First Couple Attempts

[TylinV]

This is the first completed character for our campaign, I thought I would post them here and see if they look ok. My players and I are pretty much all on the same page as far as how we understand things, so I feel pretty good about how well we are beginning to understand the rules. However, I want to get everyone's character to the point where they could take their characters to any other campaign and fit in without too much changing

 

First up is our resident RPer. She is more into RP than the rest of the players but gets influenced a lot by her husband, our resident min-maxer .

 

STR 7 DEX 14 CON 11 BOD 11 INT 13 EGO 20 PRE 19 COM 24 PD 2 ED 3 SPD 2 REC 7 END 22 STUN 21

 

Conversation 13- Seduction 13- Power (Adjust wall dimensions) 11-

Persuasion 13- KS:Cosmetology 11- Acting 13-

 

Danger sense (Immed. vicinity, out of combat, functions as a sense)

Eidetic memory

 

26pts Kinetic Shield- Force field 10PD/10ED/2Power RedEnd 0

Visible

33pts Kinetic Wall- Force wall 5PD/5ED 5x5 visible

8pts Mental Awareness EC 30pt powers (15) all slots 14- to activate stops working if KOed

8pts 1) Detect Sentience: Mind Scan 6d6 Human

8pts 2) Telepathy: Mind Link, Human, Willing target, Any distance, # of

minds x4

12pts Psionic Assaults- EC 50pt powers (25) all slots 14- to activate,

cannot be used through mind link, no mental

awareness

12pts 1)Glamour: Illusions 5d6 Humans AE 3"

13pts 2)Mental Domination: Mind control 7d6 Human, Cumulative

12pts 3)Synapse Burn: Ego 2 1/2d6 Continuous

6pts Shield of Will: Mental Defense 10pts total

 

This was figured with the Hero designer. Not sure mostly about the limit bonus being applied to both the EC and each power in it, other than that seemed to be ok. We're going for superpowered characters at 150pts with up to 100 pts of disadvantages.

Late getting back to work hehe, thanks for any advice!

[Doc Democracy]

Re: First Couple Attempts

 

However' date=' I want to get everyone's character to the point where they could take their characters to any other campaign and fit in without too much changing [/quote']

 

You are asking a lot for portability between campaigns - each game is usually defined differently with different assumptions about power levels and everything else. Aim to have the players happy about the character power balance and you'll be doing well.

 

 

8pts Mental Awareness EC 30pt powers (15) all slots 14- to activate stops working if KOed

8pts 1) Detect Sentience: Mind Scan 6d6 Human

8pts 2) Telepathy: Mind Link, Human, Willing target, Any distance, # of

minds x4

 

OK - applying global limitations is within the rules so that is OK. The problem I'd have with this construct is that the powers would stop working if the character was KO'ed anyway. So I dont see the limitation in the limitation. You understand?

 

I would also advise against activation rolls on constant powers that need to be constant to be of immediate value.

 

Mind Link is a fantastic power as it allows characters to be in constant communication even when they are not in line of sight. Except, with the activation of 14- it will stop working something like 9% of the time, almost 1 in 10. She will have to make an activation roll every six seconds and so you can expect the mind link to work for about a minute before the connection breaks and you need to reset it

 

12pts Psionic Assaults- EC 50pt powers (25) all slots 14- to activate,

cannot be used through mind link, no mental

awareness

12pts 1)Glamour: Illusions 5d6 Humans AE 3"

13pts 2)Mental Domination: Mind control 7d6 Human, Cumulative

12pts 3)Synapse Burn: Ego 2 1/2d6 Continuous

6pts Shield of Will: Mental Defense 10pts total

 

Once again, your illusions will last for maybe a minute before they stop working. And the Mind Control and even the continuous Ego Attack.

 

The cost saving is nice but it takes away much of what makes those powers valuable....

 

 

Doc

[Daemon]

Re: First Couple Attempts

 

 

STR 7 DEX 14 CON 11 BOD 11 INT 13 EGO 20 PRE 19 COM 24 PD 2 ED 3 SPD 2 REC 7 END 22 STUN 21

 

 

Speed 2? ;x This looks like an oversight.

 

26pts Kinetic Shield- Force field 10PD/10ED/2Power RedEnd 0

Visible

33pts Kinetic Wall- Force wall 5PD/5ED 5x5 visible

 

Aren't powers that normally cost END normally visible? Buying visible on visible powers is legal, but it makes them VERY visible, like causing a boom that can be heard a mile away.

