Wyrm Ouroboros

Re: Martial Arts versus Powers with Martial Arts1 SFX? I just go with regular strength, martial attacks, and 'advantaged HA's to represent the things that the game-built Martial Arts can't do directly. Rope with a horseshoe or a firehose? Stretching. Etc. etc.

Re: Damage Shield question Ah, but you CAN fire the power -- just pick up 'Offensive (+1/4)', put the target into a headlock, and ZAP your damage shield affects them. DS is less an offensive power, though, than it is a guaranteed payback -- 'You hit me, I'll hit you back'.

Re: Disads on a suit of powered armor? I don't disagree. I'm just saying that a) the builder can theoretically build ANOTHER suit, and he really shouldn't LOSE the points invested in the suit just because it got stolen, and I've always seen 'Independent' as being something more for Mystic/Fantasy campaigns where those who can/do build 'Independent' items have the general ability to acquire more XP towards building those items through 'XP stored towards Independent Items' objects -- dragon hearts, unicorn horns, etc. Independent, i'truth, I would use only in a Fantasy campaign.

Re: Howl of Fear See previous desperate struggle to get an answer from you. 5th Edition's BBB is the only one I have.

Re: Howl of Fear Trigger is a +1/4 advantage; how much for the 'auto-reset'?

Re: New Mechanic: Manipulation (Campaign Rules)

Re: SFX Question... What's in those blaster clips?

Re: Help with Character - Basilisk I like that idea. I would not have thought of that myself. I also like the gradual effect. What does the restrainable mean? And is the limited target because someone has to be bitten first, or is it something else. I only have the Sidekick edition so far. I am going to have to put the Hero 5th ed revised on my Christmas list. Restrainable means that it isn't something that blasts from his forehead or eyeballs or hands or whatever; he can't use it AT ALL if X happens. Angel can't fly if his wings are grabbed. In this case, Basilisk can't use his Stone Bite if Spider-Man has webbed his mouth closed. It's Limited Target because usually you can Transform anything. It doesn't make sense to me for Basilisk to bite, oh, a chair and turn it into stone. Therefore, limited target: living animals/humans only. You might want to eliminate the 'living' part, or make it 'living or only recently living' or some such. Otherwise you could bite LEATHER and turn it into Stone. Re: the snake tail sweeps and everything -- I agree greatly. Get a naked adder for your strength -- AoE Cone, usable for sweeps, only with tail ... stuff like that. Takedowns, etc. Very good thoughts. This guy's tactics would probably be along the lines of 'Takedown with Tail, turn and bite. Rinse; repeat.'

Re: My Damage Shield, too much? The question you need to ask yourself is whether the DS is considered active even when it isn't violently contacted. I mean, you're touching the ground, right? Or air's touching it, or whatever. Essentially, is the character going to have to roll an 11- every phase? I also presume that everything else suit-related draws END from the reserve. The smart opposing character is going to watch something hit that 'destroys everything' barrier, shake his head, and go get a whole bunch of marbles to throw at you. And then, in a relatively short period of time, is going to have SuitMan laying on the ground, unable to move because the suit is out of END. This is typically why Damage Shields are bought with reduced END, not increased END.

Re: Howl of Fear Yeah, I thought of the Continuous/Always On -- I think I'd take it as the Always On disad, because considering it'd usually be for Fear, there're times you don't WANT them to be afraid of you. Though you could just do it as straight PRE, and then it's whatever you want it to be at the time. They walk in to your audience hall, they're impressed; they face you in a fight, they're intimidated. The Trigger I thought of as well, but wasn't entirely certain about, as I'm not sure how the whole 'automatically resets' stuff works into the advantages.

Re: Disads on a suit of powered armor? I disagree on the Independent; it should, instead, be OIF Universal, meaning that any fool who climbs in can use it. Otherwise, if this is something the villians can get a hold of, if you do nothing else, stat out the X points in disads that're the problems with the suit. Unluck. Vulnerability. Susceptibility, Hunted, whatever. These are what the heroes need to do their job, if they're into research at all...

Re: Adder help! [ (Base Points + Adders) x (1 + Advantages) ] / (1 + Limitations) Zees ees how eet works!!

