Derek Hiemforth

I think this might be workable if it was expanded a bit. I think a book of "cut-n-paste" characters could be useful if each character included all of the following:A detailed background set in the Champions Universe, allowing you to use the character in that setting if desired. A basic background that's not plugged into the Champions Universe, making it easier to use the character in a different campaign or as a "bare-bones" character intended to be fleshed out more by the end user. A "Hero Option," an "Anti-Hero/Sympathetic Villain Option," and a "Villain Option," offering suggestions on how to use the character in each of those three niches. Make all of the characters exactly 350 points, but include notes on increasing or decreasing the power level. The ultimate goal of this would be to create a book of plug-n-play characters that could be used as NPC heroes, starting PCs, or adversaries, and could be plugged into the Champions Universe or left stand-alone. This kind of product might make a good ebook. PDF publication would keep it from diluting the focus on the Champions Universe in the published books, and make it easy to print out just the character sheets needed for use in game play, etc.

Lots of good info is to be had at Encyclopaedia Mythica. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/titans.html

Well, I'm just going by the rules, and the rules say that Dispel destroys Foci.

Can you use a Martial Arts maneuver with the FMove element in the same manner as a Multiple Move-By?

Side Effect: Dispel vs Armor.

I thought it was a grocer, irate from people fondling his toilet tissue.

Cool! Thanks, Lisa.

Re: Real People Plot Seeds #1 Well, maybe sorta. Julian Lennon's had five albums. While that's hardly historicly prolific, it's also hard to describe it by saying "he has never pursued a musical career." Also, I'm not that sure how much of his father's money he has. Remember that John left a widow, and has a child with her as well. I doubt Julian's name would have been at the top of the will when it came to doling out the inheritance. Don't get me wrong... I doubt he's missing any meals. But he may not have inherited millions from his father, either. (I know this isn't directly related to the topic at hand. Just wanted to chime in with my .02)

Some random ideas... Change Environment for doing things like cleaning a room in an instant and other "complete tasks really fast" type stuff. Clairsentience with the special effect of simply running around the area looking at things. Duplication (He moves so fast, it's like he's in two places at once!) Dispel vs. fire and/or gas SFX (more cyclone creation effect) Entangle (gets things from the local area to tie people up with really fast) RKA, only on complex inanimate objects (superspeed disassembly) Extra-Dimensional Movement (runs so fast he time travels!) Theres' lots more, but I need to go to sleep.

Page 109 of H5E states that Entangle Takes No Damage From Attacks just means that, if you want to damage the Entangle, you have to target it specifically at -3 OCV. It's not impossible to hit the Entangle, you just have to deliberately try to do so... it's not getting hit by default every time the character is hit.

You can choose to have a Transform "heal" by some identifiable all-or-nothing means rather than healing back like damage. So unless the transformed item is treated to the reversion effect, it is essentially permanent.

Anyone whose ever purchased it can get the revised edition for free, or only folks who've purchased it recently?

Has anyone seen the book in any west coast FLGSes yet? I'm gettin' antsy.

It's too bad the metamorph has to fit a toy bitten by a radioactive snake. In general, I think a good concept for a patriotic metamorph might be "Melting Pot," whose features can "melt" into the appearance and mannerisms of any human on earth.

Re: Rules Help Request: Using skills at range The easiest and clearest way (though perhaps not the least expensive) would be to buy the robots whatever Skills the Operator should be able to use through them, and then put a Limitation on the Skills that they're only usable when a link to the Operator has been established. Click on Profile, then Edit Options. The item to set an avatar is at the bottom.

This is in the FAQ under Mental Powers. In a nutshell, yes, you can use Area Effect on Mental Powers, you target them using your OECV against the target hex's DECV of 3, and you don't need Line of Sight on everyone in the area in order for them to be affected; you only need Line of Sight to the target hex.

No, that's Tourette's Syndrome. IDblack also posted this in the General Roleplaying board, and discussion is going on over there.

This is an inappropriate sequence. Once the GM says "It lands at your feet," that means he's already made the Attack Roll. The player can now no longer declare Dive For Cover; it must be declared prior to the Attack Roll. And if he declares it prior to the attack roll, then the globe is still in midair, and he doesn't know it's going to be an Area Effect. I think you need to re-read the rules on timing in combat. Bottom line (and my last word on this thread since it seems to be going nowhere useful) is that Dive For Cover brings plenty of hefty penalties to balance its potential usefulness. I see no reason at all to restrict it to Area Effect attacks only.

Re: Charges of End Reserve Well, in fairness to Steve, you essentially didn't ask him anything of substance. Does he think his own ruling is extremely unbalancing? Obviously he does not, or he wouldn't have made it. For my .02, I would rule that you're misunderstanding the effect of an END Reserve with Charges. A 20 END END Reserve with 1000 Charges would be worthless. As I see it, the number of Charges on an END Reserve just indicates how many times you can draw END from the Reserve. There would be no point in being able to draw END from a 20 END END Reserve 1000 times, unless you somehow have Powers that cost only .02 END. Where Charges on an END Reserve becomes a useful concept, IMO, is a situation like having a power source that can only be tapped a certain number of times per day, regardless of how much power is drawn in each tap. For example, my super-sorceror might have a pool of magic might with an END Reserve of 500, and 8 Charges. This pool of might powers big, nasty spells, but he can only access it 8 times a day, even if there's END left in it after the 8th time.

Often, yes. Not always, not even the majority of the time, but often. For example, a grenade is an Explosion, yet fits in the palm of the hand. If someone launched a similar device at someone, how would they know it was going to be an Area Effect? But more to the point, consider this exchange: GM: The alien probe launches a circular device at you. Player: I Dive For Cover. GM (before device explodes, hits, or anything else): You can't. It's not an Area Effect attack. Player: Okay, I Dodge. Presto, the player suddenly has Precognition. And it's unfair Precognition, because it never works in reverse. You never see Retrocogntion like this: GM: The alien probe launches a circular device at you. Player: I Dodge. GM: Okay, it hits the area and explodes. Player: Darn! If I'd known it was an Area Effect, I would have used Dive For Cover. GM: Okay, take it back and Dive For Cover. Besides, this whole controversy seems odd to me. Dive For Cover has a chance of failure, and makes you Half DCV and prone even if it succeeds. No one would willingly use it to avoid an attack they knew was single target unless it was an act of deperation, because it leaves them so open to counter-attack. The Maneuver is balanced just fine exactly as it is in H5E, IMO.

Yes. Well, except that a Dodge adds to your DCV, while Dive For Cover cuts it in half and requires you to waste your next Half-Phase righting yourself. I think that's a pretty significant reason not to use Dive For Cover if anything else will do. Only for your 40 DEX character. The vast majority of characters do not have 17- DEX rolls. Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on how your next Phases line up. If you had to Abort to Dive For Cover, and he has a Phase on the next Segment, you'll still be prone and probably can't Dive again. You'll either have to Abort to standing up or Block or something. I ask again, how do you know they're Area Effect Attacks before the fact? You have to declare a Dive For Cover before the attack takes effect. At that point, you have no way to know whether an attack is Area Effect or not.

According to the rules FAQ, you can, but only at GM's discretion assuming special effects and the situation allow. In most circumstances, that would probably mean you could not.

Yeah, I got a copy of Wings of the Valkyrie at a con for $4 that way one time. Heh, heh.

That is lucky. Clearly, the seller didn't know the value of the item.

That's why you should always enter the maximum amount you're willing to pay as your bid. Then it doesn't matter if someone snipes at the last minute. If they exceed your bid, well, then it was the most you were willing to pay anyway.