Derek Hiemforth

Well I'll be damned! I'd looked for years for a 1st Edition screen, even to the point of buying two items advertised as such from online out-of-print dealers, both of which turned out to be 2nd Edition screens! The stock number didn't clear up the confusion, unfortunately. 1st Edition Champions came out in 1981, and 2nd Edition in 1982. The GM Screen is stock number 05, which places it between Escape From Stronghold (1981), and Enemies II (1982). So there was no way to tell from that. And the 2nd Edition screen does not have a copyright date on it.

 

All that taken together, plus the fact that I had never even seen a 1st Edition screen, made me think there was none. But that Strength Chart difference clinches it... my 2nd edition screen does not list a KDamage column.

 

Thanks, Doug! I'll update my HERO System Products List to reflect this info. (Then I'll start hunting for a 1st Edition screen again. )

 

('Course, tracking this stuff would be a lot easier if the guys hadn't re-used the same stock number for different versions of the same product... mumble, mutter... )

Sorry... I didn't notice that each panel had the same verbiage on it. Okay, does it have the yellow "Revised Edition" splash on the other panel, where it says Gamemaster's Screen for CHAMPIONS on that one?

Originally posted by Doug Limmer

I have a two-panel GM screen which I got the same time I got my (used) copy of the 1st edition book, wrapped in the same plastic wrap; is that a 2nd edition screen?

On the panel where it says Gamemaster's Screen for CHAMPIONS" and shows the two guys facing off against each other, is there a yellow splash panel after the word CHAMPIONS that says "2nd Edition?"

By and large, I think it depends on SFX. A knife and a shotgun are both "visible," but one of them is a lot easier to use quietly.

Originally posted by Zaratustra

I believe the 'summon specific individual' is used to summon pre-existing NPCs and PCs. If you need to question the Midnight Bomber That Bombs At Midnight, you could use such a summon to call him. Yes, it's incredibly munchkin.

Well, two points...

 

One, that would require +2 in Advantages on Summon, so it would be very expensive. You'd need the +1 for Specific Being and the +1 for Any Type of Being. If you only bought Specific Being, it would literally be only 1 specific being... you could only Summon the one particular person you had defined when you bought the Power.

 

Two, any GM who allowed you to buy a Power to Summon anyone whenever you wanted to would have to be asleep at the switch. As the description of Summon in H5E says, you should normally only use Summon to call specific beings if they are deceased, or you have some way of precisely pinpointing their location. So you shouldn't be able to Summon The Midnight Bomber -- even you paid your +2 -- unless you know exactly where he is. Summon shouldn't include a free worldwide Detect power.

Re: How much of a change?

 

Originally posted by oneoflittleword

I1. How much of a change is 5th edition from 4th.

Both a lot and a little.

 

4th Edition characters still work very easily with 5th Edition. There have been a few cost changes, and a few mechanics changes, but not too many. So you wouldn't need to make a lot of changes to a 4th Edition character to use them with 5th.

 

However, you would almost certainly want to make changes, because the biggest thing 5th Edition does is give you lots more options for ways to simulate an even wider range of abilities. I've converted a fair number of characters to 5th Edition, and in every single case, there were new 5th Edition items that helped me define the character better than they had been defined in 4th.

 

2. Is it something that a player/GM of lots of other hero RPG's would be interested in or should I stick to 4th edition.

Every single person I know who plays HERO System games has switched to 5th Edition. As the current release, it's the standard for Hero players. If you encounter new Hero players, they're almost certainly going to be playing 5th Edition. And that scenario will only increase over time...

As far as I know, there was no 1st Edition GM screen. I believe the first one was for the 2nd Edition of Champions.

You have to buy some things in HERO (like Characteristics) that aren't affected by levels in D&D. That is to say, the main thing that separates most 1st level characters from 0-level characters in D&D is that 1st level characters have better ability scores. (In practice, even if they shouldn't in a straight 3d6-six-times theory.)

 

If I really wanted to capture the flavor of a D&D-style character, I'd probably start the characters with about 40 points that had to be spent on their Characteristics. Then I'd give them another 10-15 points to spend on their first "class" abilities. (A mage's first spell, a warrior's first couple of Weapon Familiarities and maybe a Combat Level, a thief's first couple of thiefly Skills, etc.)

 

After that, every 10-15 points would equate to another "level," as the mage buys another spell or two, the warrior buys another Combat Level or buys a physical CHA up a little bit, etc.

The first suggestion is still the best, IMO. Use Variable Limitations. The power either has Incantations or Increased END Cost.

Just buy extra PRE with the Limitation, Only To Protect Against Presence Attacks (-1). See the sidebar on page 92 of HERO System Fifth Edition for an example.

 

Alternately, since they're zombies, you might want to consider building them as Automatons, which would make them immune to Presence Attacks. (See page 310 of HERO System Fifth Edition.)

Or since they're going to be opposing criminals, why not simply "Anti-Crime Team?"

Re: Campaign Assistance Needed

 

Originally posted by Super Squirrel

Problem 1:

I can't think of a name for the program. I thought of a couple of acronyms but nothing is standing out that I like.

How about P.L.O.T. (Paranormal Law-enforcement Officer Team)?

 

Problem 2:

One of my players is playing a mutant who doesn't know she is one yet. How do I get her into the game without her knowing she is a mutant? Or should I tell her to create a new character who knows she is a mutant?

She could work for the police or the city or whatever (whoever will oversee this new agency) and she gets recruited into the new team when her powers manifest.

If you don't mind buying a few extras along with it, there's a lot of Champions books on Ebay right now that includes To Serve And Protect. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3119507300&category=2548

I actually would give you an extra -1/4 Limitation if the Power was exceptionally visible. It seems analogous to the Fantasy Hero Limitation, Noisy (-1/4).