 

8pts Mental Awareness EC 30pt powers (15) all slots 14- to activate stops working if KOed

8pts 1) Detect Sentience: Mind Scan 6d6 Human

8pts 2) Telepathy: Mind Link, Human, Willing target, Any distance, # of

minds x4

 

Mind Scan isn't Persistent, so it stops if the mentalist is Stunned or KO'ed already. Mind Link has special rules for recovering the Link post KO.

 

Powers that take an attack roll are made very hard to use by adding Activation rolls. Plus you multiply the number of rolls needed during combat, which slows down play. You can substitute things like Concentration or Extra Time to get some point savings.

 

12pts Psionic Assaults- EC 50pt powers (25) all slots 14- to activate,

cannot be used through mind link, no mental

awareness

12pts 1)Glamour: Illusions 5d6 Humans AE 3"

13pts 2)Mental Domination: Mind control 7d6 Human, Cumulative

12pts 3)Synapse Burn: Ego 2 1/2d6 Continuous

 

Same issue as above with Activation Roll. I'm dubious of No Mental Awareness on these, as the powers above provide Mental Awareness.

 

With a lot riding on Cumulative, Continuous powers, this character is going to have problems with only 22 END. But, only going twice per Turn, maybe not. =)

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: First Couple Attempts

 

STR 7 DEX 14 CON 11 BOD 11 INT 13 EGO 20 PRE 19 COM 24 PD 2 ED 3 SPD 2 REC 7 END 22 STUN 21

 

Not knowing the power level of your game as a whole makes this somewhat speculative, but these stats are pitifully low for a typical Supers game. What power level are you looking for?

 

Conversation 13- Seduction 13- Power (Adjust wall dimensions) 11-

Persuasion 13- KS:Cosmetology 11- Acting 13-

 

Danger sense (Immed. vicinity, out of combat, functions as a sense)

Eidetic memory

 

26pts Kinetic Shield- Force field 10PD/10ED/2Power RedEnd 0

Visible

33pts Kinetic Wall- Force wall 5PD/5ED 5x5 visible

 

Others have mentioned the issue with Visible. The character has 12 PD 13 ED, which is quite low for a Supers game. If the intent is to have a lower powered game, these may be in the ballpark.

 

8pts Mental Awareness EC 30pt powers (15) all slots 14- to activate stops working if KOed

8pts 1) Detect Sentience: Mind Scan 6d6 Human

8pts 2) Telepathy: Mind Link, Human, Willing target, Any distance, # of

minds x4

12pts

 

That KO'd limitation has already been addressed, as have the Activation issues.

 

Psionic Assaults- EC 50pt powers (25) all slots 14- to activate,

cannot be used through mind link, no mental

awareness

12pts 1)Glamour: Illusions 5d6 Humans AE 3"

13pts 2)Mental Domination: Mind control 7d6 Human, Cumulative

12pts 3)Synapse Burn: Ego 2 1/2d6 Continuous

 

5d6 Illusions will average a roll of 17. That's not even a good TV picture. These would be better purchased in a Multipower, as the Multiple Power Attack rules prevent using multiple attacks from the same EC anyway.

 

6pts Shield of Will: Mental Defense 10pts total[/quote

 

This was figured with the Hero designer. Not sure mostly about the limit bonus being applied to both the EC and each power in it' date=' other than that seemed to be ok. We're going for superpowered characters at 150pts with up to 100 pts of disadvantages. [/quote]

 

This would be a pretty low powered 250 point super.

[incrdbil]

Re: First Couple Attempts

 

Ok, here is the build you currently have.

 

 

 

Player:

 

Val	Char	Cost
7	STR	-3
14	DEX	12
11	CON	2
11	BODY	2
13	INT	3
20	EGO	20
19	PRE	9
24	COM	7

2/12	PD	1
3/13	ED	1
2	SPD	0
7	REC	8
22	END	0
21	STUN	0

6"	RUN	0
2"	SWIM	0
1"	LEAP	0
Characteristics Cost: 62

Cost	Power
33	FF (10 PD/10 ED/2 Power Defense), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (33 Active Points)
25	FW (5 PD/5 ED)
8	Elemental Control, 30-point powers,  (15 Active Points); all slots Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), Stops Working If Mentalist Is Knocked Out (-1/4)
8	1)  Mind Scan 6d6 (30 Active Points)
7	2)  Mind Link , Any Willing Target, Number of Minds (x4) (25 Active Points); Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4)
12	Elemental Control, 50-point powers,  (25 Active Points); all slots Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4), Cannot Be Used Through Mind Link (-1/4)
13	1)  Mind Control 7d6, Cumulative (+1/2) (52 Active Points)
12	2)  Ego Attack 2 1/2d6, Continuous (+1) (50 Active Points)
12	3)  Mental Illusions 5d6, Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2) (37 Active Points)
6	Mental Defense (10 points total)
Powers Cost: 136


