unclevlad

First time.

Well. All the control rods got pulled, and the Clippers reactor has melted down. Brian Windhorst writes it won't explode (this year) because it can't. They have no choice; the moves they made, especially the Paul George trade, have gutted them in the draft. And man...Paul George in particular is going to have to answer. Last 3 games...8-18, 9-21, and tonight an AWFUL 4-16 shooting. +/- is a tricky stat, but when you're a starter and play 30+ minutes it's meaningful. -23 and -20 the last 2 games. I'm totally going with choke. Blow *big* leads in the 4th. Once the runs began in earnest by Denver...seemingly no ability to respond, to rise to the moment. 35 points in the 2nd half in game 6; 33 tonight. They collapsed more thoroughly than a papier mache house in a Florida thunderstorm.

Doubt anyone would seriously argue that. How much of a factor, might be unquantifiable, but a factor. I wasn't sure if it was gonna happen today... But it did. By WorldOMeters' count, the US passed 200,000 recorded coronavirus deaths this afternoon. This represents something over 20% of the total attributed deaths so far. Oh, and possibly tomorrow...Thursday at latest...the world's total number of cases will exceed 30 million.

That's for Heroic campaigns, per the top of the column. In a supers campaign, any weapon costs the normal 1 END per 10 active points by default. HAs and HKAs also apply full STR; there is no STR minimum and there is no limit to how much additional damage STR can apply.

It's also backed in HSMA with the 'hierarchy' of movements, from beginner to expert. Mind, there are some martial arts styles/templates that jump straight to the intermediate and expert maneuvers. Kung Fu has no Basic Strike or Defensive Block; Punch is a martial punch, Block is a martial block.

Translation: to err is human; to really mess things up, apply an update.

The archetypal autofire is a full-auto rifle, machine pistol (Uzi), or heavier machine gun/autocannon. There's no time lag between the first shot of the burst and the last shot, with these, within the game's time scales. (An AK-47's firing rate is 600 rounds/minute, for reference.) That's the baseline, then, for all autofire. Doesn't matter if it's rounds from a gun or punches and kicks, or a triple blast from an energy projector. I suppose you could try for a custom limitation saying they're slower than normal, but as long as they're all completed in the segment they started, I doubt it'd be worth much. I might even just say no, because tracking "oh my second attack goes NOW." and "my third attack goes NOW" is just more hassle. Note that Hero doesn't require time for movement. If I have a 26 Dex, I'm 10 meters away from you with no obstacles, and I have 24 meters of move....I reach you and attack before you can act with your 25 Dex. It just isn't something the system chooses to care about, save perhaps in some special pursuit situations where the GM's tweaking things for dramatic effect.

The shovel pass itself, I have less of a problem with than the fact that the shovel pass was going BACK INTO THE DIRECTION OF THE PURSUING DEFENSIVE LINE!!!!!!!!! It's like passing through the key against a packed-in defense in basketball...it is NOT gonna work very often.

He didn't say "can't alter scale." Megascale p. 340: The consideration is that ANY scale above 1m = 1m is noncombat movement. But the example specifically says you can go from 1m = 1 1m in one phase, to 1m = 10 km...so you have instant acceleration and deceleration. Something that is mentioned with MegaScale movement is the need for MegaScale senses. Say you scale back so that you're doing 100 km/second...so, coast to coast in a minute. How long is your vision range? Because a reaction time of 1/10th of a second still means a 10 km move between the time you see your destination and the time you can react. To OP, it becomes a matter of what the system technically allows and what the GM should allow. The rules took out the notion of minimum purchase amounts that were in earlier editions; the GM is pretty much expected to Just Say No to things like this now.

1d6 killing does an average of 3.5 Body. Since 1d6 killing is considered 3 DCs, *one* of those DCs is going to get a bit more power than the others. It's implicit in the DC structure. I think it's simpler and more regular to use HD's method, because it provides one consistent, universal methodology. ALWAYS work in DCs until the end, when you convert to dice. Sometimes things are seriously messy...I'll carry fractional DCs until the end, myself. Consider, say, 1d6 HKA, armor piercing. I want to translate that into DCs...3DCs with 1/4 advantage is 3.75 DCs. Now, let's add 20 STR (4 DCs), Martial Strike (2 DCs), and 2 Hand-to-Hand DCs. That's 8 more DCs, so the net is 11.75. Convert that first to normal dice... 1/4 advantage on N DCs == 11.75 DCs so N == 11.75 * (4/5)...or 9 and change. Might add a pip of STUN on a normal attack but since this is gonna be a killing attack, it's 9. 9 dice normal == 3 dice killing. It sounds more complex than it is. But I'm a math geek too. And I've done this a fair bit, because HD doesn't add HA damage to martial attacks. I use HAs a lot because I think STR as lifting increases too fast relative to STR as damage...so higher STR is an implicit justification for tossing on some HA for me. Back to the original. The progression for *purchasing* that HD uses is in DCs. You're given the choice to say 1/2 d6 or d6-1; I'd suggest routinely using the progression 1 pip, d6-1, d6. IF THE NET DC COMPUTATION comes out at, let's say, leaves N full dice plus around 1.5 "leftover" dice, that's when you can split the difference and go with N + 1/2 d6. BTW: where feasible, I do all this math in advance. (I like AVADs too, and they make things messy as well.) In HD, it all goes onto the Notes page.

