Derek Hiemforth

I don't think HERO needs a 7th edition as much as it needs a facelift to look a bit less cryptic. My next Champions core book would NOT really be a 7th edition but more a reskinning of the current rules with a focus on streamlining and removing the need for "clever" builds (like super running being built with Flight by removing the ability to fly or with Teleport by removing the ability to teleport). Also, I would review the layout of the character write-ups so they look a bit more functional and less blocky.
 
HERO, in my opinion, doesn't have a "rule" problem,  it has a "presentation" problem.

Following Sketchpad footsteps
 
Why your username?
True story.  HERO System Almanach I. Super-Team name generator page 91. Two rolls. Dread. Domain. It stuck.
 
Why your avatar or if no avatar why not?
Never took the time to set one up
 
What area do you live in?
I am from Montréal Canada but I currently live in Brisbane, Australia
 
What's your profession?
Engineer but now in project management
 
Are you Windows, MAC or Linux?
Windows and Android
 
Are there TV shows and/or movies you like to binge watch?
Many!
 
What drew you to the Hero System
The George Perez cover drew me in. The system kept me going
 
Which edition did you start with?
4
 
Which edition is your favorite?
If I have to choose one, 6e. In reality, a mix of 4, 5 and 6.
 
What have you used the game for?
Mainly superheroes, but also Fantasy and Pulp.
 
What point system have you ran or played?.
My other love is GURPS
 
What was your first Hero character?
Hardstone, a street level bad ass. Or was it Holocaust, a super brick bad ass...
 
What was your favorite Hero character?
Either J.W Steel a golden age brick dilettante playboy or Masque X, a Spider-Man/Daredevil mash-up. 
 
Do you still play or GM the Hero System
I haven't in the last 3 years. Would like to.
 
Are there other games you play?
GURPS, Call of Cthulhu, Dungeon Fantasy
 
On an A to F scale how do you rate the system overall?
As a system, I'd give 6th edition an A. 
 
What are some house-rules, if any, you use in the past?
We usually played it as is.
 
If you could put together a 7th edition what are some things you add, omit and/or change?
I would start from Champions Complete, bring back Gliding, Transfer, Instant Change, introduce adders to run on water and vertical surfaces, drop megascale and reprice non combat movement at 2 points for ×2, use Complications to generate Hero Points instead of giving more points during character creation, review the cost of characteristics and skill levels. Make the book glossy full colour and include the Super Hero Gallery. It would NOT really be a 7th edition but more a reskinning of the currently rules with a focus on streamlining and removing the need for "clever" build. Also, I would review the layout of the character write-ups.
 

Seems like fun, though I added a few questions. 
 
Why your username?
I needed a name when I started working in the Wizards Community and, as an artist, I gravitated towards Sketch. More and more people called me it, so I expanded it  to Sketchpad as my online screen name.
 
Why your avatar or if no avatar why not?
It's me. The photo was taken by my wife and we refer to it as my "Dust Jacket" picture.
 
What area do you live in?
The frozen north of New York where the winds of limbo roar.
 
What's your profession?
I'm a graphic designer and PR guy by day, and a small RPG publisher by night along with the missus. She edits and writes, I write, draw, and design our products.
 
Are you Windows, MAC or Linux?
Windows and Mac. Depends on where I am and what I'm doing.
 
Are there TV shows and/or movies you like to binge watch?
Sure. I'm a sci-fi and horror junkie, but a good sitcom is something that will keep my attention.
 
What drew you to the Hero System?
An old friend of mine back in the '80s. Champions became one of our go-to superhero games at the time, and when he left, I took the game over.
 
Which edition did you start with?
It was either Champions II or Champions III. We often used rules from both.
 
Which edition is your favorite?
Though I have fond memories of 1-3, 4th was my favorite. That Big Blue Book was magical!
 
What have you used the game for?
Mainly superheroes, but I'd love to run something a bit different sometime.
 
What point system have you ran or played in?
250-700 starting points.
 
What was your first Hero character?
I played a superhero who wore a cybersuit he built from stolen Viper and UNTIL parts.
 
What was your favorite Hero character?
I really enjoyed my Batman-like character that took darkness powers and a slew of Hunteds. Unfortunately, they all found him in a pretty hectic session. 
 
