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BarretWallace

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Posts posted by BarretWallace

  1. Re: Palladum to Hero Conversion thread

     

    Um, not that I care, but doesn't KS get really P.O.ed when people do palladium conversions and threaten to sue them if they keep them up on their boards?

     

    I mean, has he come down off this or do people here just not care? I'm not going to run and tattle to him, at least I'm not planning to, but I'd heard he threatened lawsuits pver conversions of palladium stuff.

     

    Personally I think he's a dick for that, as some people might buy his rifts stuff despite the ghawdawful system just for source material if there were easy, consistent conversion guides.

     

    I suppose it wouldn't hurt to download useful files in case Emperor KS (Psych Lim Egomania, Very Common, Total) decides to unleash his Legions of Terror against these boards.

  2. Re: Commando Hero

     

    Has anyone ever tried running a Commando Hero campaign? I tried running Dark Champions before but some of the characters were TOO dark (read anti-social and some were worse than the goons they killed). DC:A didn't feel right either. I'm trying to find a balance between the two. Commando Hero sounded like it might fit' date=' but all I found was a segment in the 5th ed Viper book. So any experiences and suggestions would be helpful.[/quote']

     

    That sounds a lot like what we did for our Special Forces campaign in college. Point totals for the characters were fairly high I think (at least 100/100 if I remember correctly, if not more), because we were playing highly skilled soldiers. 5th Ed. hadn't been released yet at that point.

     

    Anyway, we used hit location rules and the GM never fudged the dice in our favor, which compensated nicely for relatively powerful characters. Each of us also played two soldiers, both to fill more roles within the team and to keep us occupied if one character was killed or incapacitated. (Yep, we had fatalities, although there were a lot of close calls too, saved only by timely first aid. Also, in spite of playing skilled soldiers, planning and stealth (when possible) were orders of the day. Even when fighting swarms of schmucks, eventually even an idiot could get lucky with an AK-47 or emplaced machine gun. We also avoided swarms of enemy when possible for that exact reason. Even the best soldiers are dead meat if they allow the enemy enough time to respond and organize.

     

    Hmm...don't know if that was helpful, but hopefully it gives you an idea or two.

  3. Re: Browncoat Mal Reynolds on Castle

     

    Castle dressing up as Mal, I shamelessly admit, is what drew me in to watch this episode. (As an aside, I do not watch TV except on complete season DVDs and on extremely rare other occasions). I plan to grab the season 1 DVDs when I get the chance.

     

    Don't know if I'll watch Castle regularly, because Monday nights are typically booked for me, but I actually like it a lot. Echoing some other comments on this thread, it is much less drama-heavy than other cop shows I've sampled. I find the characters likable yet real (i.e. each one has his/her limitations), and they play off of each other well.

     

    Hopefully this doesn't count as a spoiler...but one other line I liked from this episode was when they find the murder victim and Castle quips, "Looks like Buffy's come to the Big Apple."

  4. Re: Top 75 Spaceships in movies and TV

     

    I tend to favor Star Wars ships the most, in part because they cheerfully violate the laws of physics the most and actually look used when they are old or beat-up. In contrast, Voyager still looks spacedock-new after getting shot up time after time in the Delta Quadrant...but at least Trek ships have cool stories to go with them too.

     

    I can't forget Serenity from Firefly either. No weapons, no stellar battle record...but one of the coolest crews ever to sail the Black.

     

    Regrettably, I have not seen B5, so I can't comment on their vessels.

  5. Re: Help naming a campaign

     

    I don't know if I can top the suggestions already given, so I will simply make an effort with a couple of entries:

     

    Event Horizon

    New Moon Rising

    The World is Changing

    New Breeds

    New Neighbors

    The Leading Edge

    The Verge of Evolution

    A New Frontier

     

    Take 'em, leave 'em, ridicule 'em, or any combination of the above...

  6. Hi all,

     

    I've done a few searches through the forums and haven't found anything useful, so I'm taking the risk of starting a new thread. I'm building a character whose powers center around the healing arts. I am not so concerned about building the powers, but I'm wondering what a good skill set would be to complement those powers. He is definitely a trained MD.

