TheEmerged

Re: Just Plain Unnerving There's a promenient NPC in the campaign I'm running named Karl Bensom, AKA "The Creep". Part of his power-set is similar to what's being asked about here, so here's what I gave him. #1 -- He starts with a 30 PRE, and adds +30 PRE with the "Costs END" limitation. #2 -- To this is added a Physical Limitation, "Chance of accidentally firing off a full-power PRE attack when under stress". This costs him 3 END, obviously. #3 -- Karl also has an AE PRE Suppress and he has "Limited Conscious Control" of (-1). He has a chance to be able to activate in on purpose, and a chance for it to go off at inconvenient moments. #4 -- He also has a Change Environment to reduce EGO rolls (by -4). By GM fiat I've ruled that this makes people more impulsive as well. #5 -- He also has a base 0 (zero) COM score, with an additional -10, -20, and -30 COM purchased with staggered activation rolls. By GM fiat, this roll is once per character, so if he gets the 8- roll necessary for the -30 COM that's how you're gonna see him from now on. #6 -- Finally, he's got DF: "Creepy" to reflect the way the "bad vibes" he gives off makes him easier to spot/track.

Re: Sky High Gamer's Eye Micro-Review

Re: Sky High Gamer's Eye Micro-Review Quite enjoyable. The first movie I've seen this year with a real chance of ending up on my DVD shelf. Despite some obvious criticisms, I enjoyed myself and yes, caught myself mentally writing them up in my head. Okay, it's Disney -- you can guess 60% of the plot if you've seen a preview, and will figure out about 35% within the first 15 minutes or so of the movie. (The remaining 5% is a from-left-field trick). Warren Peace was actually the most compelling of the characters -- perhaps because he was the only one that wasn't an obvious stereotype, just a "stage two" stereotype. I suspect Bruce Campbell must've hated gym when he was a kid, because he *pegs* the Sadistic Gym Teacher. Lynda Carter's one Wonder Woman moment is actually a notch deeper than it looks... RE: No Mentalists. Speaking as someone that's purposefully limited the mind-readers in his campaign world, that's not a surrpise. The writer/creator obviously wanted to go with the Astro City mindset ("People have amazing abilities and great crisis happen every day, yet somehow society and day-to-day life haven't changed that much"), and mind-reading *requires* changes to the setting or a Duex Ex way around it (ask yourself, how many mind-readers have you seen in Astro City?).

Re: Everyman - What Do *You* Want To See? Give me "Normals Unbound" with a more consistent attribute scale and I'll be happy Oh, and a soapbox -- as much as possible, keep the writeups to where I don't have to turn a page to read anything. If they're more than one page, put them on the left and right of the spine...

Re: What Super-game you like? I prefer a power level somewhere between the "Teen Titans/New Warrior" level and "Avengers" level. I don't want the players afraid that a thug with a gun might get a lucky shot, but I want military forces to give them pause. If describing it by comic genre/era, I prefer a mix of Iron Age and Pulp with some Golden Age leavening. I think it's important to consider how certain genre elements might have gotten started, and just as important to consider how those elements might have affected the world (the one thing I don't like about Astro City). For example, when the PC's (who are villains) ran afoul of Eurostar, it was apparent the loser of the fight wouldn't be seeing another day. Both sides knew it, and both sides fought that way. However they found they needed to "team up" with the Champions against the villain from "Champions Battleground" (who I beefed up to the 1600 pt range), they didn't kill the Champions at the end of the fight -- there was no reason to. I've also made it a point to give most of the villains a redeeming point, and most of the heroes a chink in their armor. For example, Lady Blue is something of a gloryhound with definite lefty tendencies. Defender knows darn well that Sapphire and Witchcraft (actually Solitaire in my campaign) are interested in him and are letting them chase him until he catches them...

