Doc Democracy

Re: Metamorphosis

Re: Metamorphosis

Re: Metamorphosis

Re: Suggestions requested. It would appear as though you are looking for a limited form of invisibility. Hero is a system where the special effects of powers might be varied. Invisibility might represent the ability to vanish into thin air. It might also represent the ability to walk unnoticed among people - possibly limited as to whether recording devices such as cameras notice you. If you want to become invisible at will and for people not to notice that you have just vanished then the GM might require you to take invisible power effects on the power. I would imagine that a cloak of illusions as you describe would be Invisibility, obvious focus (probably accessible), not when fighting, only to avoid notice (cameras will pick up presence), O END. Don't have my book with me and so no numbers attached. Doc

Re: New to system... character ?? Excellent, it's a fantastic genre and one I think that Hero is particularly suited to. I would suggest thinking about the background to the character that you want to play - come up with a 100-200 word description and then try to put statistics to the words (make a character). If you want to post your character (with background) to the Pulp Hero forums, the excellent people there would be more than happy to critique and suggest other stuff. Remember to tell them the points the GM is making available to you (benchmarks are less prominent in pulp hero games but flavour is paramount). Doc

Re: New to system... character ??

Re: Metamorphosis

Re: Metamorphosis As I said before, I tend to do shapeshifting characters by buying powers and using shapeshift as the SFX of those powers. I was wondering whether shapeshift should possibly be a discussion of how other powers might be limited or advantaged or simply just stated using Shapeshift as the SFX justification of the powers? That is, lose the actual power shapeshift but explain how to achieve such a thing through the use of other powers - perhaps (in Hero terms) its not a power that exists at all - it is a simply a justification for other powers that "do the job better".... Doc

Re: Making a Force Field Bubble Under this interpretation would the FF protect those within the area from attacks from other people within it - that is the area effect either gives everyone a FF style protection - or only protects from those outside the area - more like the bubble effect? Doc

Re: Skills System - Out of Synch? Am I mixing up thinking and tinkering? perhaps I need to get away from work and get some sleep....

Re: Question: Movement 'Trick' This is another mental disconnect between reality and the system. The speed chart is, IMO (and many others in the Best Bit thread), one of the best things about Hero. It does however lead to these strange semi-wargame problems. Movement is not and never has been done on a segment by segment basis. With the right mix of movement and speed the faster (by velocity) character can be caught by the slower one - because phases come up irregularly. My own take on this is that if you use a full phase in moving then it takes you a full phase to do it - you don't move your full phase movement in a segment and then stop while the next two segments tick past and then move again. Thus, in the example above the flight and teleport take up your full phase and the next time anything happens your next phase - no falling - no concerns about falling - just what you are going to do in your next phase. In my game there will be no handwaving or anything else - I will not have stutter stop flight from my PCs or NPCs. Everything will flow the way it should.... So there! Doc

Re: Skills System - Out of Synch?

Re: Skills System - Out of Synch? Is that a rule in the system or just the one that you use? I can't remember seeing any comparators like that. I have used different comparators - lowest roll is best, highest roll is best, greatest margin is best. Probably the last one is the most intuitive and gives the large skill more chance of being better than the low one - another strength of the bell curve there as well. Doc

Re: Making a Force Field Bubble I think that there is a good reason that it is difficult to do - there is a huge potential for abuse. Consider three players with the same kind of ability - the second and third throwing up their bubble inside the first. You get a triple force field for little extra cost and you can shoot out with no limits. Force Wall is the way to go though I would allow the other players to purchase one or more attacks with a limited indirect - only while in the Force Wall. That way you get to shoot out from inside but it is most useful for protecting a bunch of innocents rather than functioning as a damned efficient mobile fortress. Doc

Re: Skills System - Out of Synch? This is where I disconnect with skill systems in most systems. Is a roll of 14 from 17- guy worse than a 9 from 13- guy? I'm not sure of the answer. Obviously it is much easier to roll 14 than to roll 9 but does the 9 actually indicate a deep flash of insight from 13- guy that outshines the easy grasp of the concept that 17- guy gets by rolling 14? I think in comparing scores I would be more inclined to give better results to the highest successful roll. Thus 17- guy's 14 is exceptional in that 13- guy could not possibly understand anything that a roll of 14 indicates therefore it must be deeper than 13- guy's knowledge. That doesn't feel right to me either but I thought I should air it as another option. Doc

Re: Metamorphosis Good practical advice - the kind of thing that keeps me coming back to the boards...rep on its way - when I can obviously.