Re: From Tiny Campaign Acorns, Something...Something...Happens I tried that, once. Didn't go with my decor. And Hermit, you rassin' frassin'!! I didn't know you was Recluse!! Learn somethin' new every day.

Re: Help with Character - Basilisk As was said, 'Only in Hero ID (-1/4)'. That's just a grab. Give him an extra limb (tail), perhaps ambidexterity (so he can use the tail with no penalty), then some Martial Arts -- Snake Style Kung Fu, perhaps.

Re: Wwycd Oops!

Re: SFX Question... What's in those blaster clips?

Re: A child with Multiform? It isn't really appropriate for a Dark Champions setting, no. And the Power form should be set at whatever power level the other characters are at. I've recently done this one -- Calvin and Stupendous Man. Which reminds me: I have the opportunity to do something 'liberating!!' -- which is to say, honestly not-nice -- to Miss Wormwood, the 'terrible' teacher at school. Should I?

Re: New Mechanic: Manipulation (Campaign Rules) Never done much lifting, have you, Chris? Ever lifted a 'non-resisting replica' of yourself, or anything of your own size that was within your weight limit? A person's 'no problems' limit runs to about 1/4 their size. Anything above that is difficult, regardless of shape, texture, and so forth. Anyhow. Never mind; sorry to have disturbed your world. You aren't looking for assistance in creating or clarifying a new idea; you haven't been, from the beginning. You're just looking for a pat on the back, and are resisting virtually every suggestion given to you. As a consequence, arguing with you is ... well, there's a great line for this, from Lois McMaster Bujold: "Never argue with a pedant. It frustrates you, and irritates the pedant." I'll just reset my ignore file.

Re: Practice Yeah, I think that as a GM I'd disallow the OIF part myself if it's embedded. It'd be like ripping Beren Everman's chest-ruby -- you wanna huh what?!? It's embedded in his flesh. Ripping it out would be like tearing out your eyeball. Instead of that, I might permit 'Restrainable (By Means Other than Grabs/Entangles -- Encase Hand in Plastic; -1/4)' or something along those lines; it isn't something that can/should be taken AWAY, but there should be a clear way for it to be negated. Looking at your powers and all ... I think I'd reduce the END bonus to 1/2 END instead of 0 END (or put 0 END on the first half of his strength, then 1/2 END on the second half). I'd also switch Flight for Running, perhaps with a goal of applying 'Usable Simultaneously By Others (AoE Hex 2", +3/4)' -- so that you could 'ripple' a whole bunch of people forward on one platform around you. I'd also adjust most of your characteristics -- most of them downwards, except for INT. Granted, that's a matter of taste, though I tend not to think of dwarves as being somewhere between Black Bears and Lions on the agility chart. He certainly looks like he was a very exceptional dwarf before he got the Stone of the Earth.

Re: New Mechanic: Manipulation (Campaign Rules) And yet on each and every portion of your idea, there is no bonus or penalty that is always going to be a bonus, or is always going to be a penalty. I haven't gotten into the size issues; there should definitely be issues in manipulating items equal to your own size!! The only portion of your idea that's complete is the '5 pts: +1 to Manipulation Rolls.' Okay, that sounds like ... a 5-point skill level, 'group of related skills', a mechanic that's in the rules, so I guess that's okay. If you want it to be just with manipulation of objects, I'd say it's a 2-point level -- so long as the way you're manipulating the object isn't covered by other skills, or the effect of the manipulation isn't a Power (such as Transform). If you want a race to be able to manipulate incredibly microscopic (or macroscopic) items, I'd say ... well, get Microscopic on your Touch for the first, and loads of strength for the second; big objects tend to be heavy, though that isn't an absolute rule. And then perhaps a level or two of your 'Manipulation Mechanic'.

