Derek Hiemforth

Selling well in Sacramento, too. I saw SuperPheemy's post about A1 Comics on Madison having three copies. SP made that post last night after A1 had closed. I went there this morning 25 minutes after they opened, and I got the last one they had.

Yep, this is the nastiest, most cost-effective way to make Martial Arts. Not only do your normal damage attacks do the amount you want after buying Extra DCs, all of your other maneuvers (NNDs, Grabs, Escapes, etc.) get downright gruesome.

Re: On the Shelves in VA Because Champions needed to come first, given their origins. Star Hero came second because an opening to become a major player in the sci-fi game niche was perceived, and because there wouldn't have been time for Steve to write Fantasy Hero in time for a GenCon release anyway. Ninja Hero was released third because Steve didn't have to write it. This was the earliest they could have done it and still given it GenCon release hype. You mean like SPD having a base value of 10? It's just a typo. It's unfortunate, but they happen. I hope you're not too quick to become disappointed with the book because of a single typo. As far as I know, the only such suggestion was for Star Hero's cover. If you don't like certain artwork, that's fine. But that doesn't mean others can't like it, or even find it award-worthy.

I'm not familiar with the source material. However, could these screens be turned on, turned off without their being damaged, and then turned back on again? If so, then it's not Charges. Perhaps END Reserve with a Limitation like "END drops to zero if screens are breached" and a low REC.

I agree. I've ordered stuff from FRPGames a couple of times, and have been very satisfied.

Ah. Okay, perhaps I should shut up until I actually get the new book and can read through it.

It means that if you want to have 8 DEF armor, and you're willing to accept the normal penalties of 8 DEF armor, you can call the special effect of the armor Plate, Leather, Ring Mail, Gossamer Butterfly Wings, whatever suits your fancy.

A simpler explanation for INT in HERO is INT=IQ/10. Average IQ: About 100. Average HERO INT: 10. Maximum IQ: About 200. Normal CHA Max HERO INT: 20.

Just thought of another one... I have a Spider-Clone character in Champions, and wanted to give her the ability to make a web shield that provides some defense, is gradually shot away, and uses up web fluid when created but doesn't otherwise require maintenance until she creates another one. I played around with Armor, Force Wall, Force Field, etc. but nothing seemed quite right. Then I got it: I bought it as Entangle with Personal Immunity. To create a "shield," she simply Entangles herself! It doesn't hinder her because she's immune to it, but anyone attacking her encounters the Entangle's DEF and BODY first. And when the Entangle has been destroyed, she can create a new "shield" by simply Entangling herself again.

I think the rub lies in only rolling once for the combat vs. the goal of eliminating static combat order. If you don't want lots of extra rolling, you have to set it for the whole combat, as you say. But if you're going to do that, then to me, you might as well just leave it based on DEX(+LR). It can also mess with other mechanics in the system (like things that happen "on your DEX" in a given Phase). I find that the best way to achieve variance in the order in which actions are taken is to emphasize the drawbacks of having already acted. This encourages people to save their action when they have nothing pressing to do, and results in more variation in when characters choose to do things.

Well, in HERO System terms, they must have a Power in there somewhere if they're using magic. It's probably a Variable Power Pool that Requires a Skill Roll. So you'd want to aid, drain, transfer, etc. the VPP as well as the Skill.

Heh. You obviously haven't played in my FH games. This is more of a philosophical point, but I think this is as it should be. A mage can do lots of things, both in and out of combat, that a fighter can't do. Combat is the fighter's main schtick. Shouldn't the fighter be better in a straight fight? If not, why play a fighter? I mean, if a mage can do eleventyseven kinds of nifty tricks, plus also kick just as much butt as the mundane with a sword, why is the mundane with the sword even there?

I think it's 150. You can also put a custom line in there by editing your profile.

This is technically not legal because of the way Persistant/Constant Powers work (specifically, SPD bought as a Power), but we used it the way we did because it was cool, not unbalancing, and fit the character perfectly. A speedster had a 6 SPD all the time. He then bought an additional +6 SPD with the Limitations Costs END and Increased END Cost: x10. The net effect was that he normally went only on even-numbered Phases, but if he "Pushed" (i.e., spent 10 END), he could go on an odd-numbered Phase. He wasn't allowed to use it as some kind of perpetual held action, however. At his DEX in each odd Phase, he had to declare whether he was kicking in a SPD point that Phase and coughing up the requisite END. (It also meant he generally couldn't use these extra Phases to Abort.) Another one I liked was a spell my sorceress character came up to deal with the problem of "heroes" hitting enemies while they're unconscious "to make sure they stay out." The Binding Pentacle of Lasting Slumber. It's a simple 4d6 NND, the defense to which is "being conscious." To a conscious foe, it does nothing. To an unconscious foe, it takes them to GM's option on an average roll (after doubling the STUN because the target is unconscious. )

Sure. If I was the GM, I'd give such an ability a close look for game balance reasons, but I'd have no problem with the mechanics of building the effect like that.