I just sent an updated PDF to Ben, so hopefully it should be available shortly.

No need, Dynamo. I've already sent Ben an updated PDF.

Originally posted by tiger

Their were only 2 people that it didn't work on.

If you want it to work on nearly everyone who isn't a Jedi or racially immune, then you're going to need a whole lot more Mind Control than the paltry 5d6 you have listed above. The two big examples of the mind trick in action we see in the original trilogy (Obi-Wan convincing the Stormtroopers to leave them alone and let the droids go, and Luke convincing Jabba's aide to take Luke to see Jabba) are both things that the targets would normally be against doing. (Stormtroopers would normally be against freeing people they'd been ordered to look for, and Jabba's aide would normally be against breaking Jabba's orders and bringing a Jedi within lightsaber range.) That's an EGO+20 effect. To get an EGO+20 effect on even someone with a 10 EGO and no Mental Defense, you'd have to roll all 6's on a 5d6 Mind Control, making your chance of success virtually nil.

 

Lets' assume that the mind trick can't be used to make people do things they're violently opposed to (no EGO+30 effects). To be reasonably assured that you could get EGO+20 effects on people up to 15 EGO or so (above which you might start running into Jedi and potential Jedi), and get them without failing very often, you'd need to have about 14-15d6 of Mind Control. (You need to roll 35 for the desired level of effect on a target with a 15 EGO and no Mental Defense, plus you want to be sure you'll roll 35 almost all the time. At 14-15d6 of Mind Control, you'll succeed in rolling 35 or more about 98% of the time. If you're willing to drop that to about 95%, you could go with 13d6.)

Re: Missile Deflection and Multipowers

 

Originally posted by bryanb

If a character has only enough points to use only one power in a MP, can that character say assign the points to their MP in their action phase and then, in a following phase before their next action phase, use MD?

Yes. Check out the Defense Actions sidebar on page 236 of HERO System Fifth Edition, under Activating a Defense Power.

It's a great program.

Originally posted by BasilDrag

Will it make links from the index page to the individual pages with BACK SLASHES NOT FORWARD SLASHES?!!??

 

It's real irritating to hit a link in a on-disc page and have nothing happens, simply because someone forgot the way paths are written out.

There must be something misconfigured on your system. It works fine for me.

There was a character in the campaign named "Inviant," which stood for Invisible Giant. That's what his powers were... Growth and Invisibility, linked. Sounds interesting in theory, but was odd in execution. No one ever saw him when he was being a superhero, but his unconscious form would sometimes be found on the scene of superhero battles. The press even gave a name to this strange sleeping man in a costume who would often appear in the aftermath of SHIFT adventures: Narcoleptic Lad.

 

Anyway, one time a battle took place near the top of some skyscrapers in San Francisco. A news helicopter wandered too close to the fray, and was knocked into the side of one of the buildings. Its blade wedged into the building, but was still running. The copter shook as it hung by the blade, which was still trying to free itself from the building. The normals inside dangled dangerously above the cityscape.

 

Inviant went over to help. The first thing he did is yell out, "I'm coming to get you!" Now, this is back in the days when Growth gave you extra Presence, so his statement is very commanding and believable. However, they can't see him. So from the standpoint of the people in the copter, a disembodied voice is screaming that "it's coming to get them." Obviously, this inspires panic rather than reassurance.

 

Next, although the copter is reachable from the roof, Inviant climbs over the side and hangs from the building, King Kong style, while he tries to reach the copter. With one hand, he hangs on by a hole in the wall (created by the copter blade's impact), and with the other, he uses his great strength to pull the copter free. To this day, I'm not sure why he didn't just try to get the people out of the copter.

 

...or at least try to shut it down first!

 

Well, pulling it free while it's still running, the blade proceeds to smack Inviant in the face repeatedly. Since he had already taken damage previously in the super-battle, this is enough to knock Inviant out.

 

At the same time, it occurs to us that Inviant -- who weighs a great deal due to his huge size -- had been supporting his weight by hanging from an already broken section of wall. A large section of it breaks free in Inviant's hand.

 

So now Inviant is falling, unconscious, with a big chunk of wall in one hand, and a running helicopter with terrified normals in it in the other. Due to unconsciousness, he lets go of the copter and the wall. Some amazing piloting by the chopper pilot (and a stabilizing assist from one of the other heroes) enables the helicopter to right itself and land without further mishap.

 

Inviant, meanwhile, reverts to his normal, visible form, and begins plummeting toward his death. One of the other heroes -- the only one fast enough to catch the fleeing villain -- is also the only one fast enough to save the falling Inviant. So he saves Inviant, and the villain escapes.

 

The section of wall, meanwhile, hits the ground and crushes a vehicle on the street...

 

The team battlevan.

 

*sigh* Not SHIFT's finest hour.

How about "Venia Velox?" It's (roughly) Latin for "Graceful and Quick."

No. If he doesn't use the EB, then he can't use the Flash. Doesn't matter why he doesn't use the EB.

Originally posted by Kevin Scrivner

Iron Crown put out a time travel campaign book a while back. You might be able to find copies at your game shop. Unfortunately the title escapes me. But it was packed with ideas for different types of time travel and campaigns.

I believe it was called Time Riders.

In the 4th Edition version of Fantasy Hero, there was a Limited Power application called "Lockout". It meant that no other spells (powers) could be maintained while this one was in use. The value on that was -1/2.

 

Based on that benchmark, I would assume that a Limitation, saying that the power could not be used when a single other power was on, could only be worth -1/4 at most (in the same way that any kind of limited range is only -1/4 because no range at all is only -1/2).