Do you still play or GM the Hero System
I haven't in a long time, but always threatened to come back to it. Might be time soon.
 
Are there other games you play?
Yup. Mutants & Masterminds, Alien, D&D, Call of Cthulhu/Delta Green, Star Trek Adventures, Traveller, Star Wars, Cypher/Numenera, Rifts, etc.
 
On an A to F scale how do you rate the system overall?
As a system, I'd give 6th edition a solid B. As nostalgia from playing it in the past, an A.
 
What are some house-rules, if any, you use in the past?
I've played with different Wealth systems, a Hero Die mechanic, Mastermind Talent, and Custom Templates to name a few.
 
If you could put together a 7th edition what are some things you add, omit and/or change?
I would streamline the game a bit and bring in some modern game sensibilities. I'd also love to reboot the Champions Universe.
 

Sounds fun! I'll play.
 
Why your username?
-I've usually been the GM in every group I've been with over the last 40 years.
 
Why your avatar or if no avatar why not
-It's-a me, Joe!
 
What area do you live in?
-Chicagoland
 
What's your profession?
-I'm in IT/Cybersecurity
 
Are you a Windows, Mac or Linux user?
-Linux personally. I was a Mac user for about 10 years beginning with OS X 10.1, and FreeBSD before that (and Windows 9x before that, and Apple // before that, and Atari 400/800 before that, with a smattering of others from time to time).
 
Are there TV shows and/or movies you like to binge watch?
-Firefly, Farscape, Buffy...more recently, Doom Patrol on HBO Max and the newer Marvel series on Disney+.
 
What drew you to the Hero System?
-Initially, it was just one of the very few supers systems out there. But once I opened that oversized box and started reading the saddle-stitched book, my mind was blown.
 
Which edition did you start with?
2nd Edition gave me my start with HERO System.
 
What have you used the game for?
-Supers, fantasy, cyberpunk, western...just about all the usual genres except space sci-fi and toons.
 
What point system have you ran or played in?
-? Not sure what's being asked.
 
Do you still play or GM the Hero System
-My most recent stint GMing Hero was a couple years ago.
 
Our there other games you play
-Over the last five years, in addition to HERO I've GMed or played B/X D&D, BRP, Classic Traveller, Supers! Revised Edition, Tunnels & Trolls, Savage Worlds, Fate...probably a few more I'm forgetting.
 
On an A to F scale how do you rate the system overall
-It's a solid A. Could it be better? Yes. But as it is, it's very, very good.
 
Followup question: If you rate the system below B- why are are still playing or using it?
 
What are some house-rules, if any, you use in the past?
-1/2d6 Stun multiplier, of course. We futzed around with a lot of stuff in the early years, but in the end most was either fixed or explained more clearly in a later edition. These days, it's so easy to take any edition and add things from other editions until you get what you want. Not a lot of need to homebrew any more, IME. That said, I do prepare standards documents for every campaign to give players a good idea of where (and whether) their character concept will fit into the campaign world.
 
If you could put together a 7th edition what are some things you add, omit and/or change?
-All versions have been very good, but I'm not a fan of huge tomes. So if I were being realistic, I'd start with Champions Complete, fix all errors, then lay it out with more whitespace like the 4e BBB. I would also try to make it clearer to those new to the game what the various levels of characteristics and skills mean (could be just adding a few columns and rows to the Average Individuals table and putting the table up front, but ideally there would be a chapter on the subject), and add some extended character building and campaign building examples...including campaigns where character designs are fairly simple and straight-forward, like early 4e and prior.

As has been said a lot of this is in user profiles, but it's fun so here we go:

 
Why your username?
-It was my attempt to be cool the first time I logged into a dial-up BBS & I've kept it ever since.
 
Why your avatar or if no avatar why not
- It's the Logo for UNTIL, the SHIELD of the Champions universe.  I like being hero themed on the Hero boards.  "Until peace prevails!"
 