Huh. Looks like Tennessee is going to be kicker-hunting REAL soon. Gostkowski was superb for the Pats, but was lost for most of the season last year due to injury. Yes, well, he's 0-2 tonight, both quite makeable. And after last year's utter debacle...I doubt patience will be a strong suit for the coaches.

An alternative is to roll normally, then split into 2 equal parts. If it's odd, then one half gets the spare point. This works for any application of Red Pen. With killing damage, this is probably more fair. Let's say it's 2d6 killing; the split into a pair of 1d6's for BODY is trivial. But the impact is tricky. 3 and 4 on the dice, may well give massively different net BODY than 6 and 1...even if, without the Red Pen, both would be 7 BODY. Fundamentally, the fewer dice you're rolling, the greater the standard deviation, and therefore more randomness comes into play. Also, this is more fair than Simon's suggestion because you shouldn't LOSE potential damage from the limitation. The limitation relates to defenses; splitting as noted is costing you a DC. Also note that another option would be to roll 1d6 and 1/2 d6. You're still splitting the DCs into 2 as-equal-as-possible parts, which IMO is staying closer to the spirit of the rule than forcing the attack to lose a DC.

Because Standard Effect is 3 per die. Average is 3.5. So 4d6+1 averages 15; 5d6 standard effect is also 15, but it's increasing the base cost. In this case as well, Standard Effect of 15 points of effect works GREAT for me as GM and you as player. It totally simplifies the book keeping, and thus speeds up the game. It doesn't affect the final cost materially either. One thing to remember is that the value of each incremental 1/4 limitation goes DOWN just due to the nature of the math. For a 50 point power, -1/4 == 40 points (or, save 10) -1/2 == 33 points (or, save 7 more) -3/4 == 28 points (or, save 4 more) -1 == 25 points (or, save 3 more) Ohhh...BAD ME. Big limitation you can kick in, Only to Aid Self. Again, I think there's overlap with the Only on a Trigger, I dunno if it's the full -1. It would be quite easy to accept the total package of limitations as a -1 overall, tho. So 105 --> 52. If you want to push the Self Only at its full -1, then Only when Triggered should be -1/2...not that it would matter much. I'm also willing to be flexibile, especially in these rather ambiguous areas, when you're not trying to scrimp. The advantages...especially the fade rate...might be overkill, but if you're willing to eat that, then I'm willing to give some breaks on the limitations. If we're starting with the full -1 on Only to Aid Self, then that's covering a lot right there. I'll give the -1/2 for Only when Triggered, but I think that's as far as I'd go. Yes, funky power definitions become negotiations. Yes, absolutely, others would read it differently. And they wouldn't be wrong. The rules allow some sick stuff, technically: 5 levels of Alternate Desolid (from APG, it's like Density Decrease), costs END only to Activate, can't pass through solids. 31 active, 21 real. (You basically get some Tunneling, plus 5 PD/ED) Now: 50% resistant DR, Energy, linked to Desolid -- 20 real 50% resistant DR, Physical, linked to Desolid -- 20 real. Note that you can also put Costs END to Activate on both. Option 2: Compound Power, 50% resistant DR, phys and energy. 60 active. Costs END to activate, full phase to activate...each is -1/4. So 40 real. BUT now you can link a 60 point multipower to the compound power, plus the Desolid...and perhaps the Flight. The heck with OIAID; I'm getting most of this character off Linked. And truly obscene...but allowed by HD...the Alternate Desolid. A Compound power with the DRs, where each is now also linked to the Desolid. Oh, and you keep the multipower linked to THIS. (Damage-based END Cost is in APG.) 21 Decoupled: Desolidification , Costs Endurance Only To Activate (+1/4); Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-1/2) 30 Translucence: (Total: 60 Active Cost, 30 Real Cost) Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Damage-based END Cost (1 per 5 STUN) (-1/2), Linked (Decoupled; -1/2) (Real Cost: 15) plus Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Damage-based END Cost (1 per 5 STUN) (-1/2), Linked (Decoupled; -1/2) (Real Cost: 15) 30 Phase Blast: Blast 3d6, Variable SFX (Limited Group of SFX; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/2), AVAD (LS: Vacuum; NND; +1), Autofire (3 shots; +1/4), Non-Standard Attack Power (+1) (60 Active Points); Linked (Translucence; -1/2), Beam (-1/4), Limited Range (-1/4) (note: variable SFX means can change the NND...at least LS High Pressure,, probably others) 13 LS (High Pressure; High Radiation; Intense Cold; Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing) (19 Active Points); Linked (Decoupled; -1/2) 8 Sight Group Flash Defense (12 points) (12 Active Points); Linked (Decoupled; -1/2) 24 Flight 24m, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Linked to Translucence This is exploiting Linked big time, and saving 42 points. Oh, and in case you're thinking that Blast is tiny? It's exploiting another aspect: Ranged Martial Arts, in particular Ranged DCs. Ranged DCs apply to each hit from the Autofire. If someone tried to play this in a game, where I'm worrying about character balance...it'd be abusive. I built this for fun, in a context where it'd be more reasonable to do it this way. The point is: IF I allowed as much to be included on Linked, I'd very likely not give much ground on other things. OTOH, a character defined with very few points shaved by limitations, might get some slack in buying, say, skills or perks for 'free' if they fit. Because they're not trying to chisel the game the way this major use of Linked is.