Re: Two ways but which do you prefer. Traditionally I prefer the "pay full price for your real SPD / take a Physical Limitation to restrict what you can do in those phases" method. Quite often the payback for limited SPD is not in line with how often it actually limits the character. That, and my experience from when I allowed it make me back off. It causes all sorts of fun with how Abort actions work, for example...

Re: Sky High The Movie RE: The "Kim Possible" Connection. Given that this is one of the most surprisingly entertaining cartoons of the last several years, that's a good thing. I still say they ripped PS238 off I'll be seeing it soon anyway...

Re: Comic books Interesting that someone mentioned Astro City without mentioning the issue of Astro City that dealt with comics books in that world. I found that one to be closer to the truth -- that they exist, but the writers for the "real" books sometimes problems with how the villains are portrayed. I also agree with the assertion from Watchmen that the other genres would get more attention. Of course, part of that is conceit (I'm from the school of thought that comics need to start looking into other genres if they expect to survive much longer, because video games are taking over the power-fantasy market).

Re: Telepaths Must Die! Can I chime in? Speaking for the campaign world the original quote comes from, it's important to remember that the campaign world was nearly conquered by a mind-control villain during the late 70's. This directly led to this campaign world's registration acts -- although the actual implementation was more complicated due to politics (long story, pointless tangent). I enacted this as part of a campaign justification for one aspect of a campaign rule I'm enforcing -- the "no power that trivializes a mystery" rule. I didn't want the PC's to think they were being 'picked on', so I went to this extreme to minimize the number of psionics in the campaign world. Of course it also meant the surviving psionics tend to be rather more powerful...

Re: a few BoECV Questions Note that you can buy Damage Resistance to make your existing MD resistant. Also note that the stun done by a RKA BoECV still gets non-resistant MD applied against the STUN result, and the BODY result isn't going to matter unless it is bought with Does Body.

Re: Help with a power please Teleporter/Speedster Variant of this trick Missile Reflection, based on Teleportation (or superspeed). Game effect is that you reflect an attack against you to another opponent. SFX is that you quickly teleported to a point between the victims and then teleport back to your original location after they shoot. A limitaiton for "Reflection effect can be countered with a successful INT check" might be appropriate to allow the victim to realize it's a trick.

Re: How to build this power Another method that has seen print is a slight variation on Fox1's suggestion. The 'stacked EB' build, but tied to an END Reserve. The reserve size is set to be exactly equal to the maximum cost of the EB. The REC is just about fast enough to take that amount of time for the END to reach full power.

Re: Does Seeker still suck? For my own campaign, I created my own version of the black-suited Seeker and named him KnightSeeker, at around 650 points (the PC's are in the mid 400's). My main problem with NightDuck is, you guessed it, the duckbill. Second to this is that he's supposed to replace Seeker's unrealistic origin, so they took Doom's origin and gave him Batman's costume.

Re: Belief in magic by normals. In my own version of the CU, the "mainstream" and "official US Government position" is the novas demonstrating 'magic' abilities are a class of nova dubbed the "Bargainer" (a term I shamelessly stole from the Brave New World game world). This has a lot to do with the fact that one of the earliest such novas was named the Bargainer and gave this explanation. Most people accept this. It's not completely true. There is magic in the universe -- it's one of the metaFX (nova power, magic, psionics, technology). However it *is* true for *most* of the people running around in costumes doing this are novas with a power that mimics "magic". One important subrule I have about Bargainers is that at some point they always have to make a choice between having great versatility but lower power, or great power but either much narrower scope or some significant weakness. So all Bargainer novas will tend toward one of those ends.

