VorpalAuroch

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

Rincewind.

I had to idea for a 'base' toted around in the back of a tractor-trailer. I realized that this would be, while cool, a very small base, so I thought it would be cool to make it bigger inside than outside. One way is using an Extradimensional Gate to a Base defined as being in another dimension, but it has odd ramifications if dispelled. Another way which is possibly more elegant but also more rules-questionable is to buy the vehicle characteristic Size, No Figured Characteristics (-1/2), Inside Only (-?). If you were the GM, would you allow this? How much of a limitation would you rate Inside Only?

Re: Who would be the Super Villians of your area?

Berkshire: Nature-powered brick hailing from western Massachusetts. Spends his time beating up on Boston to get them to recognize that Western Massachusetts does not mean Worcester.

Boston hasn't noticed yet; anything west of Concord is beneath their notice.

Re: 6E Rules changes confirmed so far

Thoughts of a Noob

As someone who has recently started playing with HERO, I thought I might share the reactions of someone who is still adjusting to the quirks of the current edition on how the new edition will change them.

And so, on to 6E:

 

----------------------

 

The basic 3d6-roll-for-success mechanic remains, and it will continue to be "roll-low."

I found the roll-low aspect difficult to wrap my head around, and still do. But that would probably unecessarilly annoy older players.

All measurements will be given in meters. There will be no use of "hexes" or any other mapping arrangement in 6E.

 

Comeliness will no longer be one of the Characteristics. It's being replaced with a Talent, Striking Appearance, which a given group can choose to use in their game if they want a character's appearance to have a mechanical effect.

Measuring in meters is wise, removing any standard mapping may be less so. It puts a greater burden on the rulebook writers if there is no standard way to diagram things.

COM definitely deserves to go. I couldn't see what it did other than encourage ugly characters.

All the other Characteristics will remain, but none of them will be "Figured," i.e. derived from other Characteristics. They'll all start with a base value that must be bought up separately. The costs of some of them have been "tweaked" -- no further details yet.

 

OCV, DCV, OECV, and DECV will become separate Characteristics, not derived from DEX and EGO. They'll start with a base value of 3 and will be bought up separately.

 

Suggested starting point totals will be raised to compensate for the change to Characteristics -- no specifics yet.

 

Perception will still be based on INT.

 

Leaping will no longer be derived from Strength -- it will start at a base amount for all characters, as with Running and Swimming.

If this means a move toward One Characteristic, One Function, then it is a good idea. Certain characteristics felt overloaded with uses, other felt underloaded. What will CON do now though? Wasn't it only useful for fguring characteristics before?

Skills will still be calculated from CHAR/5, but there will be an optional "Toolkitting" note about changing that if desired. Other Toolkitting notes will appear throughout the rules -- no further details on those.

 

Seduction Skill will be renamed Charm.

 

No new Skills will be added, although a couple have been "tweaked" (no more details yet).

Seduction was badly named. Otherwise, meh.

Energy Blast and Killing Attack will still be separate forms of Damage, as they are in 5E.

 

The Stun Multiplier for Killing Attack will become a straight 1/2d6. It will still be possible to buy up the Stun Multiplier with Advantages.

 

You will be able to apply your Normal Defenses to the STUN damage of a Killing Attack whether you have any Resistant Defenses or not.

 

Nothing has changed about the way STR adds to Hand-To-Hand Killling Attack damage.

Seem like good ideas.

 

The method of Adding Damage is supposed to be simplified -- no further details yet.

 

The Multipower and VPP Frameworks will remain, but Elemental Control is being replaced by a new Limitation, Unified Power (no value given). Aside from GM oversight there will be no restrictions on what Unified Power can be applied to.

Simplifying adding damage is very, very welcome. Simplifying Frameworks is also welcome, especially since EC mechanics are, to me, the hardest to grok of the three.

There will be another, more granular way to make a Power ECV-targeted than using the BOECV Advantage. No specifics given, but it involves breaking the Advantage into its separate components (i.e. ECV Attack Roll, Line Of Sight, etc.) and "reassembling" them to make them more flexible (and simpler according to Steve). Steve implied that he's used this approach for other elements of the system.

The approach he hinted at here seems to me to be a step in the right direction. When I first read through the rules, I got the feel that most powers were supposed to be simple, and the differentiation came from the advantages. Then I found that there were things that I wanted to do that had many limitations to take away parts of the Powers that were non-essential but came with it anyway, causing ridiculous active point costs (and END costs) relative to the power. A mild example that comes to find is a KA with no Range or STR added.

Basically, any change that increases use of advantages over disadvantages for fairly simple powers would make it easier on a new player.

Disadvantages are being renamed Complications, and Psychological Limitations will become Psychological Complications.

Good idea. Terminology mix-ups stink.