Re: Metamorphosis

Re: Ogre, Hand-to-Hand, Bricks Tricks & Rage This is a good question. I think that, as GM, I would be telling my player that as long as he was using a melee weapon then the HtH levels would count. So I would probably say that the shockwave would not count - he is sending out a force not physically connected to him (acting more like an EB) but the wrap up is just like using a weapon. Berserk-wise then simple stuff gets allowed. Shockwave is a good one if there are lots of people - almost like a toddler throwing a tantrum. I wouldn't allow the wrap up when berserk - too much thought applied there. And I wouldn't give a break on the multipower - very much the disad disadvantaging the character. Doc

Re: Radical Approach To Skills I believe the term you are looking for is 'the intuitive leap'. Getting to the solution without having to go through all of the intermediate logical steps. Doc

Re: Radical Approach To Skills

Re: Metamorphosis You are such a troll Waters! You asked coz you knew it would cause a stushie (Scottish slang - ponounced stooshie - means an argument or upset). Anyway. I think you're take on it hits what you need and it is partly the whole Hero thinking thing. Take Beast Boy. As you say - his shape shift is special effects for a series of other powers. he wants to fight strong then he boosts his STR and the SFX could be that he looks like a large green elephant. If he wants to grab someone tightly then he uses entangle (1 use, no range, recoverable) and the SFX could be changing into a large green python. The various shapes are sfx and if you were to draw the combat you would see him switch forms as he used the various powers. Flight gives you a bird, flight plus sonar gives you a bat, shrinking gives you a mouse, shrinking plus flight gives you a humming bird or a bee. I might give Beast Boy a VPP and match the active powers with an appropriate animal form. He doesn't suffer penalties or gain advantages that he isn't using. I would give beast boy a limitation of -1/4 or so because his animals were green and allow other people to have the form of their choice. I like this better than multiform as it is a bit more freeform and still true to Hero principles. It also allows rapid changes of abilities and the range of animals is limited only by the players (and GMs) imaginations. Doc

Re: Handling interpersonal skills Personally I see them as more detailed guidance to teh GM as to where the player believes his characters strengths are. It means the player would like lesser penalties in certain areas while accepting this would mean greater penalties in others. I think that it would be of more use in genres where skills are more important or 'realistic'. I would also provide bonuses in skill versus skill contests where the specialities differed. As I say - eventually it is all guidance to the GM. Hopefully helpful rather than a hindrance. Doc

Re: How do i Represent a Taunting skill? It depends on what kind of advantage you want in combat. If it is simply making you more effective then you could get levels in DCV that require a skill roll (probably PRE vs PRE, or you could allow him to buy a taunting skill that he could use in its place). If you want other effects then you may be looking at a small multipower - all of which would have the same limitation as above - I was thinking of a teleport - usable as an attack - needs to move through intervening space - RSR. That would be manipulating where someone is on the battlefield and making them walk under the falling piano or over the trapdoor or simply into a co-ordinated haymaker with the team brick.... Doc

Re: Radical Approach To Skills Well, I tired to rep you for the original idea - rep rules caught me too - have added you to my list....Sean is bound to end up with more entries on the list as well.

Re: Radical Approach To Skills Yeah but then you screw up the costing system is there for INT/3. If you want more skills it is probably more necessary at the low end of the scale. With INT/3 you get 3,6 and 10 skills for INTs of 10,20 and 30. With INT/2 you get 5,10 and 15 skills. How about you give 3+INT/3 skills if you want to be generous? That keeps the cost structure in place... Doc