     

    There would be plenty of science skills (biology, chemistry, etc.), Paramedics...and that's about where I fall short. He's gonna have training on working with supers as well as normals, but beyond that I'm not quite sure what to do. Any thoughts are appreciated.

     

    T'anks,

     

    EC

  7. Re: Genre Conventions & Values

     

    Well, to put in my two cents on the initial topic of the thread, I suspect that the "flavor" of Dark Champions games varies as much as the groups of people who play them. I have only played one "true" Dark Champions game, and that was our Special Forces campaign. The morality regarding killing was fairly clear: kill the enemy before they kill you, or even better, avoid them altogether as much as possible. The welfare of the team and the success of the mission were the two highest moral priorities. All else was secondary.

     

    We crossed into moral gray areas quite a bit, although truly heinous acts like killing innocent children were avoided. There was nothing even close to four-color heroism in how we played our characters. That being said, when the chips were down, those guys were definitely people you wanted on your side.

     

    But...that is only one example. I suspect that there are countless variations of games under the aegis of Dark Champions. As with all Hero System material, Dark Champions is not a game; it gives you the tools to build a game. Take what you like, leave what you don't like.

  8. Re: Mottos for use in games

     

    Not everything may be a motto but may lend itself to a a motto.

     

     

    Yeah, I suppose some of these postings (including most of my own) might be more appropriately placed on the gaming quotes thread, but at least they are good reads.

  9. Re: A New Dawn. 'Post-Apocalyptic' Fantasy

     

    If most of the party's iterations had met in a pub like a traditional adventuring team they probably would have slaughtered each other.

     

    So, you're all just one big, happy family.

     

    :thumbup::sneaky::eg:

     

    Yes, I suppose meeting in battle or otherwise surrounded by hostile forces (i.e. being the sole representatives of New Dawn for miles around) has a way of convincing folks to overlook many differences. Forget, no, overlook, yes. Otherwise I agree, more "traditional" ways of gathering a party probably would have been comical failures at best.

     

    Although I am but a newcomer to New Dawn, I think it is working pretty dang well so far. No one is exactly chummy with Darius, as the "good" vampire concept is very much a work in progress. Symm is a bit on the creepy side pretty much all the time, and "feels" a bit like a coiled snake: harmless enough unless you set him off, then watch out. Thalia is aloof in many ways, but we get frequent clues that her aloofness is grounded in real events in her past, not just some silly prejudice. Layla is (so far) one of the most levelheaded of the party, although she too struggles with her own inner demons. I don't have a very good feel for Cires yet, and it is a pity that Michael bowed out before I really got to know the character.

     

    Also, as was said previously, it is at least noteworthy that the campaign is still going strong, especially after the recent character turnover. That speaks well for its vitality.

  10. Re: A New Dawn. 'Post-Apocalyptic' Fantasy

     

    You should also buy a hunted or social lim to simulate the fact that various good races and factions are going to hate your guts on sight, (not that you'll have guts). Eldren, Priests and Black Unicorns are high on the list but there are others.

     

    Hmm, maybe I shoulda looked closer before I made my last post. I realized that our party currently contains 2/3 of the entities listed in Shadow's last sentence. Oh well, if done right, it will be interesting indeed.

  11. Re: A New Dawn. 'Post-Apocalyptic' Fantasy

     

    Here's the Doom Package Deal as it stands Vox. Let me know if you don't have Hero Designer.

     

    And yeah, it's very expensive to be Undead.

     

    Dooms are basically powerful souls that have been forcibly tied to a particular skeleton, (not necessarily their own), my Necromantic glyphs known as Bindings. The resulting creature can still be stunned because damage to the physical body disrupts the Bindings and it can still run out of End because it draws on magical energy in the surrounding area.

     

    The physical characteristics represent the toughened state created by the bindings while the mental characteristics reflect the fact that only impressive and competent people are turned into Dooms in the first place.