What area do you live in?
-The northern Suburbs of Minneapolis
 
What's your profession?
-I'm in IT on the Server and Cloud side
 
Are you Windows, MAC or Linux?
-Windows mostly.  (Cue Roy from the IT Crowd exclaiming he is NOT a window washer)
 
Are there TV shows and/or movies you like to binge watch?
- I go through phases but have a soft spot for the classic Space Operas, Original & Next Gen Trek, Babylon 5, Blakes 7.
 
What drew you to the Hero System?
-I like superheroes and I like point building systems
 
Which edition did you start with?
- I came in with 4th edition.
 
What have you used the game for?
-I've played a *lot* of supers & had fairly successful Pulp and Luce Libre games.
 
What point system have you ran or played in?
-I played some GURPS back in the day but Hero is my bag.
 
Do you still play or GM the Hero System
-I GM weekly
 
Our there other games you play
-I actively GM Hero and Pathfinder 2e, although I never go more than a few years without running Changeling.
 
On an A to F scale how do you rate the system overall
- It is a B for me but mostly because I've been doing it for more than 25 years.  If I had to start now I'm afraid I'd bounce off of it.
 
Followup question: If you rate the system below B- why are are still playing or using it?
- As I was close to the line on this: I think the "universal" nature of the game works, but requires a good set of examples and we do NOT have enough.  I want to see 3-4 really solid genres that have actual Sample Characters, Settings, and Lists of Enemies.  Way too many of Hero's "Genre Books" are a mile wide and an inch deep, forcing you to do all the work.  I had a great time running Pulp because I had several books supporting it.  My Players loved Luce Libre but it ran out of gas too quickly and I didn't have time to become an expert in the genre myself.
 
What are some house-rules, if any, you use in the past?
-I have two carryovers from older editions.  1) I limit how much Str can add to killing damage.  Best you can do is double the dice you bought and 2) Damage Shield is a straight Advantage instead of requiring a bunch of other stuff first as is currently the rule.
 
If you could put together a 7th edition what are some things you add, omit and/or change?
-I wouldn't want a 7th edition unless there was likely to be a lot of support for it.  Given Hero's current output I'd prefer to get content for 6th.

HI SPECKS!!!!!!!!   
  I’m Tjack, and if nobody else said it, welcome to the show!   A lot of the info you’re asking about is on the profiles for each member.  I started playing in the early ‘80’s and played continuously for about twenty years. Health issues put me into retirement from gaming but I like hanging out here for the people and to maybe help some new gamers along the way.
   My Avatar is the statue of an Orangutan some friends took a picture of and sent me.  Many long decades ago I was at an all summer night game session at a college we used to play at, when I came back into the room after a 3:00 am junk food run to the machines, plopped down at the table dull-eyed, very full beard in disarray, head in hands.
  One of my best friends looked at me and said “Do me a favor, say “Ape Shall Not Kill Ape”.   I lifted my shaggy head and proceeded with the Paul Williams as an orangutan scientist monologue about time travel.  And such was a legend born!  For many years after I got Dr. Zaius toys, coffee mugs and such for every birthday & Christmas. 
   The answers to your other questions will probably just as long and only undertaken by specific request.  If you want to get to know about me or any of us your best bet is just go to the profiles of somebody whose response to a thread you like and read some of their old stuff.
     Happy Hunting.

I noticed we've been getting a lot of new people trickling in to Hero System. I thought it would be nice to introduce each other and I have put together a list of questions I thought would help. Some questions are hero related but others just general questions I could think of. Enjoy 🙂
 
Why your username?
-We are nothing but specks in time and space
 
Why your avatar or if no avatar why not
-I am Marvin the Martian fan
 
What area do you live in?
-I moved from Detroit to Tampa recently
 
What's your profession?
-I'm in IT/Cybersecurity (I think most of us are IT geeks here :))
 
Are you Windows, MAC or Linux?
-Windows and Linux, a little MAC
 
Are there TV shows and/or movies you like to binge watch?
-I like MASH, Hogans Heroes, NCIS, Turner Classic Movies and those B- Scifi films
 
What drew you to the Hero System?
-I like superheroes and I like point building systems
 
Which edition did you start with?
I started with 1st edition and still going
 
What have you used the game for?
-Our group has used it for supers and pulp hero setting
 
What point system have you ran or played in?
-400 mostly but we have played in 150 or 225
 
Do you still play or GM the Hero System
-Not lately, I moved and I may have to find a new group or teleconference
 
Our there other games you play
-I have played Pathfinder, Seven Seas, GURPS, D&D (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc....), Star Trek
 
On an A to F scale how do you rate the system overall
-I give it an A it has it's flaws but it still is one of the best systems to build and run
 
Followup question: If you rate the system below B- why are are still playing or using it?
 
