Doc Democracy

Re: Stop Power I thought about desolidification but it was difficult to define what he was desolid against and then everything else he used would have to have an advantage to affect the solid world. If I was going to handwave that then I thought that I should simply handwave a talent/perk or whatever I was going to call it... My first thought was that it was a form of clinging - though there was no solid surface on which to cling. I suppose that it could simply be an advantaged clinging and use the rules for that. Doc

Re: Stop Power

Re: Power Build: "Portal" power Well said Ghost-Angel. The protals are essentially common SFX round which the player should base a whole series of powers. Clairsentience would be a good one as he peeks through a portal, missile deflection would be another as he ports the missile behind him (reflection would mean the portal switched the attack around). All kinds of options without any need to describe the portal itself - just the game effects you want to be able to achieve with it. Doc

Re: The Problem with Even Characteristic Costs

Re: The Problem with Even Characteristic Costs Pretty much, in my head it was whether that making two players pay different amounts of points for the same ability (e.g. 25 STR). In Hero that would seemingly be anathema - the concept should explain the ability not influence the cost. I think in a superhero context that I'd be with Hugh but in Fantasy where points aren't the be all and end all I'm more relaxed about point tallies. Doc

Re: The Problem with Even Characteristic Costs

Re: The Problem with Even Characteristic Costs As I said earlier in the thread (I think), I can see the gamist viewpoint (a pure Hero System viewpoint) that every player should be able to buy the same abilities for the same number of points. There is an inherent feeling of fairness in that approach. When I create a campaign, however, I often have a very strong idea of the way things wor in that campaign and the inds of things that I want to see. Now, if my worldview is that superstrong humans are exceedingly rare but I am willing to allow players to play other races as long as they accept the hardwired disads that come with those races then I think the Hero System supports me in enforcing that - I change NCMs to reflect what races I want to be strong and what races can be super dextrous. Obviously the players have the option of following my vision of the the world or contradicting it. If they contradict it then it costs them points. A human that is superstrong - extra point cost. A troll that does not suffer from social consequences - extra points. Not 'fair' as far as point counting goes, but fair as far as my vision of the world goes. Surely the point of the toolbox in the first place. Doc

Re: The Problem with Even Characteristic Costs

Re: Bye all What's a Scotsh person??

Re: The Problem with Even Characteristic Costs I hope not, it does explore an area that I often simply ignore because I don't see the deal side. It is true that the change in NCM only affects those people who choose to exceed the figure and that an increased NCM only benefits those that want to exceed the normal NCM. I was responding to a comment that changing NCMs would be abused as only those players wanting a higher DEX would choose an elf. Well, if there is some benefit that players want to purchase then they should be allowed to purchase that. If you want an increased NCM perhaps you should be thinking of playing an elf rather than an abnormally dextrous human. I have no problem with making being an elf cost more than being a human for that. If a GM is worried that something will get overused then they make it cost more. I see the other side - a purist Hero perspective would say that the elf/human/dwarf labels come after the mechanics - possibly as a way of justifying breaching NCM limits and thus everyone pays the same for their characteristics. Personally - I like encouraging certain things and if I want the majority of dextrous sentients to be of a certain race then I change the rules to encourage players wanting to be dextrous to choose that race - along with any disadvantages and limitations that being a member of that race might entail. Hero is good at allowing things like racial discrimination to be written right onto the character sheet and gives the GM an obligation to ensure that the disadvantage disadvantages the player. Doc

Re: The Problem with Even Characteristic Costs My response to that would be the opposite of "if something does not limit the character then it is not worth any points". If I was to have a normal NCM of 20 for all the stats and was then to have someone buy NCM that changed stuff and believed those changes would advantage the player picking them then I think I should charge for that. I would have the package deal contain some things that players might not want to deal with as part of their racial package deal. Or I'd call it something other than a package deal. Doc

Re: Mental combat using combat mechanics I have been thinking something similar. You might want to look at this thread where there were a few good points made. Doc

Re: The Problem with Even Characteristic Costs That's not a bad idea either. You are simply making new NCM templates for the different races. My problem with this in Hero is that the characteristics aren't differentiated enough as it is - tying people down to 15 makes things even worse. If I was going to do this then I think that I'd change the valuation of the skill system so that each point counts - something like CHA - 2. That would mean that Tightrope Walking would start at 8- (26% success rate) with DEX 10 and maxing out at 13- for DEX 15 (84% success rate). Every point of the characteristic then has some value in the skills - which are far more important in a Heroic game. Doc