     

    BTW. As one of Varakus Bane's generals you should have a considerable knowledge of history and must have a high Lore Of The Walking Dead skill.

     

    You should also buy a hunted or social lim to simulate the fact that various good races and factions are going to hate your guts on sight, (not that you'll have guts). Eldren, Priests and Black Unicorns are high on the list but there are others.

     

    Heh...this could bring about some interesting social dynamics within the party to have a character like this around. I look forward to it!

  12. Re: Mottos for use in games

     

    It may qualify as a motto, but it doesn't qualify as from X Men. It's from a WWII song written by a man named Frank Loesser, and the actual phrase is supposedly something said by a chaplain at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked it.

     

     

    No worries, I believe you as to that quote's original source, but the place where I read it was X-Men 2099. It's been a while, but I do remember it being uttered by one of the nuns who ministered to victims of narcotics wars in Central America.

     

    The original source is much more poignant of course.

  13. Re: Mottos for use in games

     

    Here's a few that may or may not qualify as mottos...

     

    "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition."

    (from X-Men 2099)

     

    "It doesn't take rocket science; it takes a rocket."

    (from a Punisher comic, I forget which one)

     

    "Mercs never die; they go to hell to regroup."

    (from a T-Shirt at the local military surplus store)

     

    "Wolverines!"

    "What's grazing fire? Why don't you just shoot right at 'em?"

    (a pair from Red Dawn)

     

    "Never, I mean NEVER take off your helmet in combat."

    (a mantra from our Special Forces campaign, where failing to use one's helmet resulted in a strong tendency to get shot in the head)

  14. Re: Mottos for use in games

     

    I ran a short-lived Rebel Special Forces campaign in grad school. One of the soldiers, considering a fight with several times their number of stormtroopers, quipped, "We're not outnumbered; we're in a target rich environment."

     

    Here's another d6 Star Wars quote which later became a kind of group motto:

    "We've got you outnumbered 5 to 70!"

  15. Re: Question: how to build mechano-link power

     

    It seems so obvious after simply having other sets of eyes look at this: "Mechano-link" really is a suite of powers rather than one. Thank you for the great thoughts and suggestions! I will try a few builds over the weekend.

     

    On a semi-related note, I've been on a few other gaming-related boards before, but I've gotta say, the people on the Hero Games board are consistently the best I've ever seen. Even heated discussions are almost always conducted with a good measure of civility (even if it is disguised as backhanded compliments and such), and I have yet to find a solid example of the infantile flame wars that other boards stoop to.

     

    Long Live Hero!:celebrate

  16. Greetings one, greetings all,

     

    This grew out of the “What’s Wrong with Palladium” thread I browsed earlier this week. It got me thinking of a character I built for Heroes Unlimited in days of yore, and I am trying to build such a character for Hero System.

     

    I did search the boards and can’t find a good description of this power in Hero terms, so here it is. Also, I’ve never built a new power in Hero System before, so please be patient with my awkward leap into the realm of power building.

     

    The Power: Mechano-Link

     

    What does it do?

    -It links the hero with any mechanical or electronic device (weapons, vehicles, computers, etc.). The hero has an instinctive “feel” for the device and can operate or repair it better than a similarly trained normal human.

    -It grants a bonus to mechanical/electrical skills the character already possesses, including relevant operation and repair skills.

    -It allows the character to interface directly with computers, bypassing security lockouts etc.

    -It grants a chance for the character to understand and operate completely alien devices. Alien devices are not necessarily of extraterrestrial origin; this could just mean something the character has never encountered before.

     

    How is it limited?

    -Use of the power requires physical contact with the device in question. Contact is not considered “blocked” by clothing (costume, space suit, gloves, etc.) that the character is wearing, since these are also touching the character.

    -Failed attempts to understand and use alien devices may not be re-attempted until the character has studied the device intently for at least a day.