What are some house-rules, if any, you use in the past?
-I think the only one we used was to eliminate the stun lotto and started using that in the 5th edition
 
If you could put together a 7th edition what are some things you add, omit and/or change?
-I don't want a 7th edition, I am happy with the 6th edition
(If you get too long winded, put it in a PDF) I think some of you are frustrated writers !!!
 
 

Although never called "Spell Resistance," I'm guessing you're thinking of the discussion of using Skill Versus Skill Contests to resolve a magical duel. For 6E, that's on Fantasy Hero, page 283.

In my game world the amusement park was shut down after all the murders Black Harlequin committed on opening day.  The show took a ratings hit when the guys who ran the biggest fan forum were killed by a detonating rollercoaster and thus the fan community was unable to unite in their time of grief.
 
My PCs saved lives, but were fairly traumatized by the whole thing.....
Foxbat swore vengeance on BH because some things just aren't cool.

with VPPS, only the control cost is effected by modifiers. The pool cost isn't

The text from 6E1 p142 does not contradict the text from 6E1 p140.  The text on 140 notes that you can't adjust all of the slots by only adjusting the pool.
 
In other words, if you want to Drain someone's entire Multipower, including all 5 slots it has, then you can't just Drain their Multipower Reserve and thereby clobber all 5 slots at once.  You have to Drain each slot as if it were bought separately like any other power, and if you Drain one of them, the character can just use the others just fine.
 
But 6E2 p142's text on Expanded Effect notes that Expanded Effect (potentially, depending on how you've bought it) lets you affect the pool and the slots together. Why would this matter? Well, if you have enough Expanded Effect (such as the +4 level), it might matter a lot, allowing you to affect a Multipower or VPP with many possible slots of the target effect all at once (which could make positively adjusting a power framework, in particular, much easier).

After. The Breakout Roll doesn't happen until the target's next Phase, per this bit from 6E1 p149:  "Starting on the target’s next Phase after being successfully attacked with a continuing-effect Mental Power, he may attempt to break free from the Power."  The mentalist's Attack Roll and Effect Roll happened on the Phase in which the mentalist attacked with the Mind Scan (per 6E1 p263-264). 
 
Or another way to think of it is, the target doesn't need a Breakout Roll until after there's been an Effect Roll, but by the time there's an Effect Roll, it's too late: the mentalist got the location from the Effect Roll.

After. The Breakout Roll doesn't happen until the target's next Phase, per this bit from 6E1 p149:  "Starting on the target’s next Phase after being successfully attacked with a continuing-effect Mental Power, he may attempt to break free from the Power."  The mentalist's Attack Roll and Effect Roll happened on the Phase in which the mentalist attacked with the Mind Scan (per 6E1 p263-264). 
 
Or another way to think of it is, the target doesn't need a Breakout Roll until after there's been an Effect Roll, but by the time there's an Effect Roll, it's too late: the mentalist got the location from the Effect Roll.

I'm not sure why there's any question over this, really. Everything you need for it comes right out of the box as a normal part of Distinctive Features:
 
Presumably, the leitmotif always plays, and there's nothing the character can do to conceal it from those who can hear it. Therefore, the concealability factor is Not Concealable (base 15-pt. Complication). The reaction factor would be dependent on how characters react in-game. You said the leitmotif would only be detectible by people who spent points on the appropriate Unusual Senses (-10).
 
So it's a Distinctive Features Complication worth 5 points if it's noticed and recognizable, 10 points if it causes a major reaction, or 15 points if it's an extreme reaction.
 