Re: Superhero Football I've run a number of Superhero sports in my day. Having nova detects (AKA the 'hound powers' -- Detect Active Use of Nova Powers and Detect Person Lacking Normal Characteristic Maxima) with appropriate advantages available for refs solves a lot of potential problems For Volleyball, I had the following rules: You can use any power as long as it doesn't affect the other side of the field, prevent the ball from crossing the net, or change the "essential characteristics" of the playfield. Any force that redirects the ball counts as a hit. All other rules of volleyball apply as literally as possible. So you could hit the ball telekinetically (assuming it's on your side of the net), but you still can't grab it. Each player can't hit the ball more than once in a row, no matter how many arms or methods of hitting are available (remember, the refs can detect power usage). You also can't attack the other players, use TK to hit the ball on the other side of the field, or create a force wall that prevents the ball from crossing the net (the "net walling" provision). You also couldn't mind control the oppossing side, as they're on the other side of th net. For Football, I made the following provisions There is considered to be another bound marker 5 meters above the ground for players. The ball can traverse the vertical boundary without going out of play but a player cannot. The ground can cause a fumble, provided said ground is being manipulated by a nova power. No power can be used that changes the "essential characteristics" of the field. This is a sport, not gladiatorial combat. You cannot energy blast someone any more than you can punch them. "Attack" Mental powers such as Mind Control, Mental Illusions, or telepathy used against an opponent can only be used during the play (between the snap and the whistle). "Communication" powers like Mindlink, Radio Listen/Transmit, or telepathy used with a teammate can only be used outside the play (from the whistle to the snap). Teleportation cannot cross a 5-yard marker. This makes it great for lateral moves but lousy for going forward. Tunneling is disallowed for the ball carrier but otherwise allowed. The play is considered dead if for any reason the ball crosses the "ground line". All other football rules are enforced as literally as possible.

Re: Mental Defense RE: Previous NPC Examples. 4th Edition varied wildly on its standards for "normal" NPCs. I think it was Normals Unbound that described an 8 INT character as being smarter than a 10 INT character later in the same book is described (going from memory, have to check to be sure). As for 10 being "better" for normals than 8? Had I been at Steve Long's typewriter, I'd have made it 6. Normals are disproportionately hard to kill in HERO relative to the way they're depicted in most genres in my opinion, and a 10- in a curving 3d6 system combined with the Time Chart option can be rather effective... but that's my opinion, you're certainly allowed to have a different one

Re: What is Casual STR meant to be? I generally don't like to repeat myself in posts, but I think this one is warranted. If it matters enough to you that the complication is worth the trouble, by all means go for it. If not, don't. Math jokes aside, we aren't talking rocket science here. This is a game, and the point of a game is to have fun. If something needs to be very realistic for you to enjoy it, that's your taste. Getting evangelical about it is not usually a good idea -- tastes vary. One of the best things HERO has over most systems, in my something-other-than-humble opionion, is the ease with which it accomodates other tastes. For example, I use the Hit Location rules in place of the StunMod rules for killing attacks. I feel it alleviates the "stun lotto" and is more dramatic ("Your shadow bolt strikes NightDuck in the head, breaking his beak and improving his appearance..." ). I also feel that it eliminates a 'rogue mechanic', although this is a minor factor. However, I feel this can make firearms too lethal for the superheroic genre. So I adopt a complication by which weapons with the "Real" limitation are limited to x2 Stun against superpowered opponents (anyone lacking Normal Characteristic Maxima). This is a complication that makes things work the way I want them to, but is a complication and some people feel the system is complicated enough. I certainly feel that way about the Hurry/HipShot options, which I've disallowed for my campaigns.

Re: Mental Defense RE: Amount of dice needed to Mind Control a normal person. I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you that the average person has an 8 EGO, not a 10. 10 is the starting point for characters. I'll try to avoid the argument about GM's over-requiring the higher levels of EGO effect though...

Re: What is Casual STR meant to be? At least in my mind, Casual STR is how much STR you can use without burning END or taking a half-phase action. So I can lug a 10-lb reference book without burning END, but if I try for that 40-lb bag of cement it's going to cost me END -- that's the metaphorical line. The mechanical line is just that -- a mechanic. Ignore or modify it as you wish. If it matters enough to you that you feel the added complication is worth it, go for it. If you don't? Hey, glad you enjoy the game.