     

     

    I added in the limitations myself, but beyond that the description matches the HU power as nearly as I can recall. Any and all advice and constructive criticism is muchly appreciated. If there really is a good description of this power in the boards, please point me to the thread and I’ll happily dissolve this one.

     

    Thank y’all!

  17. Re: I killed a fellow PC last night...

     

    Ah yes, mind control...

     

    That can be a tricky beast. In an Urban Fantasy Hero game, we had one elf PC (the sniper) who was mind controlled by a vampire several times. The same vamp tried to control my dwarf, but the stumpy guy was too stubborn for him each time--though barely. Eventually our poor elf earned the ill will of the actor/swordsman who was his main target while mind-controlled. Fortunately it never evolved into outright murder but the resulting tension made for some awesome roleplaying.

     

    I am currently playing in a campaign using home-brewed rules where one of my characters (each of us plays two) is possessed by a demon. Not quite the same as mind control, but there are some parallels. I'll say one thing for sure: it is the most challenging roleplaying I've done in ages, perhaps ever. Not only must I keep the other players and their characters in the dark, but I must also maintain ignorance in my other PC.

     

    The demon was summoned and bound to my character (a berserker) by a powerful wizard, and its mission is to kill another PC. The catch is that the killing cannot be accomplished directly. It must be achieved through the indirect manipulation of other characters. Already I've managed to cast suspicion in the target's direction by planting some important loot in his pack (the target is a rogue). Now we have found a powerful spirit imprisoned in an urn, and my demon-possessed PC is going to enlist its help by sneaking to the chamber where the urn is stored and releasing it. It's a ton of fun, and the players are mature enough roleplayers that I need not worry about retaliation........I think...........:ugly:

  18. Re: Newb Champions

     

    Welcome Blake!

     

    I'd recommend the Hero System core rules at a minimum. It sounds like Champions is also a good choice, and maybe Fantasy Hero for the magic-slinging in your party. The Mystic World also seems like an excellent choice. Depending on your group's collective financial clout, I recommend Hero Designer. It's not needed, but is a great aid for character building and record keeping.

     

    Hope this helps, and welcome to the system!

  19. Re: Problem Player (?)

     

    Sorry, my brain is still waking up.

     

    Anyhoo, another issue is that your buddy's behavior is not friendship. Real friendship is symbiotic, not parasitic. It has to go both ways, i.e. he must be a friend to you as well, otherwise it ain't friendship. Yes, you want to stay on good terms with him, but what are the limits? How many compromises will you make just to keep him happy?

     

    If the root of the issue is that your friend wants his character to be top dog (or "group leader" to use a more polite term), can he just ask to move into the role of leader? Does he really need illegally high stats in order to be in charge?:king: These are questions only you (and your friend, and ultimately the rest of the group) can answer.

     

    In the meantime, may you always roll low, except when rolling damage...

  20. Re: Problem Player (?)

     

    For my two-bits:

     

     

    3. Generally prefer, "Sorry Bob, but your character just renders my campaign FUBAR and would need a lot of changes to fit in. So it's up to you." to kicking people. I try to reserve sitting people out for bad behavior. Probably because I'm well aware of my inner munchkin, and recognize sometimes it can be difficult to see the line between really effective but justified by concept, and min maxed power gaming munchkinism.

     

    I like this one!

     

    Maybe if your friend realizes that his actions are disrupting the game for everyone, he will change his tune. If not, well then the game will likely fester until it erupts into something particularly ugly (in-game conflicts are always worse when they spread into real life).

     

    If this person thinks he can sneak over-powered abilities in under the gun, there's no reason you can't do the same. Maybe the first villain the party meets is similarly tweaked beyond your declared limits, and he targets the munchkining character first, since he's the most dangerous opponent. Several turns in GM La-La Land may prove to be an effective time-out.

     

    More later after I've had some more coffee perhaps.

  21. Re: Mind Scan confusion

     

    There is some confusion in our group about what Mind Scan does and does not allow. We only have 5th edition so please don't reference a page on 5th edition revised. Here is some of the thoughts that has brought confusion:

     

    It's been assumed by some of our players that Mind Scan should by default work only on human minds or intelligent non-humans. To my knowledge, Mind Scan works on all minds, including animals, aliens with minds, etc. and think it should work on any mind.