Re: XP idea I always give bonus experience as directed experience - improving someone's ability or skill or contacts or reputation etc. I have been designing my own version of Gloranthan Hero and have recently been pondering about experience. In RQ people got ticks and could roll for improvements - they got harder as the skill improved and they could spend money and time to train other skills. I've decided to take this on - I like seeing improvements to characters (other than superheroes - I like them being constant for some strange reason). I've decided to give people rolls against skills that they successfully used and to be able to buy training up to a certain point. With the training I intend to require a roll and with both training and experience rolls I intend to improve the skill/talent etc with a successful roll or a relevant KS with a failed roll. Then I can afford to be stingy with experience points where players can freeform improve their characters. Doc

Re: The Problem with Even Characteristic Costs Yeah, my 1/2 orcs got 3 STR for 2 points - I wasn't so stupid to reduce the cost to 0! I also tried to find funky stuff to put in the package deals, it's amazing what players will do when they get odd knowledge skills and disadvantages through a package deal. One 1/2 Orc got Reputation: Attends Drum Parties - that gave him the fantasy reputation of being a raver and implied drug use and knowledge while his KS: Tattoo recognition was used extensively in game. Players are most creative when you least expect it! Doc

Re: The Problem with Even Characteristic Costs I never tried to 'balance' it. Obviously it would be balanced if the character bought the same amount of DEX and CON but you find that characters that want high DEX and low CON tend to buy a elven package deal and then load up on DEX and avoid the CON. End result? Elves with high DEX and very little CON. Because that comes with the package deal the elves then have all of the other stuff elves should have - the cheap DEX drives the deal. All you have to do is ensure that the good part of the deal comes with all of the colour that you want your race to have. Doc

Re: The Problem with Even Characteristic Costs When I wanted to do racial package deals I have changed the cost of characteristics rather than changing the starting point. So where I wanted to encourage high DEX low CON elves the package deal allowed the character to buy DEX for 2pts per point and CON for 3pts per point. This has a lasting effect on how the characters develop - obviously when they hit the NCM level the effects are even more pronounced. Doc

Re: The purpose of a system - academic and geeky... Hmm. This has been an interesting threadbut I haven't been tempted to respond to it. However I am currently trying to sort myself out with a set of rules that I want to use to play in the Glorantha setting. Runequest was too limited and HeroQuest (though I love the system) too narrative for my Glorantha. I have decided to use Hero but in a way that probably makes it look less like any Hero game that I have ever run. It has been an interesting task (despite the fact that work and fatherly duties continually interrupt) and I'm coming to see that while certain things in the Hero system can easily be dropped or replaced (SPD and the SPD chart for example) other things need too many consequential changes to be easily dropped (basing combat soley on DEX). I think when I am finished I might have a better perception of what is actually core Hero System and what are flavour bits that provide the gameplay the designers want to promote. Doc

Re: Bye all It's a good job U wrote that rather than I...

Re: Help converting a couple of GURPS abilities to Hero My thoughts exactly. I was thinking of a limited invisibility. Obviously the sanitised metabolism will ensure that the character is effectively invisible to certain senses (bloodhounds will be baffled) and forensic techniques. Possibly worth 10 points or so but I haven't properly costed it out... Doc

Re: One Wizard tower is another's shop Ah, the first defence is misdirection. My home would exist simultaneously with a false home. I would have a home in a city - why should I have to forego the benefits of living in a civilised area with all the facilities I need close to hand. However, when I walk into my tower I translate to a different dimension that is in the exact same place as my apparent home. My place is taken by a homonculus that potters about doing day to day things so that any spies would 'see' me living in the false home. Obviously all of the tomes and items in the false home would be trapped, cursed and a focus for my own scrying abilities (I _will_ find you and kill you!) That would be my first line of defence... Doc

Re: Black box recorder Hmm. I would be in favour of independent because the power should be available possibly after the character is dead - something that would require the particular effects that independent provides. The power I was thinking of however was not eiditic memory which seems a bit too personal to the character possessing it but instead retrocognition, only through the senses of wearer of the armour (-1), only retrocognition (-1), only back to last time box was reset (-3/4) IIF (-1/4), independent (-2). That seems more fitting in powers to me, even if it does cost 7 points for a base PER roll. Doc

Re: Avlse But surely that's why my standard defence package now contains a 10 point variable sfx force field.... You might want to change the costs of that in a campaign where people have AVLSE Doc

Re: Avlse Another good topic Sean - I've stopped repping you - I don't get around to repping enough other people to keep up with the number of times I want to rep you... Anyway, I enjoyed reading the thread but I have one question that may reduce the utility of the advantage or may not. If you have a EB AVLSE (Heat) and your target has a Flame Force Field and Lavaskin Armour would the defences add for the purposes of defence against the EB? Doc

Re: Bye all