Grailknight

Re: VPPs and Limitations An example to show why I don't allow lim on Var Pools Mage 1: 50 pt Cosmic Pool with 1/2 variable limitations on powers. Cost 100 pts. May use up to 75 active pts with -1 limitations that are Always on all powers. Mage 2: 50 pt Cosmic Pool. Cost 125 pts. If limitations are allowed may use 100 pts of powers using the same lims as Mage 1 because lims aren't being halved. May have no lims on powers at any time. May have limited and unlimited powers at same time. Which character would you rather be? I choose option 2 every time. The Var Lim Limitation implies that being able to switch lims for the situation makes them only 1/2 value. What would you give as a value for Var Lim that aren't halved and can be turned off? I'd say that was a net advantage because you get free pts at the minimal risk of losing an attack and can eliminate the risk at any time.

Re: Variable Adders? It would definitely NEVER be a disadvantage. The problem I'm having is that adders vary so much in usefulness from power to power that I can't get a good read on whether double is enough. It seems to cheap on movement and sense affecting powers and not useful enough on things like force wall. I'm hesitant to disalow it altogether but I'll have to make my decision after more research. If anyone has ever tried this,your input would be appreciated.

How much would you charge for Variable Adders on a power? I got this question from a newbie and I wanted to bounce it off the Boards to see if other ideas? I'm leaning toward +1 but that may be a little low for some of the movement powers.

Re: The Authority:What the heck? Ahh, but they have The Bleed which allows for invasion from an infinite number of alternate realities! This ensures a nonstop enemy supply.

Re: The Authority:What the heck? The lack of recurring enemies seems to be part of the basic philosophy of the series. After all, if they had a recurring enemy, they'd be just another superhero comic.

Oh, I'd allow it also but I would still point it out and make the player justify it. Otherwise no one ever blows a deflection roll because it cost nothing in an MP to pump it up. Sorry my apprenticeship under powergamers is showing:)

Dieties are supposed to be crazy, it's in the fine print.

I have no problem with that but putting special powers in frameworks triggers my munchkin alarms and DM psych lims.

Not to dredge DD vs Tak, but DD "cheats" to have EGO Def in his VPP. Special powers are still verboten in frameworks.

I like to save my DM power abuse for special occassions

Reflection vs DrD CHEATER! Actually, this comment came from one of my newbie players who had just read FREd for the first time. It seems that pluses to OCV with deflection are considered skills under 5th and therefore can't be placed in frameworks without GM permission. Old rules had OCV plusses as an adder. Live and learn, but it's embarrassing to be lectured by a newbie after 20 years

Cool! Can you post a link to your source page for their Aberrant writeups? The adresses in your post don't go anywhere.

Try doing the Taint as linked Transform with an 8- activation roll. Make it a partial Transform that adds a DF, Phys Lim or Psych Lim randomly. Can I vote for Geisha to be next?

Another good job and an excellent example of why Aberrant is so deadly. Can you imagine the lifespan of a frontline mentalist with her attacks and defenses in a Champions game?

I've always loved adjustment powers as a DM and as a player. A drainer can be very effective without being overbalanced in most AP limit games. The changes made in 4th and carried on for the most part to 5th made them viable but like every rule they could stand some tweaking. So let's examine your conclusions: Conclusion 1: No maximum as a +1 adv Can't agree with this one totally. This would be better handled with Cumulative. Conclusion 2: No fade rate as a +1 adv - restored pts only Again can't totally agree with this. In my house rules Aid and Absorption are both 10pts/die and the no fade is free. Healing doesn't exist and Aid costs END. They also fade immediately if in an MP or VPP and the slots are switched out. This is balanced for my game, YMMV. Conclusion 3: Transfer should act as Drain after max reached I agree totally with this one. I also allow Cumlative to increase the max but at 2x cost. I personally eliminated the buying up the max mechanic for Cumulative. It prevents people from trying to build the infinite buff character.

It all comes down to game balance. There is no other reason that I can find to restrict EC's more than MP's or VPP's. In my experience, almost all MP's would and should fall under the drain one-drain all rule used for EC's with the exception being for gadgeteers.

I'd like to see something along the lines of the Universal Brotherhood from Shadowrun. DEMON uses fronts as self-help charitable organization to recruit streetpeople and people in emotional distress. Most remain ignorant of anything wrong (It's run as a real charity/new wave church), but a small percentage get to see the inner workings of DEMON in various-usually unpleasant ways. This gives DEMON a constant source of income, a creditable front and a steady supply of sacrifices who won't be missed. The UB storyline was probalby the best done thing in the Shadowrun universe in terms of foreshadowing and story.

Aberrant is definitely the game that models THE AUTHORITY best, in fact THE AUTHORITY almost seems like the reference used to design the game sometimes. In Aberrant, the best defense is taking the other guy out first. Unless you spend roughly 1.5x more on your defenses than your attacks, plan on seeing some hospital time after major battles.

Good job, he's about as ludicrous as he should be. Minor quibble, the taint resistance can only stop outside effects, side effects automatically bypass your defenses.

Maybe I was a tad too harsh but not much. The game is far too heavily weighted towards bricks in combat damage. To be fair, some of this was inherent in the game design based on the world they wanted to model. But it still seems as though the designers never actually played the game. I can roleplay any system but a game that features combat should have a playable combat system.

I think you did a very good job with these guys but its hard to over come the disparity between attacks and defenses inherent to the system. Playing Aberrant reminds me of reading The Authority, death is just that common and the only way to avoid it is to be a tank because Nothing makes you harder to hit.

I've tried a campaign using hit locations and we didn't like it. It made normal damage into the stun lotto. The one shot stuns on 12/13 rolls were balanced numerically by the no effect arm and leg shots but all it takes is a 1.5x at the start of battle to ruin a scene. We did use it for killing attacks and found it works better than the stun lotto.

power level Ahh Aberrant, the only game I've seen that has RULES for creating a UNIVERSE in your character's image. The game has some very interesting ideas but suffers from a fatal flaw. It's a Superhero game where combat is DEADLY!! Despite that I recomend it wholeheartedly as a setting or an idea mine.

Bion- The Rock less the attitude and more of an inspirational leader. Racer- Wesley Snipes, Denzel is too pretty

Power Levels You're rightabout that LL, CKC was a definite sign of a change in power levels in official products. Strikeforce is one of the Hero classics but I actually felt that the heroes were underpowered compared to their main nemesis: Overlord. His main attack does BODY to all but 2 Characters and only 3 can penetrate his defenses which are up close to Gravitar's. 53/50?