    1st question: does Mind Scan have to sort through animal minds as well as human?

     

    I see some assumptions which, IMHO, lead to a sort of 'free mind checking' not granted by Mind Scan: if it only picks up human minds, there's some sort of assumption that if someone Mind Scans an area where someone is shapeshifted into a non-human shape (ex. shapechanged into a pig) that it will automatically alert the mentalist that the pig is something other than a pig.

    2nd question: will Mind Scan alert the mentalist in a case like this?

     

    3rd question: If it does, isn't this in effect a minor version of Danger Sense, Telepathy or something similar in that the shapechanger has been automatically identified as something other than what the shapechanger seems?

     

    I do not believe Mind Scan allows this. The power is stated 'A character with this Mental Power can mentally search an area to find another mind'. The power states you are looking for a mind which would have to be a specific mind. It does state that Mind Scan can be used to determine the number of sentient minds in an area but I do not believe this grants the mentalist an automatic knowledge of what those minds are like, whether animal, robot, alien or human, just that they are sentient. There is no free analysis here. Mind Scan like this should be bought additionally as the Enhanced Sense 'Detect' power with Discriminatory;Analyze.

     

    4th question: can you Mind Scan for a general mind? In other words, can a mentalist say they are scanning a group for a particular animal mind, such as a pig mind? If so....

     

    5th question: wouldn't the above allow you to search a group for any mind that isn't alien in nature? Again, this seems like it should be bought with the Detect with Analyze power.

     

    -Based on my relatively limited knowledge of building Hero Powers but a decent working knowledge of the system, I think you can make the power as general or as specific, as powerful or as weak, as you want. To use an example from the old West End Star Wars RPG, a novice Jedi character (i.e. one with a low Sense skill) might say "I have a bad feeling about this". An experienced Jedi, one who has honed his sensory abilities (put more points into his Sense skill), might examine the same situation through the Force and say "there are four squads of stormtroopers waiting behind secret walls in the next room".

     

    -If you are just looking for a "Spidey Sense" to tell you that there are other minds in the room, then it seems to me that this version of Mind Scan should be cheap in terms of points. If you want it to distinguish between different types of minds, then require the use of appropriate Enhancements or Advantages (Detect with Analyze being a very reasonable one). The same goes for being able to find a specific mind in a crowd.

     

    -Well, those are my two cents.

  22. Re: Dark Champions hero fragility

     

    So many threads, so little time...

     

    My only real experience with DC-style levels of lethality was our Special Forces campaign that we played in the mid-1990s. It was set in more or less the modern day, but in a sort of alternate timeline with differing political situations etc. The characters were modern-day soldiers (duh) equipped with military weapons (assault rifles, various pistols, grenades, etc.) Each of us played two characters to round out the team better and to give the players something to do when one character was killed or incapacitated.

     

    We used the hit location chart for flavor. This added an extra roll to combat, but we got used to it quickly. Hit locations also gave us a real incentive to wear our armor. This was especially true when my M-60 gunner was taken out by a single lucky shot to the head--and yes, if he'd worn his Kevlar, it would have saved his life. My medic was nearly killed by one lucky AK burst. He was saved only through the prompt attention of a teammate.

     

    Had our characters gone Arnold when fighting the enemy, they all would have died before the first clip was emptied. Our enemies were usually competent enemy soldiers. We attacked with surprise, from cover when possible, and retreated when the numbers of enemy edged too high. Although wounds of varying severity were fairly common, strong teamwork carried the day. If one guy was down, another would drag him to safety, and still others would cover the rescue. Wounds received prompt attention.

     

    I guess this is a long-winded repetition of a few points that have already been made. The lethality of a DC campaign depends on the players, the characters, and the tactics used. We found it quite manageable.

     

    Them's my two bits (inflation, y'know). :rolleyes:

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