I'm not sure why there's any question over this, really. Everything you need for it comes right out of the box as a normal part of Distinctive Features:
 
Presumably, the leitmotif always plays, and there's nothing the character can do to conceal it from those who can hear it. Therefore, the concealability factor is Not Concealable (base 15-pt. Complication). The reaction factor would be dependent on how characters react in-game. You said the leitmotif would only be detectible by people who spent points on the appropriate Unusual Senses (-10).
 
So it's a Distinctive Features Complication worth 5 points if it's noticed and recognizable, 10 points if it causes a major reaction, or 15 points if it's an extreme reaction.
 

I'm not sure why there's any question over this, really. Everything you need for it comes right out of the box as a normal part of Distinctive Features:
 
Presumably, the leitmotif always plays, and there's nothing the character can do to conceal it from those who can hear it. Therefore, the concealability factor is Not Concealable (base 15-pt. Complication). The reaction factor would be dependent on how characters react in-game. You said the leitmotif would only be detectible by people who spent points on the appropriate Unusual Senses (-10).
 
So it's a Distinctive Features Complication worth 5 points if it's noticed and recognizable, 10 points if it causes a major reaction, or 15 points if it's an extreme reaction.
 

I'm not sure why there's any question over this, really. Everything you need for it comes right out of the box as a normal part of Distinctive Features:
 
Presumably, the leitmotif always plays, and there's nothing the character can do to conceal it from those who can hear it. Therefore, the concealability factor is Not Concealable (base 15-pt. Complication). The reaction factor would be dependent on how characters react in-game. You said the leitmotif would only be detectible by people who spent points on the appropriate Unusual Senses (-10).
 
So it's a Distinctive Features Complication worth 5 points if it's noticed and recognizable, 10 points if it causes a major reaction, or 15 points if it's an extreme reaction.
 

It means you can only target characters with a Martial Throw.
 
For example, you can Grab a manhole cover and then Throw it at Dr. Sinister or Sgt. Sneaky. However, you can't Martial Throw a manhole cover at either of them (to avoid having to Grab it first).
 
However, you could Martial Throw Dr. Sinister into Sgt. Sneaky (or vice-versa), assuming it worked out otherwise (they were close enough, you had STR enough, etc.)
 
As for the larger question about whether vehicles count as characters for this purpose, I think that needs to stay firmly in the province of a GM decision. I think there would be many cases in which special effects, situational factors, common sense, and dramatic sense would all agree that it should be possible (especially with a moving vehicle), and many cases in which all of those considerations would agree that it should not be possible.

FYI, I recently created a character sheet (in MS Word format) for HERO System 6th Edition, but done in the 3-Column style of the HERO System 4E character sheets.  It's available in the site files section if you're interested.   
 
 
 

FYI, I recently created a character sheet (in MS Word format) for HERO System 6th Edition, but done in the 3-Column style of the HERO System 4E character sheets.  It's available in the site files section if you're interested.   
 
 
 

FYI, I recently created a character sheet (in MS Word format) for HERO System 6th Edition, but done in the 3-Column style of the HERO System 4E character sheets.  It's available in the site files section if you're interested.   
 
 
 

I can't help because I don't know, but I just wanted to say good on ya' for looking to credit the original poster.  

I rather see at least a -1/4 limitation in a modern world. I would say that if you can be recorded then anyone wearing special visors like Defender should be able to see you too. And how many high Heroes/Villains are there? So even a -1/2 wouldn’t be that much of a stretch.

The details would depend on how you wanted the ability to work (so it might be based on Aid, or on STR with Usable On Others, etc.), but I think the key is that you apply a Limitation that it can't cause the recipient's STR to exceed 50. The value of the Limitation would depend on how you built it, on what typical STR values in the game are, etc.

I think this is the best approach. Honestly, it sounds like many applications of this general effect would fall into the realm of "I want to get Limitations for having to do preparations at a time of my choosing, when I'm completely safe and not pressed for time, and then use the power without the restrictions of those preparations whenever I decide I need it."
 
Which is totally fine, but also seems potentially close in spirit to "I want an invisible, desolid 'focus' that I can teleport to my hand."   There's nothing wrong with that either, but the answer is to just chalk it up to SFX and not take a CP break.
 
So in the end, I think you're probably looking at either no Limitation value  (just SFX) or maybe something like Only in Alternate ID or some application of Limited Power for -¼.