Doc Democracy

4 hours ago, ScottishFox said:

Well, 798,000 people work for Amazon full or part time so I'd say a LOT of money of those employees is going to other businesses.

An issue in the UK is that some big businesses, Amazon among them, pay workers so poorly that the Government supplements their wages through social welfare.  As such, the Government is subsidising Amazon (not to mention the convoluted tax arrangements that mean the company pays MUCH less than they probably should).  That kind of thing needs to stop.  I can understand a Government subsidising small businesses and even some larger ones as these are important to keeping the wheels moving but larger companies should be able to pay their workers a living wage.   Do not know if that is true in the US.

However, regardless of how many employees Amazon has, it is the disparity between the owner and top executives compared with those 800k workers that is the real issue - the US was an economic powerhouse in the 50s and 60s when the wage differential was not anywhere near as stark.  Also, if Amazon did not exist, there would be probably more people employed (across a number of other companies) providing people with the goods and services that they want.  All those companies like Toys R Us that were driven out of business and whose employees are not spending those wages offset Amazon in this respect.  Obviously I am not saying that we should save ToysRUs over Amazon, just saying that the efficiency gains by switching to Amazon should not disproportionately benefit the Amazon bosses and disadvantage the workers that have to switch from one big corporation to another, probably with more work and fewer benefits (coz, efficiency).

Doc

PS: just realised this was a bit political and not on the politics thread - will not take this any further here.  🙂

I once toyed in having active defences, so instead of just an attack roll during combat there is also a defence roll (was planning a Fantasy Hero game).

As such, the attacker would roll 3D6 and add OCV, the defender would roll 3D6 and add DCV.  Attacker's total would need to exceed defender's to succeed.

It had the advantage of making combat more dynamic, the disadvantages of making it take longer!  I did not do it, meaning I was quite content for all defender's to "take 11" on their defence roll.

 It did make me consider removing the need to roll at all.  If you OCV is higher than the defender's DCV then you hit.  Your combat options would then be about seeking advantages or trying manoeuvres that enhanced OCV rather than simply hoping to roll low enough. 

That crashed and burned because my players are HIGHLY committed to having dice in their hands, even when they routinely roll poorly.  🙂

Doc

8 hours ago, jfg17 said:

Try as I might, I just can't "get" the roll-under approach to combat. However I look at the math, I can't see a story; I can't explain how the math relates to "real" life. Human beings have an innate sense for math, patterns and want information to make sense. The HERO-standard equation just doesn't make sense to this human being (i.e., me).

Have you played Runequest, Call of Cthulhu etc?  In those games you have a skill percentage - e.g., Rapier 76%.  If you roll under the number then you hit, if you roll over it, you miss.  This is a roll under approach which is actually quite similar to HERO (except using 3D6 rather than 1D100).

So.  In HERO, the base chance in combat is 11 or less.  Using 3D6 that equates to 62.5% chance of success.  Everything else is modifiers to that.  You add benefits to the target number (which makes it easier to roll under) and you subtract things that make it harder to hit.

Your percentage chance to hit improves using your OCV. 

Your percentage chance to hit gets worse as your opponents uses their DCV.

If you think of 11 as the base target number for success and everything else as a modifier to that target number then you are simply rolling 3D6 to roll under the number.

It is essentially the same as a skill roll which you seem to have no problem with.  Skills tend to be 9+(CHA/5).  As most characteristics default to 10, most skills default to 11 or less.  You then add levels bought for the skill - either directly or through additional characteristics (equivalent to OCV) - and subtract difficulty factors (equivalent to an opponents DCV) and you have a number to roll under.  🙂

Does that make sense?  There IS a core mechanic beneath it all.

Doc

36 minutes ago, Gnome BODY (important!) said:

Do you have a single iota of evidence that such is the case in OP's game, given their explicit mention of "gestures or incantations" as a trigger for an attack?

No more evidence than you have that any such game reliably utilises interruptable magic. 

Not going to engage further, you might be only the second person I block in a couple of decades on the boards. 

I really hate the way you throw downvotes around...  😞  It makes me want to retaliate and that does not lead to a discursive evironment.

Anyway - just because the OP might assume a player holds an action and uses the gestures and incantations as a trigger does not mean it would work in any given game.  If he does so he would be unable to interrupt my wizard in his spellcasting.  If that is what he spent his points on, and our GM allowed that too, he might have questions for that GM.

D&D is designed such that spells are interruptable, it is the base condition in that game.  HERO is not designed such that spells are interruptable, it is not the base condition.  HERO might allow for that to be the base condition in a game but noone should build their character without checking with the GM how the magic system works and whether any assumptions made are correct.