Re: Mental Defense I've allowed it as a figured characteristic for over a decade, and recommend this optional rule heartily. One addition I'd make has to do with the NCM listings. I made it the reverse of the PD/ED; it's lower for young characters and higher for older characters. Why wasn't it made default? One possible reason is that when 5th Edition was being prepared, there was a mandate "from on high" that *no* changes were to be made "that would require every character to remake their sheets" (wording from Steve Long). That would include this simple, obvious change.

Re: Creative uses for Change Environment Pacificist Field: -6 OCV in a wide area (back when I was allowing Megascale to affect AE radius). It suddenly becomes very difficult for anybody to hit the broad side of a barn. "Impulse" Field: -6 to Ego rolls. Doesn't help with the initial damage roll, but makes breakout rolls substantially harder. It also meant those within the field were more likely to act on instinct/reaction. Faire Fire: -4 to DCV, logic being that it made everyone in the area glow slightly and hence be easier to hit. This lasted one combat before I asked the player to drop it; in theory it would work because both side would be affected, in practice one side was prepared to this change and the other wasn't.

Re: The Rodney Dangerfield Effect Well, this can be as simple as not buying the applicable PRE skills. Most people are more likely to listen to a good argument than the truth Personally I'd lean more toward making it a Psychological (inability to form a believable argument) or Social disadvantage (comes across as know-it-all, or tendency for "I told you so" whether or not he actually did). I can however see the logic behind the Reputation suggestion -- just make sure the character isn't allowed to "double dip" and get multiple sets of points for the same disadvantage.

Re: How would you simulate this in combat? I've allowed characters to get bonus damage dice (up to +4d6) for making successful applicable KS: rolls before to simulate this kind of thing. It's a good way to encourage characters to buy appropriate KS's I require the KS to be pretty specific though (KS: Avengers at minimum to get +1d6 on Captain America, KS: Captain America to get any higher...).

Re: How much XP do you give and why? Depends on the adventure; tends to average 5 to 8. This may be too much for some campaigns, but to each their own playstyle Usually I determine a set of objectives before the session. It's usually impossible to acheive all the objects; usually at least two or three will be exclusive. Here's a sample, the 'Michtendorf' adventure (took 3 sessions to complete). Reminder: the PC's are villains. +1 for determining the truth behind the legal troubles of Charles Morris +0.5 for discovering the fourth slot on Charles's EC +0.5 for learning Esper's secret identity +0.5 for taking her to PSI, +0.5 if they convince her to go willingly +1 for keeping Esper's secret (exclusive with the above) +1 for helping Perry Noia regain his credibility with PRIMUS (so as to acquire a mole within PRIMUS...) +0.5 for "outing" Perry Noia as an unregistered nova (exclusive with the above) +1 for discovering the secret of the Crossover family +1 for defeating the Electric Angel +1 for escaping the police ambush without killing any of them +1 for discovering the Black Mask's secret Identity +0.5 each for finding the 'secret' locations of the VIPER nest and ARGENT base +0.5 for helping David McDarns out of his financial trouble +0.5 for giving the information about David McDarns to William Cranston (exclusive with the above) +0.5 for solving the disappearance of the swim team at the high school +1 for solving the murder of the football team at the high school +0.5 for successfully framing someone other than the guilty party of the above two points +1 for discovering the truth about the nova bounty +0.5 for rescuing the bounty victims +1 for discovering who is framing the Constitutional Reform Party +0.5 for discovering why +0.5 for discovering the REAL reason why +1 for successfully framing either PRIMUS or UNTIL for the bounty +Perk = establishing contact with the Gambioni 'family' As you can see, there were a LOT of potential experience running around thanks to a fair number of "side quests" and a fairly involved adventure (it took 3 sessions for a reason).

Re: Skill Levels--limits? My long-standing rule has been that no attack roll can benefit from skill levels by more that +50%, rounded down. So if you have an OCV of 8, it can benefit from at most +4 levels. An OCV of 7 can benefit from at most +3 levels.