TheTemplar

I think that if you, as GM, are willing to assist in the set up of the powers (I believe you mentioned this is a new player, right?) and that the powers are only changeable "at lab" (between sessions) so as not to slow down playing time, a VPP is a workable solution.

Is he going to be changing/creating new weapons as he goes? If so, then yes, definitely a VPP. If he is just planning on using the same weapons all the way along, then I think a MP would better represent this.

OR,

If you, as GM, allow multiple PF's, then have him build a standard arsenal as a MP and then have a small VPP gadget pool to make "special" equipment he may need. For example: If the party knows they'll be facing the Sinister Dr. Simian and his battalion of Ice Monkeys, then before they leave the base, he may want to stop by his lab to create "Thermal Insulation" for his uniform, that gives him, say, 10 ED vs. Cold damage, or, whatever.

-T

Oh, don't get me wrong. I totally agree that efficiency is very important. You have to be able to juggle the numbers of the Hero system to make a character "work." Characters that don't function well within the system can be terribly un-fun to RP.

I'm just that all too frequently forgotten voice in the back of people's heads screaming that this is a Role Playing Game.....not a number crunching game. That's all.

-T

Originally posted by GamePhil

Actually, it's not in 5th Ed, it's in the new edition of Champions, in the section on playing a comedy superhero game. That was really a great shot, too, captured the feel of the originals so well I thought the PPG artist might have done it.

Ah! Yes! That's it. Thanks! I knew I had seen that somewhere. That completely cracked me up. It's Seeker, Solitaire, and ....one of the other MIA Champs..I can't remember who. Funny stuff.

my 2 gp

-T

Awesome! I'm glad the bad dubbing got worked into the concept. Any particular anime artist who's work she resembles?

Going back to your previous post, if she gains no advantage or disad points from it, I would rule it a special effect of her existence.

My 2 gp

-T

Originally posted by Zaratustra

"You are doomed to roam this land as a Bishoujo Charat!"

ROFL!

Sorry, mate. I swear, we're not knocking your character concept here. I think it's a really great idea. It's just that the humorous silliloque's that can accompany such a power are too tempting to pass up!

Just out of curiousity, what's the character like, personality wise? Is she a jokester? Is she ridiculously serious - like to the extreme of some Dragonball Z characters at times?

my 2 gp

-T

Originally posted by Catacomb

Yeah but if you play in a group tha is hung up on points then sometimes you have to Munchkin.

Why? I guess I'm just lucky enough not to have been caught up in such a group, but to me, the fun of the game is being the character, not how many d6 you can blast somebody with. If you're with a group of PwrGmr's that doesn't mean you have to. Just build a character you're going to have fun playing as. Now, if PwrGmng IS fun to you, then by all means, Munchkinize away! I'm just saying, don't let the group dynamic influence what you want to do in building your character.

Now, if you find that their Powergaming/Lack of Powergaming habits make the game NOT fun for you, the I suggest finding a different group to play with, one that better meets what you're looking for in a game.

But again, all this is from a PoV of someone who has always been fortunate (IMHO) enough to be involved in campaigns where characters were more important than their sheets.

My 2 gp

-T

My best guess is that he never fully recovered from the years of beatings he received on the cover of the 4th ed book while it was in circulation. A Brick Wall upside your unproteced Ninja Noggin' delivered courtesy of Doc D for almost 2 straight decades is enough to Ret-Con anybody out of existence. That, or he just joined the Champs PowderPuff Girls (Illustration in FREd somewhere..can't remember the page number...)

My 2 GP

-T

Well, it depends really. Does turning an object into a cartoon give the character any sort of advantage over her opponents? Is she going to use it as a presence attack often?

"Don't mess with me, or I'll Japanimate you!"

If so, then yes, I would think it should be bought as a cosmetic transform with immediate healing time as soon as she breaks contact with said object.

However, if she gains nothing from the ability, then I would rule it is merely a special effect.

Now...If this is also used as a Disad: Greatly Impairing, Always on - can't touch anything w/out it becoming a cartoon, then it shouldn't be worth any points if it can also be used to her advantage.

My 2 gp.

-T

Originally posted by Castaigne

Here are just a few of the approaches I've seen used to maximize point-effectiveness:

 

1) Load all your character's Powers with lots of Limitations, like Charges (12 is good, most combats don't last a Turn anyway), Burnout, Ablative, Gestures, Increased END (END is cheap, and END Reserves even cheaper), Restrainable, Luck Based, and so on. Also search through all the published books and the FAQ for Limitations your GM might not know about. If your GM doesn't impose Active Point caps buy a 30+ DC AOE Attack with one or two charges so you can take out the master villain on the first Phase of a battle.

 

2) Buy all your character's Characteristics with a Limitation. OIF is good if you don't think your GM will bother to take your Focus away, or OIHID if you think he might. A couple of one-turn Continuing Charges are also good (again, most combats don't last over a Turn). Only For Defense, Only Not To Be CON Stunned, and Only To Do Damage are also good if your GM doesn't say no.

 

3) Make sure your character has all the possible Defensive Powers in the rulebook at the maximum level allowed by your GM. DEX doesn't matter if no one can hurt you.

 

4) Go through the rulebook and buy powers with stopsigns and exclamation points. These usually turn out to be the most point-efficient. Desolid and Extra Dimensional Movement are a must.

 

5) Keep your character's Special Effects as general as possible. An 'Energy' EB is a lot harder to counter than a 'Fire' EB.

 

6) Put all your character's attack Powers in a Multipower with at least a dozen u-slots with different Advantages, but buy Defensive and Movement Powers outside any Framework. After you write up your character go through the book again and make sure you didn't miss any Powers or Advantages (u-slots are cheap).

 

7) Don't use any character design software or even a printed character sheet, but write out your character with a blunt pencil on a crumpled piece of paper so the GM can't read it.

Ha! That's hilarious! Especially #7.

Seriously, don't get hung up on points. How many superheroes had all their powers (or knew how to use them all to maximum efficiency) right out of the box? If you're making a new character, just give him/her the base power/powers they need to fit your concept. And keep your DC's to a reasonable range. Also, keep your skill rolls in line w/ what a beginning character would have - say, 15- for 1 or 2 skills that are his/her specialty, and the rest in the 11- or 12- range. Everything can be bought up w/ experience over time, and if you keep some believable active point caps on your powers/characteristics to begin with, you'll have plenty of points to go around. Especially if you're playing 350 pt. characters to start.

My 2 gp.

-T

Yes, when our campaign made the jump from 4th ed to 5th ed, all the power level caps still stayed in place, so the extra 100 pts. made it nice to pick up some new Skills and Perks, as well as gave the opportunity to buy off some disads that had been roleplayed out to resolution without having to pick up a new disad.