Doc

6 hours ago, Ninja-Bear said:

I’m going to disagree here with yah Duke. Yes the game has optional rules and it has house rules (what game doesn’t?). However unless those are stated in the question, the assumption is that we’re looking at RAW. 

So I have built myself a Fantasy Hero character and, with permission from the GM, have an instinctive magician, small VPP that allows me to hurry spells, dispense with gestures, with concentration or any other element as desired.

What would Gandalph's character do to interrupt my spellcasting?  Anything guaranteed to work RAW? 

All Duke has said is that it might be different in every game and there may be some games in which you cannot interrupt spellcasting.

Doc

8 minutes ago, Duke Bushido said:

then restraining or even I terdwrring with them will be enough.

Dunno about anyone else but I am fascinated to hear what I terdwrring actually involves....

Otherwise, Duke is right.  When you create your magic system you get to decide what would interfere with casting.  It all depends on the disadvantages built into the spells.

Doc

Some folk love it and find it invaluable, I still love building characters by scribbling on bits of paper. 

I advise getting used to rules first, once done the programme is very useful for managing and maintaining PC and NPCs.

If you have any facility with IT it is also great at producing different character sheets to print off.

I have it but don't use it as much as I think I should. 🙂

Doc

1 hour ago, ScottishFox said:

 

There's the US public education system for you.  They want you just smart enough to handle a factory job (Thanks, Prussia!) but not smart enough to critically think.

Well, it is partly that you are open to having people come and have their say in an official forum, God forbid that we would allow the great unwashed to speak their mind like that...

A rather partial representation of what is going on but how the US is being portrayed....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-53174415/they-want-to-throw-god-s-wonderful-breathing-system-out

Highlights for me?

"Every one of you that is obeying the Devil's laws are going to be arrested"

"these communist dictatorship orders"

"you preach pseudoscience and safety"

4 hours ago, Gnome BODY (important!) said:

How would this construct interact with movement?  Can the clingee and clinger move relative to each other at all?  Can they force each other to move?  If yes, where and what are the rules for that? 

How would this construct interact with Knockback?  Particularly if the attack that triggers the Damage Shield also does Knockback? 

This is why we end up with encyclopaedic rule books. 😄

I think these are all good questions but the are discursive ones that might affect how you cost advantages etc.

I said passive grab.  A hand hits, the hand is passively grabbed and stuck.  A sword hits and is grabbed (not automatically - relevant grab attack rolls but independent of the tar baby's SPD/actions etc).

Can they force each other to move?  In the same way as anyone else can. Relative movement would depend on advantages/disadvantages on the power as well as common sense.

Doc

I have no citations but if someone came to me with the power I would plan to run it like a passive grab...

Try this thread - lots of options...

1 hour ago, Gnome BODY (important!) said:

The player might also have a good reason to want low results to be less likely.

I guess it depends on what you call low results...

1D3:    1 - 33.3%  2 - 33.3%  3 - 33.3%   I have to presume by low you mean less than 2, so 33.3% chance of 1.  Zero chance or 0 and zero chance of more than 3.

1D6-1:   0 - 16.7% 1 - 16.7% 2 - 16.7%  3 - 16.7% 4 - 16.7%  5 - 16.7%    Here you also have a 33.3% chance of 1 (or less).  16.7% chance of 0 and 33.3% chance of more than 3.

I KNOW that folks dice preferences are not dictated by logic, almost 50 years of gaming has shown me that if nothing else.  I fully accept the driving fear of getting zero, even if it is slightly irrational.  I would also accept if they wanted to keep damage low (unlikely as that might seem to me) but definitely not that they want low results to be LESS likely. 

Doc

The psychological games we play with our friends...

😄

10 hours ago, Michael Hopcroft said:

Which reminds me I need more masks, hopefully more comfortable ones that won't fog up my glasses so badly.

If you buy some pipe-cleaners you can glue them across the top of a mask and mould it closer to your face, minimising fogging.

7 hours ago, Ninja-Bear said:

Wow not sure where you got this from Doc. It’s always been 1/2D6 OR 1D6-1 = 10 pts. 

I thought I explained where I got it from. 🙂

It kind of goes against the core principle of getting what you pay for.  Why would anyone choose to take a half dice rather than a D6-1??

Doc

just in case anyone was in any doubt (follow the arrow) !! 