Re: Superhero Generator Project

So I decided to do the same. Here were my unmodified rolls:

[b]Unmodified Random Character One: Weaponmaster[/b]
Char: Nimbleness
Prim: Super-Warrior
Sec: Sensory Platform
Skills: Acrobatics

[b][u]VAL[/u]	[u]CHA[/u]	[u]Cost[/u]	[u]Total[/u]	[u]Roll[/u]	[u]Notes[/u][/b]
18	STR	8		13-	HTH Damage 3 1/2d6  END [2]
23	DEX	39		14-	OCV 8 DCV 11
18	CON	16		13-	
13	BODY	6		12-	
15	INT	5		12-	PER Roll 17-
13	EGO	6		12-	ECV: 4
10	PRE	0		11-	PRE Attack: 2d6
10	COM	0		11-	
9	PD	5	15r
9	ED	5	15r
6	SPD	27			Phases: 2,4,6,8,10,12
12	REC	8	
36	END	0	36
31	STUN	0	31
11	RUN	10	11"		END [1]
2	SWIM	0	2"		END [1]
4	LEAP	0	3 1/2"	3 1/2" forward, 1 1/2" upward
10	FLY	20	10"

[b]CHA Cost: 135[/b]

[b][u]Cost[/u]   [u]POWERS[/u][/b]
Cost	Power
15	Combat Sense (PER Roll)
5	Defense Maneuver II
15	Deadly Aim: Find Weakness 12- with one attack type
18	Combat Protection: Armor (6 PD/6 ED)
22	Power Strike: HA +9d6; Hand-to-Hand Attack (-½), OIF (-½)
15	+3 DCV or 
10	Swift: Running +5"

Cost	Power
10	Toughness: Damage Resistance (10 PD/10 ED)
20	Flying: Flight 10"
15	Heightened Awareness: +5 PER with all Sense Groups
5	Heat-Sight: Infrared Perception (Sight Group)
15	Radar-Sense: Radar (Radio Sense Group)
10	Unstoppable Perception: N-Ray Perception (player chooses Sense Group and 	defines nature of power)

[b]POWERS Cost:175[/b]

[b][u]Cost[/u]   [u]SKILLS[/u][/b]
7	Acrobatics 16-
7	Breakfall 16-
15	Combat Skill Levels:	+3 with HTH or Ranged Combat
3	Contortionist 14-
10	Martial Arts (Kung Fu: Throw, Legsweep, Dodge)
8	Flavor Skills
0	Champions Everyman Skills

[b]SKILLS Cost: 50[/b]

[b][u]Cost[/u]   [u]PERKS[/u][/b]
10      Vehicles & Bases

[b]PERKS Cost: 10[/b]

[b][u]Value[/u]  [u]DISADVANTAGES[/u][/b]
STANDARD SET
15	Hunted: Personal Enemy 11- (As Powerful, Capture/Kill)
20	Psychological Limitation: Code Versus Killing (Common, Total)
15	Social Limitation: Secret Identity(Private Investigator Jason Arryn, specializes in lost-property cases
CULTURAL ALIEN SET
5	Distinctive Features: Rube (Easily Concealed, Noticed and Recognizable)
10	Enraged: when insulted through cultural misunderstandings (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 14-
10	Hunted: the authorities 8- (More Powerful, Non-Combat Influence, Watching)
10	Physical Limitation: Unfamiliar With Earth Culture (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)
15	Psychological Limitation: Naive (Very Common, Moderate)
NORMAL GUY SET
15	DNPC of your choice
20	Psychological Limitation: Overcompensates For Lack Of True Powers (Very Common, Strong)
15	Vulnerability: 1½ x STUN from Falling and Knockback Damage (Very Common)

[b]DISADVANTAGES Points: 150[/b]
Base Pts: 200
Total Character Cost: 350

And here's the final character: The Man With Arrows aka Jason Arryn.

I dropped some parts of the Cultural Alien Set that seemed inappropriate and replaced them with some other things.

I determined that he is one of those emissaries from a hidden country that used to be really common. His cover is a private investigator who moves around a lot. Previously he was a hunter on Arrow Isle, which is just like all the other secret hidden islands except that everyone there learns godly archery skills.