It's a total of + 2 1/2...0 END is another +1/2. Figured that was obvious. So 5d6 is 105 active. How much it should be is open to debate. I might do 5d6 with standard effect, as +10 STR, 0 END...if I'm worried about it. That's the way it's depicted, IMO. Or if you think Hulk's got ridiculous REC and END to start with, 5d6 standard effect means +15 STR, therefore +3 dice, each time. Makes tracking VERY simple. The real cost depends on what you think the Uncontrolled aspect (that is, only on the trigger) is really worth. I'm disinclined to say the full -2 because the condition becomes "when he finds out he needs it, it'll be there...soon enough anyway." So I'd go with -1/2, and probably -3/4 if you go with the standard effect rule. 5d6 standard effect is only 15; rolling, that's the average of 4d6+1. And heck, the extra points you shave off going from -1/2 to -3/4 isn't that much. Lessee...4d6+1 AID with +2 1/2 is 91 active; with a -1/2 limit, it's 61. 5d6 AID is 105 active, with -3/4 limit is...60. Excellent.

I agree that *when buying a vehicle as a vehicle*...it's implicit. But that's not what's happening here. This is not a standalone vehicle; it's a character that looks like a vehicle, that is built using character rules, not vehicle rules.

Extra Limbs would be another way to do it, rather than Clinging. I'm NOT considering a Transformers approach; more like a Goliath approach, or a transform to something like a giant horse, bird, or dragon. Also...in the car scenario...Clinging, UBO. Seat belts. You're asking for "I can hold them in my transformed state" for no cost, based on saying "it's a car." Nope. Unless you're paying for it, it'd be more like riding in the back of a pickup truck. Nothing to stop you from being tossed out from the bed. So if you want them safely ensconced and protected...pay for it somehow.

Thia: In 6E it's not 'heroic' it's Alternate. OIAID. Because villains can certainly take it. The point about not using Always On with Growth, Shrinking, and DI is...there's no point. Just buy the STR, defenses, and KB resistance (for DI); the mass becomes the Phys Complication. The SFX is "density increase" One thing about doing it this way is, you're not limited to the benefits of the powers. For example: titanium's density is 5. That's more or less the starting point...the character will have "2 levels of always on DI." But I'm not gonna do +2 PD/ED...to me, that's either 6 rPD/rED, or perhaps 4 dice of physical and energy damage negation. Change the definition, change the power. Graphene and carbon nanotubes become the skin and muscle; graphite becomes the joint lubricant. Now it becomes damage reduction, rather than negation; the tissues are durable, and the blow gets dissipated rather than completely stopped. And my most extreme case is also done in a Mulitform; one of the forms conceptually has 2 levels of shrinking and 6 levels of DI (so he's normal mass). His nominal density is 64. How hard and how durable would that make him? It's 3x the density of the very heavy metals like iridium, osmium, and tungsten, all of which are incredibly tough. (I think ALL his defenses are Resistant, Hardened, and Impenetrable, altho I might've split between that and damage negation.) Basically, especially if it's gonna be Always On, don't limit yourself to the package powers. They're all built from components; feel free to tweak those. The anger --> STR....yeah, it's a Limited Power. You just need to define the condition. One I can remember would be frustration. HULK CHAINED!!??!!!! OK, so...any time Hulk's STR is not up to snuff, like bashing through a wall or snapping chains, he gets mad and therefore stronger. And by the comics, it's ANY time...so that suggests Aid to STR, on a Trigger that itself has an activation roll. So... Aid 4d6 --Expanded Effect (+1/2): --> STR and Aid, where the improvement to Aid is to allow the maximum effect to increase ONLY. --Delayed Return Rate, 5 per minute (+1) --0 END --Trigger: Zero Phase to activate, Zero Phase to reset (+1/2) --Only on the trigger (11- activation when frustrated) The limitation value is kinda open, as is whether or not you think the delayed return rate fits. Hey, Hulk should NOT be cheap.

