivalries abound, I think they're similar to those of "regular" supers, different people with different agendas. In my old campaign there was indeed a Sorcerer Supreme. Contendors had to go through separate journies, each with their second, all journies leading to the same single spot, a battlefield. In the campaign, Dr. Strange died and his son, one of the PCs and a necromancer (or rather THE Necromancer), naturally went for it, with another PC, a darkness elemental, in tow as second. He failed in his quest, with Dr. Fate winning. Other contenders included China Left (NPC I created, a martial artist with mystical influences) with her second the Unspoken (a healer and utility spell-caster), Screech the Cat (another self-created NPC, this one an actual cat who while supernatural has no real magical powers, simply amplified powers of the cat) with his second Swamp Thing (as in the comics), Dr. Fate (generally as in the comics but much more of a conspiratorial schemer, though for the cause of good) with Deadman (again, as in the comics), and Mr. E (yes, as from the Gaiman portrayal) with his second the Shadow (pretty much as in pulp legend although a bit more oogity-boogity, still with the 6-shooters though). The role of the Sorcerer Supreme is to basically protect Earth/humanity, organizing others when necessary but mainly taking on the responsibility as the central, most powerful, and hugely important symbolic figure in that struggle. Full details are at http://www.asterick.com/realschluss/provisional_champions/kill_komix/kill_komix_57.htm if you are so interested. Sorry that the details aren't all that narrative, they were done at a time when I didn't spend much time on it as I now do.

Re: The Old Guard I don't use them much, and there aren't too many. Heroes started just prior to 1950 so the oldest guard is 50 years old, but very few of the original few have lived on. In fact the first super, whose powers closely resembled Superman of the comic books, was killed very early on. The oldest active super is Spiderman, who arose shortly after Superman in 1948. He's semi-retired now. My players have met him drinking heavily (with his body chemistry it takes a LOT to get himself drunk) at a private party in a secret Detroit mutant club that exclusively caters to the better-known and more glamorous heroes. He's a bit cynical but still light-hearted; a bit of a womanizer in his old age. They've also run into Dr. Strange, whose been around since the late '60s. He's fairly serious and is actually keeping tabs due to a somewhat reckless scientist-turned-occultist in the group. Doc Magnus has been around since the '60s as well, and developed the Metal Men in 1965. They've been rebuilt several times, naturally, and our group has met them as well. Also they've met Doc Magnus whose a very distracted, erratic but brilliant scientist. Basically, these have all served mostly as color, but in a few cases also as contacts. Doc Magnus was unable or unwilling to help one character develop some deep government contacts but Gold was willing to do so. There's a more detailed but sadly incomplete world history at http://www.asterick.com/realschluss/x-champions/x-champions_setting/x-history.htm More general info on the world setting linked at http://www.asterick.com/realschluss/x-champions/x-champions_setting/index.html

Someone already posted WWN; you're welcome to plunder anything from my campaign site http://www.asterick.com/realschluss/x-champions/, either browsing in particular http://www.asterick.com/realschluss/x-champions/x-champions_issues/index.html or the characters at http://www.asterick.com/realschluss/x-champions/x-champions_setting/x-npc-supers-regular.htm

Given the original issues/problem posed, I think Treb's right. Personally, though, I think MA is too expensive for regular human guys who want a leg up and way too cheap for bricks who suddenly get all these non-genre-convention maneuvers for a few points. That's why I apply Martial Arts as an advantage to STR, each +5 in Martial Arts is a +1/4 to STR. Note though that is for maneuvers, not for additional DCs or weapons (but you have to buy the STR up first).