Cost	Skill
3	Conversation 13-
3	Persuasion 13-
3	Seduction 13-
3	Acting 13-
3	Power 11-
2	PS: Cosmetology 11-
Skills Cost: 17


Cost	Talent
5	Eidetic Memory
27	Danger Sense (immediate vicinity, out of combat, Function as a Sense) 12-
Talents Cost: 32

Total Character Cost: 247

 

My thoughts: the low speed may frustrate the player, th9ough if they moved any faster, end problems would probably cripple them.

 

The EC of attacks is probably done better as a multipower. the ttwo force field powers--I"d go for a small EC, or a multipower for them as well.

 

 

 

I'd also, as a GM, not allwo the 'doesnt allow mental awareness' on the framework sense the character has other powers that do give the character mental awareness.

 

Here is a suggested version focusing on these notes, plus a few characteristic tweaks just to help your character in a few key points of design. It leaves you 20 more points to spend as you wish before hitting 250.

 

Technically, this level of Superhero is quasi-heroic, quasi superhero. It would be perfect for a low level dark champions style game.

 

 

Val	Char	Cost
10	STR	0
14	DEX	12
13	CON	6
11	BODY	2
13	INT	3
20	EGO	20
20	PRE	10
22	COM	6

3/15	PD	1
3/15	ED	0
3	SPD	6
7	REC	4
26	END	0
23	STUN	0

6"	RUN	0
2"	SWIM	0
2"	LEAP	0
Characteristics Cost: 70

Cost	Power
36	Multipower, 36-point reserve
3u	1)  FW (7 PD/7 ED) (35 Active Points)
4u	2)  FF (12 PD/12 ED), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (36 Active Points)
8	Elemental Control, 30-point powers,  (15 Active Points); all slots Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), Stops Working If Mentalist Is Knocked Out (-1/4)
8	1)  Mind Scan 6d6 (30 Active Points)
7	2)  Mind Link , Any Willing Target, Any distance, Number of Minds (x4) (30 Active Points); Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4)
30	Multipower, 52-point reserve,  (52 Active Points); all slots Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), Cannot Be Used Through Mind Link (-1/4)
3u	1)  Mind Control 7d6, Cumulative (+1/2) (52 Active Points)
3u	2)  Ego Attack 2 1/2d6, Continuous (+1) (50 Active Points)
3u	3)  Mental Illusions 5d6, Area Of Effect (3" Radius; +1) (50 Active Points)
6	Mental Defense (10 points total)
Powers Cost: 111


Cost	Skill
3	Conversation 13-
3	Persuasion 13-
3	Seduction 13-
3	Acting 13-
3	Power 11-
2	PS: Cosmetology 11-
Skills Cost: 17


Cost	Talent
5	Eidetic Memory
27	Danger Sense (immediate vicinity, out of combat, Function as a Sense) 12-
Talents Cost: 32

Total Character Cost: 230

Base Points: 150
Experience Required: 80
Total Experience Available: 0
Experience Unspent: 0

[ghost-angel]

Re: First Couple Attempts

 

However' date=' I want to get everyone's character to the point where they could take their characters to any other campaign and fit in without too much changing [/quote']

 

Step 1- don't really try for this. Every campaign will make different assumptions based on the style of the group and the desired goal.

 

I suggest you build them to have fun first.

 

As some others have asked, what's the power level? Are you looking at a Standard 350 Pt Superhero? If so we've got a lot of room to work with to bring them up to part - their SPD & END are very low for a Superhero game.

 

Give us some more campaign context and we could be more useful to you.

[incrdbil]

Re: First Couple Attempts

 

My assumption from the write up i a very low level power game.