It's not a problem, it is an inconsistency.  🙂

Feel free to use whatever works in your game and then be consistent.  🙂

Actually, now that I look at it, I think the table on p403 might be slightly misleading - it is there simply to give an indication of Damage Classes, not purchasing costs.  The power description does not mention the cost of 1D6-1.  It is silent on it and the text accompanying the table on p403 says:

Quote

it’s necessary for game purposes to establish a rough comparison between different types of damage

p403 5thRev

When it talks on the next page about movement adding to killing damage, it says

Quote

For example, if a character with a sword (HKA 1d6+1) did a Move By at 15”, he would add +3 DCs damage from velocity, thus increasing the sword’s damage to 2d6+1. At most, between velocity and other meth-ods, he can increase the sword’s damage to 2½d6

There is no mention of adding 2.5D6 or 3D6-1, even if they are the same Damage Class. 

I think that there may indeed be an official consideration that 2D6-1 costs 27 points rather than 25.

I think it was a hangover from previous thoughts.  I can see the rationale for 2D6-1 costing more than 1.5D6 and less than 3D6.  The averages are different.

1D6      average BODY 3.5  cost 15 points

1D6+1 average BODY 4.5  cost  20 points

1.5D6  average BODY 5.5  cost 25 points

2D6-1  average BODY 6     cost 25 points

2D6     average BODY 7      cost 30 points

I can image them sitting in the room deciding that they are only going to have three steps to match each addition of 5 points rather than introducing that fourth 2 point step for 2D6-1.  I might have been persuaded not to allow half dice.  🙂

Doc

Quote

Once a character has performed an Attack Action or otherwise used his full Phase in a particular Segment, he cannot Abort to any Action until the next Segment.

p22 HS6 vol 2

2 hours ago, Panpiper said:

It is phase three. At dex 26, ChiMaster has moved a full half move and attacked. Still on phase three, at dex 15, Grond has picked up a car and is using it to area effect swat the hex ChiMaster is standing in. ChiMaster wants to abort his next action for a dive for cover. He has already used his full movement this phase. Is he not allowed to abort to his next?

Well, we need more information, you say phase 3 you mean segment 3, yes?  A SPD 4 character gets a phase on segment 3 that could be used on segment 4 or 5.  If you have attacked on segment 3 then the first time you can abort is segment 4.  The game mechanic says that all the movement in a phase can happen in a single segment, if you allowed folk to abort on the same phase they move twice their movement in a single phase and it takes away some of the tactics round combat.

Doc

On 6/13/2020 at 11:38 PM, Duke Bushido said:

Almost forgot:

 

If you think a fear-based attack should be defended against by Mental Defense instead of Power Defense, then EGO Attack might be the model you're looking for.  Or Drain EGO, and decide that EGO Drains with fear-driven and fear-inducing special effects are defended by Mental Defense.  There is no reason you can't do that.  None.

 

Run with it.

 

 

Fear is a special effect rather than a game mechanic, as Duke points out in a later post. 

The system has only one effect based defence, which is Damage Negation.  You can buy this to target the effect of any attack with a fear based SFX.  That helps defend against a special effect that is often modelled with a wide variety of mechanics.

Doc

2 hours ago, Ragitsu said:

Here I am, ducking in for layman medical opinions (very wise, yes?). With any luck, I'll be gone before I feel an urge to linger.

 

I know that some strains of mold can cause respiratory issues if a person is subjected to their spores over a protracted period of time. Mold won't be ruled out, but I find it unlikely that I have started coughing regularly and fiercely if I have been inhaling spores for quite a while. Is it possible to developing a coughing fit that lasts a few days to a week if you inhale relatively low quantities of dust? I wasn't in a tomb or some disused shed, but I was present when a moderately dusty room had a disused corner disturbed by movement. Otherwise, I've kept to the homestead and practiced physical distancing on the rare occasion I do speak to someone face-to-face. Any packages I receive are left to "quarantine" for at least a week. My hand-washing routine has been rigorous enough to make Mr. Monk green with envy.

 

P.S. I don't possess any allergies (as far as I know) and I'm not asthmatic.

You can have an allergic-style reaction to dust and mold spores even if you are not generally allergic.  I went to the doctors a couple of years ago with a persistent cough and she told me it was an asthmatic reaction (I am not asthmatic) where the lining of the lungs got irritated by something, the reaction to that irritation was to cough.  The cough itself then caused further irritation and made me cough, repeat ad nauseam.  I did not believe her but agreed to take the inhalers.  The cough was gone in less than two or three days.

However, in the current circumstances, ANY new, prolonged cough should be treated with suspicion and be presumed to be the virus.  Get yourself tested, even if just for your peace of mind. 

Doc