Re: [Project] Death Note Well, I only saw this once, but ... The Death Note: Mind Scan 12d6 (Human and Alien classes of minds), +10 ECV, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Invisible to Mental Group (+1/2) (180 Active Points); Gestures, Requires Gestures Throughout Startup Time (Complex; -1), Concentration, Must Concentrate Throughout Startup Time (0 DCV; -1), IAF (-1/2), Extra Time (Extra Phase, Only to Activate, Character May Take No Other Actions, -1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4), Limited Power (Fails to Work if True Name of Target Improperly Written; -1/4): Real Cost 40. Killing Attack - Ranged 4d6 (vs. ED), Variable Special Effects (Any SFX; +1/2), Invisible Power Effects, SFX Only (Fully Invisible; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Indirect ( Any origin, any direction; +3/4), Based On EGO Combat Value (Mental Defense applies; +1), Does BODY (+1) (315 Active Points); Extra Time (Extra Phase, Character May Take No Other Actions, -1), Concentration, Must Concentrate Throughout Extra Startup Time (0 DCV; -1), Gestures, Requires Gestures throughout (Complex; -1), IAF (-1/2), Can Only Be Used Through Mind Scan (-1/2), Linked (Mind Scan; -1/4): Real Cost 60. If you buy it BOECV, you can strike through the Mind Scan -- and this thing works against anyone, anywhere in the world. I figured 12d6 (average roll: 42) with +10 ECV would do the job to target and lock on ...

Re: Howl of Fear Right -- next project. DRAGON fear. I'm thinking it'd just do as a PRE attack, but you can have it happen just by flying overhead -- without any real attempt on the dragon's part. +X PRE, Fear Only, Always On? I don't want to link it to the Flight, because then he couldn't use it when he WAS trying to frighten someone...

Re: Damage for lightsabers

Re: New Mechanic: Manipulation (Campaign Rules) No, no -- wait. You're on to what he wants, right here, his 'New Mechanic'. Microscopic (x100,000,000 or whatever) on Sight (to see it) and Touch (to do it) -- and without the Focus limitation, the being can do it 'by hand'. Everything else is 'how small do you have to get to necessarily do the job?' That, of course, is a research problem for the GM. Almost all the bonuses and penalties are relatively OK -- but again, all -- and I mean all -- of them are essentially 'GM determined', not just the ones marked as GM determined. Can I conceive of a situation where 'Slippery' or 'Smooth' textures are going to grant a bonus instead of a penalty? Sure can. Spiny/Prickly? Sure can. (YOU try to pick up a 3mm ball bearing -- as compared to a 3mm burr. Or try to drop a 3mm burr, as compared to a 3mm ball bearing.) Which means again, all of these are GM dependent -- not what Mssr. Mullins is looking for. Mssr. Mullins is looking for a codex of modifiers that's clear and reliable. Not gonna happen, honestly, but I guess maybe he GMs differently. (Well, no 'maybe' about it, really.) The only bit we're having a problem with, in the end, is the need/use of a base 'Manipulation' roll of any sort. Which, 'beggin' yer pardon, Lord', I think you still haven't proven the usefulness of. Unless, of course, your Manipulation skill is going to replace all the other DEX skills that rely on hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity -- Climbing, Combat Driving, Combat Piloting, Fast Draw, Lockpicking, and Sleight of Hand -- or at least, that's what I'm seeing. There's plenty of INT skills that rely fairly heavily on one's steady hand -- Mechanics and Electronics spring swiftly to mind. Should we eliminate these as well? No, the game doesn't cover (much) how to describe picking up either a 40-lb rock or a 0.006 oz. grain of sand and moving either of them -- except to say that if you want to THROW it, you get OCV penalties of -2 for nonaerodynamic, and a -2 for unbalanced. Technically, you could throw a grain of sand (HOW many extra STR is that?!?) at bullet speeds, even if you're playing just a kid -- but the GM is liable to overrule you on that, y'know. Gives a great idea for someone's SFX for a 'Bullseye' character. Why not keep them as is, have '+/-X' as suggested situational-dependent bonuses/penalties, and suggest a 3- or 5-point skill level 'with skills/actions dependent on manual dexterity'? Because otherwise, you have failed -- continually failed -- to commend the usefulness of the 'mechanic', having continually failed to answer the actual question of 'Why is this not covered by the skills, Powers, advantages and disadvantages already in existence within the game design?'

Re: New Mechanic: Manipulation (Campaign Rules) Naaw; Hugh didn't make a personal attack. I almost have, several times, but my better judgement got a hold of me each time.