The UBO was for the Clinging, not the Growth. They're riding on your back. What's keeping them from being thrown off in a high-speed turn?

Her analysis certainly seems spot-on.

I'm OK with the canned crowd noise. I'd rather NOT have it, but the lack of it does impact things. If you can't hear the announcers, someone messed up. Decisively, too. You can't read anything into week 1 in a normal season; this year, even less. Mind, the bias confirmation with the Browns and Jets is nice. But hey, Browns fans, you have a GREAT chance to get back to .500 Thursday! Browns-Bengals....<sigh>. That should be game 2 of Heat-Celtics. No brainer there....

30 point turnaround in the second half. Nuggets upped their level; Clippers went tortilla-flat. No disrespect to Denver, but the Clips also played horribly. If the Nuggets do finish off the comeback...ya gotta question whether Doc Rivers will be out. With George and Kawhi, and they still can't make the *conference* finals? Out in the first round for 2 straight years; miss the playoffs for 2 years. Favorites to win the whole thing...and they may yet do it. But if they lose Tuesday, that will be Very Bad.

So whether Houston wants D'Antoni, he doesn't want them...or, he's pushing for more money. He's not going to re-sign with the Rockets.

So the Lakers are up 24 with about 6 minutes to go; barring a collapse, the Rockets are out of fuel. 4-1; this is the only real blowout but the Lakers have been clearly better since game 1. So the question is...is this the end of small ball? D'Antoni's contract is up; there's no extension. Owner claims it's a priority, but small ball's only gotten them so far. Personally I don't think 100% small ball, completely analytically driven (3's and layups)...huge salary cap issues with Westbrook and Harden...2 ball hog ball handlers...I don't think they're built soundly, and the existing salaries suggest it'd be hard to rebuild them soundly while keeping the big names. Also: LA basketball fans have to feel HOSED. Should've been a Freeway Finals!!! Heck, the Clippers would've taken a much bigger cut out of the Laker dominance had they won *in LA*.

1. That sounds very Disney. Yes, that is not a compliment. 2. A light tone is one thing but to me, it seems it'd hard to avoid OVERDOING that. Fine, maybe you pick up some adolescents but I think you lose more in the older age groups.

The poignancy for me was the way the morning played out. At the time, I was a civilian contractor working at White Sands, at the Navy's missile test firing site. So there I was, about ready to drive out, when NPR is talking about some plane smashing into a building in New York. Say...what??? WTF!!!! is going on..... So I didn't start out immediately. The news unfolded, and of course the shock started. At that point, I knew without doubt I didn't need to go out there. Test sites aren't needed at that moment. Thought about not going out...but I felt I needed to. So I did. It was almost completely quiet...maybe 10 of us all told, civilians and sailors. And absolutely nothing going on there. The sailors, other than a couple tasked to open up our site, were in their barracks, I presume, watching and potentially awaiting orders. We mostly were watching...so, yeah, I saw the 2nd collapse as it happened. That's what makes 9/11 different from, let's say, the Oklahoma City bombing. I wasn't following news much at all at that point, so I actually didn't know the bombing had happened for a couple days. The first time I saw the extent of the damage...THAT was a shock. But the videos...the 2nd plane in particular flying *straight into* the tower, and then the 2nd tower collapse...raised the emotional impact. I remember perfectly well that I was just reeling, stunned, and my brain pretty much had shut down as I drove back. (The bosses up at Navy HQ got confirmation to close it for the rest of the week.) Mind, I was VERY careful driving back because I knew that. (Not like it mattered; no traffic to speak of at all.) And while shopping. I remember talking to the check-out people...they knew nothing. And mentally and emotionally, I was mostly numb until at least Thursday night. Had I not been following everything live, or nearly so, I don't think it would've been the same reaction as, say, learning it at lunch at work (and probably getting little or nothing done the rest of the day). Or if I found out that night from the news...shock and tears from the massive death toll, anger for the &@#$s that did the attacks...but I doubt it would have lasted as long.