I'd do it as INT-based rolls, PC vs NPC. What I'd do in addition is for the character who is speaking the other language (the one doing the slip to mess up the one being interrogated) is modify their INT roll as follows (bear in mind this is top of head): 1 point in language = don't even try it (or if you're like me and tend to be overly-sympathetic and let people try stuff, I'd do a -10 for sure) 2 points in language = -6 3 points in language = -4 4 points in language = -2 5 points in language = 0 (yeah, that's right, it's a big-deal trick and it's the one idea where I think you could justify that 5-point investment - otherwise i've never really seen a reason to buy more than 4 points, but you just provided it!) +2 per +1 point over 5 points (if for whatever odd reason the character bought extra)

All I can really say is that I let disad points reduce the amount the player has to pay for summons, followers, multiform, etc., and have never had a problem with it. Obviously YMMV, but just reporting in case the original posters or others are wondering who it's worked out in real life.

Bah, the suggestion is heresy and for being tolerant you are a heretic as well! Seriously, I'd like to hear the motivation to "even out" the bell curve, i.e., what is the problem being addressed. That being said, I don't like the idea of a flatter curve, I like the way it is shaped now except that the scale is a bit limited given the cheap cost to buy up skills. I really like what was said about 3d8 though and that just might work, have to give it some thought, retaining 11/less or just upping it a bit. Maybe even 3d10 with 13/less even. Given I find people powergame with skills more than powers in my group yet I like having high-points skills, this may be a reasonable adjustment. I'm not sure I like making it more difficult per se, just a lower curve perhaps, so maybe I'll try 3d8 or 3d10 with 13/less (mid-curve) or 17/less (similar to 3d6, just past mid-curve) and see if that simply makes the higher and lower degrees of success more gradually sloped. Then again, I'm not sure it's worth messing with. It isn't broken. Just the urge to tweak to see if it can fit the group "precisely".

I think HERO is pretty strong material for any type of course but while I agree there's some affinity for gamist, there's also an affinity almost as strongly towards simulation, given its degree of detail and its flexibility. For myself as a GM, I'd say it depends on in-combat, out-of-combat. In-combat: 40% Gamist, 30% Simulation, 30% Narrative (I'd ilke to change that mix to like 50% Narrative, 25% Gamist, 25% Simulation but I just get caught up in effects and mechanics personally (he hit with this attack, you are stunned, it must be so) - fortunately players provide some good narrative to make up!) Out-of-combat: 50% Narrative, 35% Simulation, 15% Gamist - I'm pretty happy with this for my GMing style and interaction with players, it seems to work well For myself as a player though: In-combat: 40% Narrative, 35% Simulation, 25% Gamist, roughly, it's pretty even though I'm not combat-effective and not too concerned with it if the GM is sharp enough to compensate just a tad Out-of-combat: 60% Narrative, 30% Simulation, 10% Gamist, at least that's my guess

My problem with making a boost to SPD intriniscally cost END (I mean for maintaining the SPD, not the boost itself) is that it is an exception compared to any other characteristic you would boost. Perhaps the real solution for the HERO system is to redefine SPD - is it a characteristic...or a power?? HERO defines MD as a power even though its base, if you buy the power, is derived from characteristics. Perhaps SPD should be the same; at least in this event all the exceptional things about it fall into the "powers are different" category.

Oh what the heck, I'll do it... Q: What did the elven woman say to John Holmes? A: No, really, you look good in those glasses.

Q: Is that a banana or are you just glad to see me? A: Not on a rainy day, never.

Q: What the brick said as he went unconscious facing the Martial Artist A: It's NOT 1492! AND it's not 1453!

Wow, all the groups I've been in have been so boring in comparison...thankfully so! Have you heard Arcady's horror stories of groups? Now there's some real bizarre stuff, including a crack user who showed up to a game and did a "show and tell" with the crack pipe - among even more severe craziness. It's somewhere over on the M&M boards.

Great stories, I just snipped the one above to put my question into context - so how in the world did the GM buy off on those characters using guns when he was supposed to run a semi-/mostly-realistic Renaissance game?

Re: Mmmmm Nonetheless, it is vital to determine if this new campaign world allows gay marriages Seriously, I'd throw in this thread but am coincidentally working on the same thing with lemming, kind of sort of maybe (we'll see how it goes) and so I'm "saving myself". Just dropped a message to subscribe to the thread...