Re: Re: Re: Penetrating a FW without collapsing it... A bad edit. I originally wrote it as IIF, changed my mind, and changed the Real Cost, but forgot to change the modifier value.

Re: Penetrating a FW without collapsing it... For the sake of the example, this assumes a Force Wall of 4 PD / 4 Ed. Wrist Band of Safe Passage: Personal Immunity to Force Wall (5 Base Points), Usable By Other at Range (+3/4). (9 Active Points), OIF Wristband (-1/2). Real Cost: 6 points. Edited typo in Limitation value

Heh, heh. How wrong you were. Barely three hours after posting, and already almost four pages of commentary. BRING BACK THE GREAT LINKED DEBATE! - Derek (ducking)

I view this mechanic similarly to MegaScale. Meaning, I think it's most useful for allowing GMs to build masterminds and such without throwing ludicrous numbers of points at them. For players, there is the potential for abuse, and the GM must be prepared to Just Say No if necessary.

This is an extremely old, well-worn, and controversial idea, with embittered, battle-scarred veterans on each side of the issue, climbing towers and taking hostages. Well, okay, maybe it's not quite THAT bad. But it's close. Just trying to give you an idea of what you're in for, RadeFox. In a nutshell, STR makes more sense mathematically at 1.5 pts. or 2 pts. per point of STR, and for heroic-level games, it's probably more play-balanced at that cost as well. However, many (most?) people don't want it changed, because it disrupts many other cost relationships in the system, makes older material harder to use, makes software harder to use, etc. Let the bloodshed commence.

Well, not necessarily. (Or at least, not exactly.) I agree with you in theory. It's certainly possible to have a world setting where there are advantages and drawbacks both to wearing heavy armor and to being a swashbuckler-type. And it's certainly possible to have those advantages and drawbacks apply in such a way as to give the heavily armored character an edge in some situations, and the swashbuckler an edge in others. Where I think it breaks down is the idea that the two can be/should be balanced against each other directly. For example, two Champions characters might both be reasonable and balanced characters. But does this mean that one of them can't be able to defeat the other a great majority of the time? Not at all. One might have just the right combination of powers to totally hose the other. That doesn't mean they're not both reasonable and balanced. Reasonable and balanced means that they fare about equally well against a typical range of adversaries... not against any one particular adversary. Similarly here, I can easily envision a setting where there are plenty of valid reasons to choose a knight or to choose a swashbuckler, and dozens of scenarios and adversaries where one or the other might be better suited, depending on the circumstance. But that doesn't mean they have to be an equal match for each other. IMO, the idea that a knight and a swashbuckler are equally useful and combat-worthy archetypes doesn't mean that rapiers have to work well against plate armor. Or to use another analogy... We say that all men (all people) are created equal. But of course, this is not literally true. Some are taller, some are stronger, some are smarter, etc. They're not literally equal. What we really mean is, they're equally valuable or equally important. Likewise, a knight and a swashbuckler don't have to be literally equal (an even match for each other in a fight) in order to be equally valuable or equally important characters... or even equally valuable warriors. The knight's equipment gives him an edge when he meets the swashbuckler on the field in battle, but when the battle takes place in the taproom, suddenly the tables are turned. (So to speak. )

To be perfectly blunt, this just seems mind-numbingly stupid to me. If I was a game store owner, I'd endeavor to find something worthwhile to say about every book I carried. I'm not saying I'd try to pass off junk as gold or anything, but almost no books are worthless, and I'd try try to emphasize the worth in all of them. Why on earth would a game store owner want to convince people not to buy his merchandise? And yet, this does indeed happen frequently.

Re: Haymaker Variant Rule The fist breaking is some variation on Damage Shield, as other posters have suggested. The other bikers fleeing is a Presence Attack.

I think the genres other than Supers and Fantasy will gradually attract more players as more and more of the other genres get genre books and support products released for them. In other words, the more the HERO System products look like a fully-fleshed out universal game system line, the more people will see the HERO System that way, and the better the other genre's products will sell.

I don't think it looks "too superheroey." Instead, I suspect that some folks are perceiving it that way because it looks like Storn's art, and you're used to seeing superheroic art from Storn.