 

also, suggsted tweaking of the illusion multipower slot

 

Mental Illusions 3d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Cumulative (36 points; +3/4), Area Of Effect (6" Radius; +1 1/4) (49 Active Points)

[TylinV]

Re: First Couple Attempts

 

First of all, thanks a lot for everyone's input so far! Some of what we were looking at was a bit off . So, to help you help me, some more detailed info

 

When I say fit in to any other person's campaign, I mean more from a rules standpoint than sliding in seamlessly. Fun factor is of course the most important, and indulging any potential person's wishes would be silly at this point

 

The campaign I'm looking to start is low-powered. The reason I chose this is at the start it seems low enough to use heroic elements should that seem to be a better direction to go, and for now there is not a huge need to detail "loot". Should there arise an instance where money or a computer or some such thing arise, I intend to assign a number of group xp that can be used for the base or some other personal item, which will take a lot less of my time than deciding what items are found, how much they are worth, where they can be sold, and generally less time spent RPing merchant NPCs. Also, I believe starting low-powered will allow me/us to adjust more rapidly to game mechanics without getting too powerful too quickly. I would hate to penalize the group because I didn't balance things very well . Also, it is my plan to gradually introduce more complex levels of gameplay as we go. The first encounter I have planned will involve a mysterious group known simply as the Agency, which publicly is a school for specially gifted youngsters but really seeks to condition the minds of it's students for their own use. Think Charles Xaviar in Bizarro World. 3 NPCs escape and are cornered by a couple Agency retrieval squads, who for this encounter consist of stun pistol and charged bola weilding humans with some slightly stronger seargents and a stronger lieutenant. After this, if all goes well and everyone wants to continue, I plan to give a combination of xp and a disadvantage Hunted: The Agency of up to 20 points, straight xp if they can rescue the students without being photographed or identified, and xp and some level of disadvantage if they can't completely hid their involvement. This will be to fill in any areas they feel their characters have without getting too far above the upcoming encounters. The students have a forgotten remnant of the Underground Railroad, which is basically a hidden room in the sewers with water and meager electricity which could be upgraded with some work and possibly the right contacts. Feel free to ask for any other campaign details if you need more .

 

Some of the things we were thinking about what was originally posted have been pointed out because of the vast amount of material in the main book. We opted for the main book and used the designer program to fill in the blanks so we could get to the gameplay sooner, and it would be hard to make my players study too much befoe we get started (we're more the hands-on type of learners ).

The visible issue, didn't know a power that costs endurance is visible. Visible was an available option in the hero designer program, so we assumed that the force effects were not visible except perhaps on impact, something like the Matrix, where Neo stopped the bullets at the end- no visible stopping force. Adding visible, to us, meant the force effects would simply have a glowy effect. Now we know . The activation roll was meant to simulate not having total control over the powers. I had already thought of how the extra roll could bog down gameplay, and how some of the other rolls could be sped up a bit, and to that effect we have a curve for 3d6 that corresponds to d20, so things like the activation roll could be done with the d20 concurrently with any 3d6 rolls (D&D players have a hard time going completely without their d20's:)). We also thought that it only needed to be made once when the power was activated, not each phase it's active. So she might keep it for the attack powers, but will figure out something else for mind scan and mind link. The turns off when KOed was another instance of taking what the program gave us. Clearly, I need to read the fine points better lol. Well, the good news is we won't be ready to start until at least the first weekend in June, so I have time . Thanks again for any and all help!

[incrdbil]

Re: First Couple Attempts

 

The campaign I'm looking to start is low-powered. The reason I chose this is at the start it seems low enough to use heroic elements should that seem to be a better direction to go, and for now there is not a huge need to detail "loot".

Seems fine to me. For a low power game, I'd really suggest Dark Champions, or Dark Champs The animated Series--it seems very likely you might allow the characters to pack around normal technology and weapons, which would certainyl help boost up their power levels. there's a lot of suggestiosn on how to do that, like an armory and equipment pool for characters that defines what gear they can choose from and how much they carry at one time.

 

 

 

The activation roll was meant to simulate not having total control over the powers. I had already thought of how the extra roll could bog down gameplay, and how some of the other rolls could be sped up a bit, and to that effect we have a curve for 3d6 that corresponds to d20, so things like the activation roll could be done with the d20 concurrently with any 3d6 rolls (D&D players have a hard time going completely without their d20's:)).

 

time to cut the apron strings. Adding in aspects from other system only makes the learnign curve harder, as you try to reconcile the base rules the house rules. It wont hurt play that much-especially if you combine the activation with the to hit roll, rolling two sets of dice at the same time. Either one fails-power doesnt work.

 

You could also go with a generic lack of control limitation, make it a -1/4th limit or so, and as the GM simply rule in strange effects every now and then as you see appropriate such as a poorly described player illusion, you interpret literally.

 

The turns off when KOed was another instance of taking what the program gave us.

 

That is a perfectly fine limitation for a starting low level group. May I suggest extra time (full phase action) or Concentration as very appropriate themed limitations for low level mental powers?