[b]Modified Random Character: The Man with Arrows[/b]
Char: Nimbleness
Prim: Super-Warrior
Sec: Sensory Platform
Skills: Acrobatics

[b][u]VAL[/u]	[u]CHA[/u]	[u]Cost[/u]	[u]Total[/u]	[u]Roll[/u]	[u]Notes[/u][/b]
18	STR	8		13-	HTH Damage 3 1/2d6  END [2]
23	DEX	39		14-	OCV 8 DCV 11
18	CON	16		13-	
13	BODY	6		12-	
15	INT	5		12-	PER Roll 17-
13	EGO	6		12-	ECV: 4
10	PRE	0		11-	PRE Attack: 2d6
10	COM	0		11-	
9	PD	5	15r
9	ED	5	15r
6	SPD	27			Phases: 2,4,6,8,10,12
12	REC	8	
36	END	0	36
31	STUN	0	31
11	RUN	10	11"		END [1]
2	SWIM	0	2"		END [1]
4	LEAP	0	3 1/2"	3 1/2" forward, 1 1/2" upward
10	FLY	20	10"

[b]CHA Cost: 155[/b]

18	Toxotes' Armor: Armor (6 PD/6 ED), Damage Resistance (9 PD/9 ED): 27 AP, OIF(-1/2)
17	Combat Sense (as Sense)
10	Defense Maneuver IV
15	Deadly Aim: Find Weakness 12- with archery
22	Hailshot: EB +9d6; OAF(two OIFs, the bow and the quiver) (-1)
20	Arrowsight Band: OIF(-1/2)
	See Momentum: N-Ray Perception (Detect Objects, blocked by Force Fields, Force Walls, and extreme heat)	10
	Heat-Sight: Infrared Perception (Sight Group)	5
	Active Sonar (Hearing Sense Group)	15

[b]POWERS Cost:102[/b]

3	Acrobatics 16-
3	Breakfall 16-
3	Contortionist 16-
10	+2 with all DEX skills
15	Heightened Awareness: +5 PER with all Sense Groups
15	CSLs: +3 with Ranged Combat
10	Wind-Shield Bracer: Missile Deflection: bullets and shrapnel, OIF(-1/2)
14	Martial Arts (Throw, Legsweep, Dodge, Block)
3	Money: Well-Off ($300k/year mostly from Arrow Isle)
2	Weaponsmith(Muscle Ranged)
2	Private Investigator Licence
1	Passport(Arrow Isle)
1	Membership: Black Arrow agent (Arrow Isle covert ops)
2	KS: Underworld 11-
2	KS: Law Enforcement 11-
3	Shadowing 12-
4	Survival(Temperate, Subtropical, and Tropical) 12-
3	Tracking 12-
[b]Skills and Perks Cost: 96[/b]

[b][u]Value[/u]  [u]DISADVANTAGES[/u][/b]
Disadvantages:
15	Orders From Arrow Isle (Frequently, Major): Superiors on Arrow Isle often require Jason to carry out work for them
5	Distinctive Features: Birthmark and Tatoos on arms (Easily Concealed, Noticed and Recognizable)
STANDARD SET
15	Hunted: Personal Enemy 11- (As Powerful, Capture/Kill)
20	Psychological Limitation: Code Versus Killing (Common, Total)
15	Social Limitation: Secret Identity(Itinerant Private Investigator Jason Arryn, specializes in lost-property cases)
CULTURAL ALIEN SET
10	Enraged: when insulted through cultural misunderstandings (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 14-
10	Watched: the authorities 8- (More Powerful, Non-Combat Influence)
10	Physical Limitation: Unfamiliar With Modern Culture (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)
NORMAL GUY SET
15	DNPC Alexandra Artimesia, Arrow Isle's main diplomat and Jason's off-and-on girlfriend (Normal, Occasionally 11-)
20	Psychological Limitation: Overcompensates For Lack Of True Powers (Very Common, Strong)
15	Vulnerability: 1½ x STUN from Falling and Knockback Damage (Very Common)

[b]DISADVANTAGES Points: 150[/b]
Base Pts: 200
Total Character Cost: 350

Re: Lucky Dan

Well that is totally awesome. I shall be yoinking copiously.

I'm building a character named "Lucky Dan," who is appropriately lucky at everything he tries. I have his combat powers down (a field that drains the luck from his opponents and gives it to him using Negative Skill Levels), but the skills part is a bit more tricky. How do I buy him the ability to have a decent chance to succeed at any skill, even if he hasn't ever tried it before? I thought of just buying a few skills and then some general skill levels, but that feels more like he's using his luck to augment skill he already had, rather than the "I'd rather be lucky than good" feel I'm going for.

Re: Interview that Corpse!

Thanks, everyone. I used several different suggestions to make this:

Speak for the Dead: Clairsentience (Mental Sense Group, no range), Retrocognition (35 Base Points), No END (+1/2) (52 Active Points), One Sense Only (Telepathy) (-1/4), Retrocognition Only (-1), Time Modifier (-1 "range modifier" per hour after death; -1/2) OIF (corpse) (-1/2), Difficult to obtain new focus (-1/4) (15 Real Points)

I want to make a character who can read the final thoughts of dead people

How would I do this? My best guess is a combination of the Retrocognition form of Clairsentience and Receive-only Telepathy, but I'm not sure where to go from there.